sales@apexpipe.com
1221 S. Shepherd Houston, TX 77019
1-800-747-3515
kon-hed
- A young man or woman who is striving to better themselves
- An intern at Apex Steel Pipe, who is learning the dynamics of a business
Ex.) During my time as a Conehead at Apex Steel Pipe, being a college intern, I equipped myself with many helpful tools as a salesman, and learned how to market a service or product effectively.
“Wow, it’s hot in the pipe yard”
- Learned the vast apex inventory & system in its entirety in multiple locations
- Established a base level of steel pipe terminology
- Learned and practiced Apex’s pipe coating system to organize pipe
- Learned about the cooperational synergy between the office and the 5 different pipe yards
“Madness on the sales floor”
- Experienced what it is like in a business environment
- Learned how to interact with customers with business etiquette
- Learned office data flow
- Experienced the process of working up a steel pipe quote with an Apex salesmen
“You want me to make a sales call?!? Awhhhhhh”
- Learned how to properly execute a sales call
- Learned listening skills
- Trained in conversation
- Developed sales skills and knowledge
Learning Software Applications:
- Learned the Apex inventory software
- Learned to navigate company database
- Used in house software to record calling data, while incentivizing conehead competition
“Golf looks way easier on TV”
- Morning swing diagnosis with Apex golf pro Matt Paradeaux
- Practiced morning lesson after work at the driving range
- Improving skills for opportunity to build relationships through golf
- Check out the Pro’s Corner
“Apex has great customers”
- Set up and improve social media pages advertising Apex
- Set up Linkedin accounts for coneheads, so they can begin building their network
- Revised resumes
- Added customers to personalized groups within database
“Inside the head of a cone”
- Interns complete an initial Habit Finder assessment
- Followed by an hour-long debrief with Dave Blanchard defining personal strengths and challenges
- Group coaching zoom call lessons with Dave concerning addressing the fear of a sales call rejection
“Conehead Graduation”
- Commencement speech given by well respected Houstonian and businessman, Ned Torian.
- Cones were placed on the heads of interns, by Ned Torian, to mark completion of all eight stages of the conehead journey.
The 2023 Conehead Speakers
Brain Thompson – President of Thompson Custom Homes
Jason Ankar – Owner of Smoke Dreamz
Mark B. McAdams – Founder and Managing partner at Icon Wealth Partners
Don McLaughlin – Mayor of Uvalde TX
Michael Sullivan – Trainer at TI Health and Fitness
Jennifer Horton – CEO of LMS Acquisitions
Billy Case – Owner of Case Physical Therapy
Lyn Webb – Owner of BABakerGifts
Ike Claypool – Partner at CHLG Funding
Nick Stefanakis – President and CFO of Womble Company Inc.
Matthew Rotan – Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Marble Capital LP
Bobby Mulvey – North American Sales Manager at international Furniture Direct
Clay Coneley – Managing Director of Lime Rock Resources
Saylor Cooper – Creator of Blind without sight charity
Daiyaan Butt – Senior Business Analyst at MicKinsey & Company
Shelley Barineau – Owner and operator of Multi-Family Real Estate
Kyle Yarbrough – Owner of Certified Pipe Services Houston
Holden markoff – Inter Venture Sports
Andres Chavarria – Owner of Town and Country Limo LLC
Luke Flemming – Three year Conehead
Sarah Irwin – Past Conehead
1st Day Requirements:
- Required Books: The E-myth & The Greatest Salesman in the World
- Required Movies: Coneheads, Top Gun #1 & Miracle on Ice
Guest Speakers: Coming soon
Meet the (2023) Coneheads
Kyle Oliver (Call Sign – Reggie)
Kyle Oliver graduated from Memorial High School and is going to be attending Texas A&M University in the fall. Kyle is studying Industrial distribution and mechanical engineering. Kyle has always been interested in big industrial machines and big businesses.
Favorite Quote
“Its not about the destination, it’s about the journey.”
Thomas Stephan (Call Sign – Ace)
Thomas Stephan has recently graduated high school and will be attending Texas A&M University studying construction science starting this fall. Thomas plans to start his career as an estimator in the construction field and eventually start his own residential construction company.
Favorite Quote
“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.”
Cole Claypool (Call Sign – Joker)
Cole Claypool is going to the University of Georgia next fall, hoping to explore new opportunities out of state. He will be majoring in finance at the Terry School of Business. Cole is excited to create new business relationships and to learn new communication skills.
Favorite Quote
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Chandler Hollis (Call Sign – Doc)
Chandler Hollis will be studying Biology at Tennessee State University in the Fall. He is on an accelerated BS/MD scholarship and has aspirations to be a healthcare professional in the Future.
Favorite Quote
“You can complain because the rose bush has thorns, or you can rejoice because the thorn bush has roses.”
Rose Dearing (Call Sign – Deer)
Rose Dearing will be a sophomore at Texas Christian University, she is majoring in strategic communications with a minor in business. Rose is an intern at Apex this summer and enjoys learning about the sales aspect of the business world.
Favorite Quote
“It’s a good day to have a good day.”
Jackson Coneley (Call Sign – Mako)
Jackson Coneley has recently graduated Memorial High School and will be attending the University of Georgia as a freshman in the fall. Jackson is studying Finance and is looking to gain genuine business experience interning with Apex this summer.
Favorite Quote
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
2022 Coneheads
Charlie Oliver (Call sign – 50-Cal)
May 2022: Charlie Oliver has recently graduated from Memorial High school and will be attending Texas A&M University as a freshman in the fall. Charlie is studying construction science and is interested in the outdoors.
May 2023 Update: Since Charlie’s time at Apex in 2022, he has begun college at Texas A&M University. Charlie believes Apex has helped him to build confidence when talking to people. This has not only helped throughout his first year of college, but also in gaining job opportunities. This summer he’ll be working with Harvey-Cleary on multiple projects around Houston.
Favorite Quote
“Don’t tell me the sky is the limit, when there are footprints on the moon.”
Connor Claypool (Call sign – Phoenix)
May 2022: Connor will be a sophomore at The University of Texas this year. He is studying in the McCombs School of Business and will be an intern for Apex for the summer. Connor is interested in marketing and sales and is looking to get real-world experience in the business world.
May 2023 Update: One of the key skills Connor feels he learned from his time at Apex, was his ability to keep people engaged. Connor says this has helped him not only to gain opportunity’s for future work, but also in his day to day life. Connor plans to continue to use this skill as he works with JMJ Consulting this Summer.
Favorite Quote
“No matter if you think you can, or if you can’t, you’re right.”
Anson Moore (Call sign – EZ)
May 2022: Anson will be an incoming junior at the University of Houston. Anson is interested in sales & marketing, along with building new connections in the business space. He is very excited to be a “Conehead” this summer at Apex Steel Pipe and Piling.
May 2023 Update: Anson spent his first summer with Apex in 2022. Throughout the conehead internship, he feels his ability to read a room went up significantly. But even after his time as a conehead, he has continued to contribute to Apex as now he works full-time on the sales team. Anson is approaching his senior year at the University of Houston working towards his degree in marketing.
Favorite Quote
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
2021 Coneheads
Blake Rottino (Call sign – Tino)
May 2022: Blake will be an incoming junior at Texas A&M University at College Station. Blake is an economics major and plans to minor in Business. Last summer, Blake learned new communication skills and built business relationships. Blake is furthering his education this Summer at Texas A&M University.
May 2023 Update: Blake came to find that during his time at Apex, he had to learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. He believes that through persistence and patience, you can get anything done, even if it seems impossible. This summer Blake will be taking classes to further his education in Economics at Texas A&M.
Favorite Quote
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
Victor White (Call sign – Vector)
May 2022: Victor will be an incoming junior at Texas A&M at college station. Victor is interested in business and economics. While working as an intern for Apex Steel Pipe last summer, Victor is learning sales, marketing skills, networking, and the steel pipe industry.
May 2023 Update: Through the conehead program, Victor believes he learned how to properly talk to people with confidence. This has helped him to build more valuable connections throughout the business world. This summer, Victor will be focusing on his trading portfolio and working door-to-door sales using the tactics he learned as an intern.
Favorite Quote
“The most dangerous person is the one who listens, thinks, and observes.”
Sarah Irwin (Call sign – Eagle)
May 2022: Sarah is interested in sales & marketing, along with building new professional relationships. She is very excited to work as a counselor at Camp Ozark this summer.
May 2023 Update: One of the aspects of the coneheads Sarah says really helped her while she was at Apex was the guest speakers. It helped her gain insight into the business world and what is expected of professionals. Sarah will be taking these skills abroad this summer, as she plans on interning in Europe.
Favorite Quote
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Miles Kurtz (Call sign – Goose)
May 2022: Miles will be starting his senior year at Texas A&M this fall, and is currently Pursuing a degree in business. Last Summer he worked as a sales Intern for the “Coneheads” at Apex Steel Pipe and Piling.
May 2023 Update: As a conehead, Miles learned there is a lot of value in going out of your way to talk to people you don’t know. This has not only helped him in job interviews, but in every aspect of his life. Through this, he has opened many doors for himself and even secured an internship for manufacturing in Italy this summer.
Favorite Quote
“There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Patrick Smith (Call sign – Smokey)
May 2022: Patrick will be a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma next year, and will be studying business. Patrick is interested in sales, marketing, and he’s currently pursuing a degree in finance.
May 2023 Update: Patrick believes at Apex, he learned a lot of information about how business can be applied to life in general, and vice versa. Cold calling proved to be the biggest influence on Patrick, and helped to make him more comfortable when talking with someone he may not know. This summer, Patrick will be putting these skills to work and exploring Europe while taking classes abroad.
Favorite Quote
“The best view comes after the hardest climb.”
Chase Coneley (Call sign – Bandit)
May 2022: Chase attends the University of Texas, where he’ll be a sophomore studying economics. Chase is interested in real estate development and building business relationships.
May 2023 Update: Chase describes his biggest influence from the conehead internship was his ability to face rejection. Through different experiences during his time at Apex, he was able to figure out what it looks and feels like to be on the front line of sales. Chase will be working locally in Houston this summer.
Favorite Quote
“The last card you turn over is the only one that matters.”
Johnny Cooley (Call sign – Dragon)
May 2022: Johnny is attending the University of Texas and is very excited to get to know the business world. As an intern last summer at Apex Steel Pipe, Johnny enjoyed building new business relationships through Apex.
May 2023 Update: Throughout the conehead experience, Johnny noticed one of the things that really stuck with him was his ability to communicate effectively with professionals. Johnny believes that through cold calling and meeting with guest speakers, he became much more comfortable when dealing with situations in the business world. This summer Johnny will be shadowing in commercial real estate, as well as oil and gas.
Favorite Quote
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
2020 Coneheads
Clayton Orms (Call sign – Ghost)
May 2022: Clayton graduated from The University of Mississippi and majored in Business and Manufacturing. Clayton now interns with BKD CPAs & Advisors. Clayton is looking forward to launching his career.
May 2023 Update: Clayton says that through his time at Apex, one of the skills that really stuck with him is his ability to clearly discuss complex topics with people he’s never met. He’s used this to leverage himself in the business world and has built many connections that have proven to be successful. Clayton now uses this as he works at Forvis, as an audit associate.
Favorite Quote
“Never stop at ok, strive for the best.”
Carson Irwin (Call sign – Iceman)
May 2022: Carson will be a junior this fall at Texas A&M University. Carson is studying construction science and has picked up an interest in the piling & construction business. Carson is interested in learning more about the business through real life experiences as well as building a professional business network.
May 2023 Update: Carson will be returning to Texas A&M as a senior in the fall as he works to complete his degree. Carson believes one thing he learned while at Apex is that there is a number on everyone’s head that goes up with every craft you learn. Carson strives to continue to bring that number up. Through this summer he will continue to do so by…
Favorite Quote
“I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I do not intend on wasting any of mine.”
Tripp Soriero (Call sign – Typhoon)
May 2022: Tripp is going to be a junior at The University of Texas in Austin this fall. Tripp enjoys playing the guitar and is interested in building business relationships while gaining experience in the workforce.
May 2023 Update: While at Apex, Tripp says he got much more comfortable making relationships with people that he works with. He believes he still uses this every day to continue building meaningful relationships with not only those he works with, but anyone he meets. This summer, Tripp will be working with EnCap Investments.
Favorite Quote
“Keep on keepin on.”
Luke Flemming (Call sign – Laser)
May 2022: Luke will be a junior at Texas A&M University, studying business management and pre-law. Luke is interested in developing real world skills and gaining work experience while in college.
May 2023 Update: Through his three summers at Apex, Luke has come to find one of the best ways to add value to himself and his resume is through meeting new people and trying new things. Books such as “The Greatest Salesman in the World” have proven to be powerful in Luke’s life as he is approaching his career in law. This summer, Luke will be working as an intern for a criminal defense lawyer to gain experience in the legal field.
Favorite Quote
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”
Matthew McHenry (Call sign – Nighthawk) | matthew@apexpipe.com
May 2022: Matthew will be a rising junior at the University of Arkansas in the fall. He is studying at the Sam M. Walton School of Business and is currently working as an intern at Apex this summer. He is interested in building communication skills, as well as building his professional business relationships.
May 2023 Update: Matthew believes that through the Coneheads, his communication skills became much more efficient. Whether it’s building new relationships or reinforcing old ones, Matthew has found success applying the skills he learned. This summer, he’ll be taking classes and shadowing oil and gas workers.
Favorite Quote
“It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his fate.”
