These ‘Kids’ Are Alright

By Scott Costa, Publisher, tED magazine

Like many parents, I marked many of the milestones of my two sons.
First words.
First steps.
First day of school.
First girlfriend.
First day of college.

They are all vivid in my mind.  I can dig into the tiny details of every moment, remembering where I was, what was happening, and in some cases, even the clothes I was wearing and the weather that day.

At the NAED South Central Conference in Tampa a few weeks back, I was hit with another first.  Not for one of my kids, but for one of the “kids” who has been honored as a tED magazine “30 Under 35.” 

Rocky Kuchenmeister, General Manager of K/E Electric Supply Corporation, has been named the Regional Vice-President elect for the region.  He is the first “30 Under 35” honoree to hold a position that high within the association.  Rocky remains a great ambassador for a wide variety of NAED products and events, by using a number of NAED education resources for himself and his employees, plus attending a pretty good amount of NAED events throughout the year.  There is no doubt he will do a great job as the Vice-President of the South Central Region.  And there is no doubt there are bigger things ahead for his future.

I also got to look around a bit at the South Central, where I ran into more past tED magazine “30 Under 35” award winners than ever before.  It shows me something very important.  These “kids” are growing up, and they are starting to reach some very significant milestones in their careers.

Brock Klein, National Sales Manager at ProBuilt Professional Lighting, has become a regular at NAED Regional Conferences.  His work to recruit and train the sales staff at ProBuilt is a significant step for someone his age.  Plus, he has been working closely with the NAED Manufacturer’s Council to help create a recruitment tool that both manufacturers and distributors can use to fill their open positions. He was honored as a tED magazine “30 Under 35” just last July.

The same can be said for Matt Taets, Regional Sales Manager for RAB Lighting.  A little more than a year ago, Matt became a regular attendee at the NAED Regional Conferences, along with his membership on the NAED LEAD Conference committee.  Matt is also a strong supporter of the NAED products and events, and provides key leadership in planning and executing the LEAD Conference each year.  Matt received his tED magazine “30 Under 35” award in 2013 and has continued to build this career around it.

Tim McClimon, Regional Customer Service Manager at Van Meter, Inc. is a 2014 tED magazine “30 Under 35” award winner, and also a member of the NAED South Central Region Council.

Jessica Richardson, Territory Manager at Cooper Wiring by Eaton has served on the NAED Manufacturer’s Council for nearly two years.  She earned her tED magazine “30 Under 35” award in 2013 and attends every NAED regional meeting for Cooper.  

And just recently, Josh Brown, Vice-President of the Distributor Channel for Keystone has started attending all of the NAED regionals. Josh earned his tED magazine “30 Under 35” award in 2015, and was promoted soon after.  He has become a staple at the NAED meetings as a representative of Keystone.

There are plenty of other success stories, including a good number of past honorees providing a look into the future of electrical distribution in the March issue of tED magazine.  And starting on March 6, you can nominate your bright, young employees to be a tED magazine “30 Under 35” honoree for 2017.  Just fill out the nomination form at tedmag.com/30under35.  The nomination is free, and our 2017 class will be recognized at the NAED LEAD Conference on July 19-21 in Denver.