At Quantabio, our passion for science isn’t limited to our R&D group — it’s core to everyone on our team. Jonathon Roybal, regional sales manager, is a great example. It’s his background as a scientist and his love of research that allow him to help guide customers to the best solution for their research. Based in Dallas, he joined Quantabio in 2015.
Q: What do you do at Quantabio?
A: My responsibilities include managing our customer relationships and sales for part of the U.S. and Latin America. Our sales roles are a little bit different here at Quantabio: we’re not just recommending a product, we’re providing the technical expertise and amazing products to help our customers figure out exactly what they need in order to improve their results and quality of lab life.
Q: What brought you to the company?
A: I had actually used one of their products in the lab when I was a scientist. Early in my career I went to a vendor show where I met someone from Quantabio who helped me to solve a problem with an experiment. This company wasn’t just selling products, but helping scientists. In my role I get to speak to scientists every day and learn what new innovations are coming out without having to do the bench work myself. That feeds my intellectual curiosity and social personality as well.
Q: What’s the best thing about your job?
A: Helping scientists improve the quality of life for the human race. It really makes a difference to me knowing that I’m not just selling a product, I’m helping the world out in a way. Scientists are out there finding cures, figuring out how to treat diseases, making new discoveries every day — and we are providing products that are helping them get there faster and with more reliable results.
Q: What do you wish more people knew about Quantabio?
A: That the products are designed by scientists who truly want to make a difference. Our team is always trying to create the next best thing to help other scientists get their work accomplished faster and better. From R&D to technical support to sales, we have all been at the bench and appreciate the work scientists do every day.
Q: Fill in the blank: Better reagents lead to ______.
A: Better and more impactful discoveries. When you are a scientist, you’ll be doing an experiment and you’ll expect it to go one way and all of a sudden you get something that goes differently. Understanding why often provides the true answer to the discovery. It’s important to have high-quality reagents so you know those unexpected results are real and not errors.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A: Cooking. I love cooking because it’s a way to apply science to make great food. Tweaking all of those underlying factors — when to add the base, when to drop the heat, and so on — makes cooking its own science. I love to see the creation of something new.
Q: What’s your ideal vacation?
A: I’m a cruise person. On a cruise you make zero decisions. You have a cabin and a dining hall and certain ports to explore. It’s a very easy, relaxed vacation that doesn’t require a lot of decisions. If you want to have pancakes for lunch, you do it!
