Collectors Universe, parent company of PSA, has hired its first ever “Vice President of Customer Experience” and they’ve brought in a long-time collector and customer to handle the job.
Dave Steinberger’s primary roles will be to develop better ways to communicate with collectors and expand the company’s communications content. The New York native has held executive roles in marketing, advertising, research and general management during his career in the business world, including customer care and brand health.
An avid collector of Hall of Fame rookie cards in all sports, he’ll work remotely from his Northern California home with periodic visits to Collectors Universe headquarters in Santa Ana.
CU cited Steinberger’s “unique combination of past business experience and vast collecting knowledge” as reasons for the hire. Steinberger says he plans to help PSA deliver a “better experience” to collectors who utilize the company for grading and authentication.
“I’m coming in with eyes wide open to the challenges and opportunities facing PSA and the third-party grading business as a whole,” Steinberger said. “As the industry leader, PSA has an opportunity to strengthen its relationship with collectors. The collecting community wants it, expects it, and deserves it. Increased transparency. Better communication. Improved turnaround times.”
Steinberger won’t be working only for PSA. He’ll also help CU’s coin division, PCGS.
“My excitement is two-fold. First, I am humbled to have found what I consider to be a dream job, especially given the current state of the world. I’m also excited as a collector as I’ve been a loyal customer and fan of PSA for over 20 years.”
PSA is currently facing a 1.5 million item backlog of customer submissions as it tries to respond to a massive influx of trading cards being submitted for authentication and grading over the last couple of years. The company has plans to hire more than two dozen employees to better handle the crush—and improve communication with customers who may be frustrated with the ongoing wait times that have often lasted months.
“As it relates to PSA, we cannot solve these issues overnight, but we can improve how we manage expectations, communicate updates and act on feedback we receive from our customers,” stated PSA President Steve Sloan. This is where Dave comes in and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Steinberger attended the University of Rochester where he earned both a BA in Economics and an MBA in Marketing. His childhood home near Shea Stadium made him a fan and collector early on in life.
“Growing up, baseball was my world, and I was all about the Mets,” he said. “I used to keep records of every player in history who hit over 100 home runs and would update the list every few weeks with my mom’s typewriter. I was a true baseball nerd.”
Steinberger is engaged to his future wife as they merge together into a family of six. An epiphany of sorts occurred last August when he was having a one-on-one conversation with his 18-year-old daughter, Emily, as she was getting settled at Syracuse University. Their heart-to-heart actually changed the course of his career.
“I was giving her ‘the talk,’ the one about life and pursuing your dreams,” he said. “I was telling her to follow her passion and go after a career she was excited about. She looked at me and asked: ‘Is that what you did, Dad?’ And I had to tell her, ‘No, I never have.’
“Well, that conversation really left its mark on me. It’s amazing what we can learn from our children. Soon after that revelation I sent an email to Steve Sloan introducing myself as a passionate collector and seasoned executive who wants to help PSA deliver a more customer-centric experience to collectors. Fast forward another five months later and here we are.”
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