Walk the talk

“I've worked for different companies in the past, but working for the Concepcion Group was one where I don't have to watch my back. And that's rare. The culture is real. It was not just a slogan.”

MANY employees easily switch from one company to another in search of higher pay, career advancement or better working conditions.

Nowadays, it is rare for one to stay with the same company through the years because of the “culture” that the company has built for its employees.

Phillip Trapaga is one such rarity.

Trapaga, who is now the president of Concepcion-Carrier Air-conditioning Co., is undoubtedly proud to be part of a steadily growing company where “the culture is real, not just a slogan.”

He started with Concepcion Industrial Corp. in 2008, when he was brought in from Singapore to work with Concepcion-Carrier as commercial sales director.

He previously worked for Philips, which is based in Singapore. One of his bosses moved to Carrier Singapore and asked him if he wanted to explore working for Carrier.

“I said, 'Why not?' It's interesting. Carrier is a different industry, different products,” he recalled with The Manila Times.

Then, Trapaga was told, “There's an opening in the Philippines. Would you like to help Raul Joseph Concepcion (Jojo) in running the business?” I was based in Singapore, and my family was quite happy there.

Trapaga's dad had worked for Raul Concepcion Sr., and the elder Trapaga had a very good experience with the latter.

“When I asked my family about it, they told me, 'Your dad was very happy working with Mr. Concepcion.' Then I told myself, 'Yeah, why don't I give this company a try?'”

“After I was interviewed by Jojo, we hit it off very well. He shared with me his vision for the company and told me what he wanted to do, how he really wants to build the business and make it the No. 1 company in the Philippines serving the Filipinos.”

Concepcion Industrial Corp. was actually among the few companies that had its own factory.

“We were actually manufacturing air-conditioning units here in the Philippines. The window units that you see, those are proudly Philippine-made.

“That was a source of pride [for] the Concepcion family. That they have a company producing Philippine-made air-con[ditioning] units that are world-class.”

In 2010, Concepcion was already No. 1 for all types of air-conditioning units, from the basic window-type to commercial units.

“Despite the entry of Korean and Japanese brands, Concepcion-Carrier has always maintained its lead.”

As early as the 1960s, the Concepcion family brought the Carrier brand to the Philippines. In 1998, that was when it became a joint venture called Concepcion-Carrier. Shareholdings from both Concepcion and Carrier were in that venture. Concepcion and Carrier have been in the Philippines for 61 years already.

“That was a true partnership that started to build up in manufacturing, sales and service.”

A bit of a break in the story in 2011, when the same boss from Singapore, Alan Sparks, who brought Trapaga to Concepcion-Carrier moved to Belkin.

Sparks needed somebody to take on the role of country head for the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) market.

“He asked me, 'Do you want to go back to Singapore?' If he had been any other person who offered me a job, I would have said, 'No,' and stayed with Concepcion since I was happy with my job.

“But I kind of owed a favor to this boss of mine who is from Singapore. When he asked for my help, I told myself, 'I cannot say no.' I told Jojo that I would move back to Singapore and let's keep in touch.”

Trapaga did his stint at Belkin for two years, from 2011 to 2013, when he became the Asean head of a prominent company that is into accessories for mobile phones.

At that time, Jojo Concepcion was working to bring in a new company to the Philippines, Midea, an enterprise manufacturing air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and kitchen appliances.

“It's the leading manufacturer in the world for appliances,” Trapaga informed. “Midea was growing. We were in all major retailers nationwide. We built a very good distribution, good service and products nationwide.”

In 2013, Concepcion negotiated again another joint venture with Midea Group. “He said, 'OK, Phillip, how would you like to be General Manager for Concepcion-Midea Inc.?” That was how I came back.

“In over seven years of building up a brand from nothing, today, I say we have a significant share of the market.”

By 2021, Jojo felt it was time to build Concepcion-Carrier so he invited Trapaga to help grow the business again.

“That was when I moved back first as Managing Director and later, with the factory under my management, Jojo made me President,” Trapaga disclosed.

“We started to build Concepcion-Carrier in a different way. At that time, we shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. That was a very emotional situation when we closed everything.

“That was where I really saw the culture. You know who your bosses are. We had to close. The stores were all closed. The malls were all closed. We had to close the factory and the office. There was so much uncertainty at that time. We didn't know how long Covid was going to last.”

But the move of Concepcion was to take care of its employees. First was to look for the vaccines.

“We made sure everybody was vaccinated. When I mean everybody, we extended the vaccines to family members, even to drivers, household help.”

All of them — Trapaga, other vice presidents — took a pay cut of about 30 percent to keep the company operating.

“Even if we didn't have any sales, we still took care of the employees somehow,” Trapaga explained. “We tried to keep as much of them. A lot of them have been with us already for years. It was just a very difficult time.

“Looking back, I was convinced that I am with the correct employer. The values are real, not words on the wall. That was what differentiated us from other companies.

“I've worked for different companies in the past, but working for the Concepcion Group was one where I don't have to watch my back. And that's rare. The culture is real. It was not just a slogan.”

Concepcion-Carrier tests its products and makes sure they work. It's certified here and does the testing that the government mandates before making the sale.

Trapaga is a believer in always being on your toes.

“When you are a market leader, the tendency is to simply chill. I said, can we convert? I'm a believer in 'Only the paranoid survived.'

“You're always safe. That is a threat. I need to be careful so that [the] threat doesn't become a reality. Watching things. Don't be arrogant. Don't always think that you're the best. You always have to improve further.”

Working with Concepcion-Carrier is a “constant learning experience,” according to Trapaga. “One must really learn to be a better version of himself,” he insisted. “The Phillip who joined the company in 2008 versus now has always gone to a certain upgrade.

“When I joined the company in 2008, I still feel I had quite a lot of maturity issues. Sometimes your emotions manifest easier. Now, I've been learning to keep it under wraps, in control, and be more composed.

“Then, I still got pretty excited. I will do this. I will do that. I've also learned to modify my communication approach. You may have a very good message, but if you happen to do it in a way that people feel you're raising your voice or you look outwardly aggressive, you kind of lose that message.”

Trapaga never resorted to a dictatorial approach in dealing with employees and partners. Especially in today's millennial and Generation Z mindset, you cannot make them go to a place where they don't believe in.

“You have to paint the vision of where they have to go and why. The communication is different already from the olden times, where you can even use militarism or dictatorial approach. We have to do this; now, follow me. Today, you have to engage and make them understand why. It's actually trying to raise their level of understanding.”

Throughout his term at Concepcion-Carrier, Trapaga hoped he was able to make some lives better. “I'm not just talking about financ[es]. I hope I am able to teach some values to the growing millennial group and the Gen Zs to get them to a better place or make them better executives in the future.”

The eldest in a brood of six, Trapaga and his siblings were raised by a typical “tiger mom” who was very strict, especially when it comes to their grades in school.

“Dealing with your children today, you cannot just say, 'No, you do this because I said it.' They will question you and ask why. You cannot use emotion and anger to get things done by your own children.”

A Commerce major in Finance graduate from De La Salle University, Trapaga initially wanted to become a pilot when he was younger.

“But my eyes were bad,” he offered. “Flying those jets needed a 20-20 vision. There was a certain glamour needed in being a pilot. There was no laser for the eyes before (smile).

“Then I wanted to become a doctor. But when I got exposed to blood, I kind of like arrgh, I cannot be a doctor.”

The whole Concepcion group is about 1,500 people in full head count. Business partners and the third-party affiliates are about 3,000 to 4,000 more.

“There's really a lot to do,” Trapaga said. “I talk to franchise service centers, dealers and retailers. You cannot just always do electronic[s]. You got to do face-to-face. The latter is very important and very active. I am so proud of my team. They leveled up and took over.”

Guilty as he may seem, but Trapaga admittedly spends more time at work. “Even when I'm home, I have a man cave there. So you really have to make sure you find the right partner who understands your work.”

For Trapaga, there is no such thing as balance in everything he does. “You have to make it subsist,” he said.

His wife (Chelo) is working for a bank. They have a 25-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter. They have been married for 26 years.

“My children, they already knew before that their dad couldn't bring them to school; that was why we needed to hire a driver. I needed to explain that to them.

“One of the most heart-warming thank you's I ever got was my son telling me, 'Dad, thank you for bringing me to the best schools, having a roof over our head, good food to eat. I know it comes with a sacrifice.'

“I started with nothing. I have no inheritance. Everything started from zero. We were able to raise the children under a certain level of comfort. That's why I was so touched with my son's letter, and he was so thankful for the blessings he got.”

One of Trapaga's role models is former chairman and CEO (chief executive officer) of IBM (International Business Machines), Louis Vincent Gertsner Jr., who wrote a book about transformation, “Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?”

“Ever since I read that book and I followed Gertsner's career, that's how I would have wanted to be,” Trapaga admitted. “He was a non-technical executive of IBM, and they got him from a food company.

“He was able to transform a very tech company into a different one. Why do I identify with him? It shows what leadership can do. You don't have to be a technical genius. But he was able to turn IBM around.”

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QUICK QUESTIONS

What is your biggest fear?

Growing old.

What really makes you angry?

People that are plastic. Insincere people.

What motivates you to work hard?

Fear of poverty.

What makes you laugh the most?

Funny YouTube videos. I actually passed out laughing so hard. Syncope. Lack of air to my brain. I had to go to the doctor.

What would you do if you won the lotto?

I'll get houses for each of my aunts, whom I consider as mothers of mine.

Set aside for retirement, so I don't always have to worry about the future.

It just breaks my heart every time I see kids on the streets. If I have excess, I want to set up something that will make those innocent kids get out of the streets and give them education.

If you could share a meal with any individual, living or dead, who would they be?

This may sound weird, but wouldn't you want to have met, really talk to Jesus Christ and listen to his voice?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I don't want to sound morbid. I'm 60, and I kind of predicted that I don't see myself living beyond 75. That's a constant fight between me, my wife and my kids. I don't believe in retirement. I want to die standing up. Either teaching or consulting.

What was the last book you read?

I like World War 2 stories, so I read a book about certain admirals who went to war. I would take up leadership pointers from that.

What celebrity would you like to meet for a cup of coffee?

(Former US president) Donald Trump. I like the guy. I've been following him since before. I'm not saying he's a nice guy. I'm not even saying he's a role model, but you have to believe in him when he does things. I want to know what's that inner steel he had.

What is the most daring thing you have ever done?

In my youth, there was a time my friends and I went snorkeling in Batangas when we drifted apart from the boat. When I looked around, it was all black. We started to swim, but the current was taking us farther. We had no life vests, just goggles. There, I really prayed.

What is the one thing you will never do again?

Car racing. My juvenile thrill. I was just trying to prove something to myself.