1. Tell us a little about yourself? Interests outside of work, family, pets, hobbies, entertainment, special talents…?
I have an extremely patient wife, Megan, of 8 years, and two wonderful sons, whose energy I wish I could bottle up and take along on my travels. My wife and I are big lovers of music and sports. My guitar skills have decreased over the years, so I now live vicariously through others; we enjoy concerts on a regular basis. I’m proud of my extensive, although rather useless, mental catalog of music–my family likes to pit me against the Shazam phone app to see who can name a song first. We also love baseball, football, and hockey. My wife is from Pittsburgh and I’m from Detroit, so we have some interesting rivalries as we enter the college football and professional hockey seasons.
2. Eddie, what is your role in the organization?
Technically, I’m the owner and president. However, we all wear a lot of hats at SpaceGuard. I still enjoy my role in sales, but I also love improving our manufacturing processes.
3. How did your career path land you in this role?
I started off on the engineering and operations side in metal fabrication with General Motors. I was very fortunate to have mentors who trusted and empowered me, at a young age, to make some critical decisions and drive change. I then took a more entrepreneurial path, gaining experience in sales, web marketing, negotiations, and contracts. I call on those experiences and best practices every day, applying them to the improvements I have been working on at SpaceGuard over the last 5-1/2 years.
4. What is the most exciting aspect of your job?
Every time we deliver a product that makes the customer happy and that results in a profit.
5. What makes SpaceGuard unique, and sets you apart from the rest of the industry?
We are truly a customer-centric organization from the top down. We aim to please, whether it’s our 99.9% on-time delivery, quick quote turnaround, or the fact we’re willing to be on location when our customers need us. We’re working on several major changes, that are due out in the next 24 months, and those changes are going to separate us even further.
6. What product do you feel has the biggest impact on the material handling industry, but is often overlooked?
I’m a bit biased, but I would say guarding equipment. Material handling is about solutions that move items through the supply chain – our products are static – however, with that movement, comes potential risks to personnel, products, and facilities. Developing the proper solutions to protect those assets from injury, damage, or theft is extremely important. Unfortunately, they are sometimes overlooked, due to budget or other constraints. We just hope customers are proactive and cognizant of safety and security instead of waiting until it’s too late.
7. What is one tip, or bit of advice, that you can leave with our readers?
Do it right the first time. Don’t take shortcuts if it compromises your objectives, as you always pay for what you get – and sometimes you pay twice.
8. What are the biggest changes you see with your Products in the future?
Quicker delivery, easier installation without cheapening the product, and smarter ways to customize solutions.
Phoenix, AZ 85009