We’re catching up with our previous “30 Under 35” winners to see where they are now and how their perspective has changed since being named one of the rising stars of the electrical industry.
Today, we talk with Brian Logan, a 2012 honoree.
What is your current position?
Regional Sales Manager, Electrical Equipment Company (EECO)
What has been the reaction from co-workers and people in the industry to your “30 Under 35” award?
They all shared the same sentiment as they were very impressed and understood what it meant to be distinguished and differentiated.
What advice would you give young professionals about electrical distribution?
It is a service-oriented industry. This means no matter what position one is currently in or path they are following service should be at the forefront of your daily activities. This includes internal and external service efforts and they have to be inherent alongside your daily planned activities. Monday is just a day and no matter what is planned…change is inevitable and we have to adjust quickly.
What recruiting advice would you give companies when it comes to hiring great, young talent?
There are many choices one could make when trying to find the right person for the right job but service and goal oriented is essential. Aptitude and ethical should also play a role in selecting individuals so it allows one to grow within the company and achieve upper management opportunities. I believe we need those in leadership who have worked their way up and understand what it takes and what it took and also to see the change in this industry and how it affects not the actual distributors but more importantly the change of our customers.
How important was your mentoring (and reverse mentoring) when it comes to furthering your career?
I have been lucky to be surrounded by those I can truly look up to who challenge me, with and without knowing, on a daily basis to become the best version of myself. This affects us not just Monday thru Friday but every moment we are awake.
What advice would you give to company leaders (c-suite) about working with millennials?
First off, I would like to say sorry for the #hashtags and acronyms! But all jokes aside, there are quite of few millennials who have come to be very self-driven with our careers and we all need to be continually challenged no matter what. For those who seek to become the best version of ourselves it is a great opportunity for our company leaders to really challenge these individuals because they have great potential to make real positive changes in our current company’s best interest. I know most people don’t stick around with the same company for more than 5-7 years these days, unlike Generation X did , but it does come down to being challenged and rewarded for their efforts. By keeping someone in this mindset you can extend the time of keeping these people assets around for the future and assisting with growth.
What do you see in the future of electrical distribution when it comes to technology and business practices?
Technology is driving conversations, whether is it finding the solution to be more cost effective and assisting with profitability of our customers or increasing data efficiency and relevancy. Our customers have less people and required to do more work just like our own companies and they look towards us as being the people “in the know” and have the skillset to assist in many various aspects of their day to day operations and help drive the overall stability of their plants for the future. The best business practice I use is to find a way to become an extension of myself as an employer of my customers. If I can achieve this and the customers acknowledge this it allows me to have great credibility in caring about their future and also impacts the growth of my employer. If our customers can see us as a company who cares about their profitability and sustainability for even just simple US economic growth that is a big win in my book. We all need to strive to make our US economy better and creation of new jobs relies on our impact to grow many markets and it can be done by servicing our customers as best as possible and keeping their interest at the top of our list.
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