We are proud to present the second installment of our Tubacex People interview series, featuring Tyreke Sapp, the dynamic Communication Specialist at Tubacex America. Tyreke’s journey is a testament to the power of dedication, both on and off the track.

Starting his career with a creative spark, Tyreke founded his own company at just 16, and from there, his passion for communication and visual arts flourished. This drive led him to pursue higher education in Communications and Visual Arts at Virginia Tech, where he also excelled as a track athlete, breaking records and winning championships.

In his role at Tubacex America, Tyreke brings the same competitive spirit and commitment to excellence that made him a top athlete. From internal communications to digital marketing strategies, his contributions have already made a significant impact in just a few months.

We are thrilled to have Tyreke on our team and are inspired by his dedication, versatility, and passion. His story is a reminder of the incredible talent within our company, and we look forward to seeing all that he will continue to achieve.

Don’t miss out on the full interview with Tyreke Sapp—learn more about his journey and his role at Tubacex America:

 

Good morning, Tyreke! Thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today. We’re excited to learn more about your role as the Communication Specialist at Tubacex America. To start off, could you tell us a little about yourself and your background in communication? 

Yes, of course. When I was 16 years old, I started a company called Billionairevsns (BV). BV started as just a hobby with my best friend, until one day when we posted a video on YouTube that received a lot of attention. It was a video that we shot for free of a nationally ranked high school athlete that committed to play football (American) at Texas A&M University. As the video got thousands of views overnight, BV turned into an overnight sensation; lots of people began to request our video services. From that point on, BV became a profitable company. I had the chance to film and make graphics for multiple professional athletes, weddings, parties and more. 

That led me to pursue a creative career. When the time came to choose my major in college, I decided that I wanted to still do videography but expand my capabilities even more. So, first I attended the University of Tennessee-Martin (UTM) as a graphic design major. Then, I transferred to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) to compete at a higher level athletically. There, I switched my major to Communications and minored in Visual Arts. This turned out to work great for me, as I then expanded my capabilities to be able to communications, graphic design, photography, and videography. 

Lastly, I just finished my master’s degree at Virginia Tech in Leadership Studies, helped me develop the skills for internal communications and working with important stakeholders. 

Your achievements in athletics certainly demonstrate your dedication and ability to perform under pressure. How do you think your background in communication and athletics will contribute to your role as a Communication Specialist at Tubacex America? 

Athletics taught me how to be a team player, and how to work individually while still working towards the betterment of the team. I learned how to be dedicated and committed to the task in front of me. I also learned how to overcome obstacles and be patient during that process. These skills, mixed with my academic background and skills, will allow me to perform well in my role at TUBACEX America. Not only am I a hard worker, but I have essential life skills and academic knowledge to carry me through my career. 

I ran track first at the University of Tennessee at Martin. At UTM, as a redshirt freshman, I won the conference championship in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash, DMR relay, while also breaking the university record in all three events. I then had the chance to transfer to a big school and run there (VT). At VT, I won two ACC team championships and broke the school record in the 4x400m relay. Some noticeable individual achievements at VT were: 

(a) During indoor track, I ran a top 50 time in the world, including professional athletes, in the 300-meter dash  

 (b) During outdoor track, I ran the number three 400-meter dash time in school history 

That’s fantastic to hear. As a Communication Specialist, what are some of your responsibilities at Tubacex America? Can you give us some insights into your day-to-day activities? 

I have been given the opportunity to use all my capabilities in full at TUBACEX America as a Communications Specialist. I basically work with our top internal stakeholders to do everything related to internal communications, external communications, marketing, and HR assistance (talent acquisition). So, no two days are the same for me since I work through multiple channels. 

I can give you a rundown of things that would be considered under each channel: 

• Internal communications: intranet, internal newsletter, HR presentations, apparel shop, etc. 

• External communications: internet, collateral – flyers/brochures/etc., external presentations and videos for tradeshow monitors, content creation and social media management, etc. 

• Marketing: lead generation, SEO, brand identity, etc. 

• HR assistance (talent acquisition): recruitment material and content for various platforms 

I am just a few months into my role, so I know my tasks will expand more as I get even more familiar with the company and the industry. 

Tubacex is a global company with headquarters in Spain and operations worldwide. How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration across different locations and cultures within the organization? 

There are so many great professionals at TUBACEX America who come from different cultures and provide the support I always need, especially Javier, Jorge, and Juan Carlos. They help me make sure that I am not only communicating effectively to those in America, but also in Spain. My content and collateral can be seen by anyone, anywhere, so it’s important that I keep a diverse audience in mind.  

The things taught during my master’s degree studies also help me with this. 

As a Communication Specialist, how do you incorporate digital marketing strategies into your communication efforts? Can you give us some examples of successful digital marketing campaigns you have implemented at Tubacex America? 

I make sure to incorporate digital marketing strategies into my communication efforts as it helps with our reach and visibility, engagement and interaction, and identity. Overall, it gives us even more of a competitive advantage. 

During my first two months, I have done a lot of content development, social media marketing, and video creation. I’ve been creating valuable content, like flyers and presentations, to attract and engage those in the aerospace and space industries. I also traveled to our manufacturing facilities in America to capture b-roll video footage for a minute and a half video that I made for the Paris Air Show. Additionally, I have been utilizing LinkedIn to promote the company, engage, and drive traffic to the website.  

Two more big projects that I worked on to enhance our digital presence were merging our LinkedIn accounts to just one. I worked with LinkedIn’s Support Team and to move the followers and employees from Salem Tube and TUBACEX Durant to TUBACEX America’s page. Then, I worked with the IT Team here to merge Salem’s and Durant’s websites to tubacexamerica.com. That way, we can just use one channel, rather than continue to send our customers and potential employees in three different directions. 

That sounds like an exciting and dynamic role. With your recent graduation and entry into the corporate world, what advice would you give to other young professionals looking to pursue a career in communication? 

I would tell him or her that to boost your chances of landing a good job at a young age, prioritize internships and other opportunities that offer you a chance to showcase your creativity through content creation, writing, etc. Focus on opportunities that provide substantial responsibilities and enable you to build a strong portfolio of work. The best thing I could have done was use my own startup videography company and internships to build a great portfolio. During my TUBACEX interviews with HR and the CEO of the Americas, they kept emphasizing how great my portfolio was and how even though I was younger than someone who would typically be in this role, I had the proof to show I was capable of stepping into big shoes.  

That’s valuable advice for aspiring communication professionals. Finally, as we wrap up, do you have any questions or messages you’d like to share with the readers of our company? 

I’d just like to say that great things are happening at TUBACEX, so stay tuned! If you haven’t yet, follow TUBACEX and TUBACEX America on LinkedIn.