By Donna Heiderstadt

Some people have a natural knack for sales, and 25-year-old Thomas Setnan is one of them. In 2021, after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Nevada, he joined Rustic Kitchen and Bath, a Reno-based online store for appliances, furniture and home décor, as a customer service representative. Selling directly to customers over the phone, Thomas tallied more than $150,000 in sales in his first month on the job, leading to the creation of the first inside sales representative role within the company. Six months and $1 million in sales later, he was promoted to Sales Manager and charged with creating new processes and sales training for additional sales reps being hired to meet growing demand. As team lead, he played a significant role in increasing sales by over 500 percent year-over-year and setting new a team sales record of $1.4 million in a single month.

Another promotion was inevitable, right? In 2022, Thomas was named Senior Sales Manager based on his constant contributions to growing the company by creating and optimizing new programs to generate sales, adding new products and brands to the catalog, and developing strategies to keep the sales team motivated. On top of that, he is known for leading with compassion and positive energy — a work philosophy he finds vital. “After graduating from college, I wanted to join a smaller, start-up company that shared similar values with me,” Thomas said. “Rustic Kitchen and Bath stood out to me because of the company culture that values teamwork and puts customer needs first in front of everything.”

When he’s not monitoring sales and managing Rustic’s sales team by sending them leads generated by the company’s website, Thomas feeds his nostalgia for early 2000s reality TV programming (two favorites are “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and “Cops”). More significantly, this former high school athlete challenges himself by participating in distance running in an effort to spread awareness about men’s mental health. “In the month of November, I participated in a 60-mile running challenge to spread awareness for the 60 men we lose worldwide every hour,” he explained. “I plan on doing similar challenges throughout the year to continue spreading awareness, not just during a select month.”

Another passion is visiting the North Shore of the island of Kauai in Hawaii, where his extended family resides. “I grew up visiting there and it is my favorite place to go on vacation,” he said. “It is rich with old Hawaiian culture and it is a place where I can truly relax and recharge.” But it is a beach in a different hemisphere that tops Thomas’ must-do list. “I want to surf in Peru!” he pointed out, “home of the world’s longest wave.”