By Joe
Nowlan
In April, the editors of tED magazine sent out a call for
the industry’s “rising stars”—electrical professionals 34 years old or younger
who have the initiative, drive, integrity, and creativity to move the industry
forward in the decades to come. The call drew nominations from all segments of
the industry—distributors, suppliers, rep firms, software/services providers,
and VARs. Here on tedmag.com, we will post a new, full interview with one of
these impressive young people weekly; coverage of all of the honorees can be
found in the July 2012 issue
of tED. Watch for information about our next “30 Under 35” competition in
early 2013.
It was while
he was a student at Syracuse University that Rob Logan first heard of the
electrical industry.
General
Electric was recruiting for what was then its new leadership program:
ECLP—Experienced Commercial Leadership Program.
Logan was
selected for the first ECLP class. The two-year program consisted of a series
of six month rotations in different GE sectors.
“It was a
sales and marketing leadership-focused program,” Logan explained. “You had the
opportunity to work in different GE businesses. I thought it would be huge from
a personal and professional growth standpoint. It’s been a great kick start to
my career.”
He worked
for GE divisions in Albany, N.Y., San Francisco and Boston before moving to
Palm Desert, California, to start a branch of GE Supply (which was acquired by
Rexel in 2006). In 2005, Logan was promoted from Palm Desert to Anaheim, Calif.
Logan held a variety of commercial roles before being promoted to branch
manager of Anaheim, Gexpro’s largest branch, in 2008. In February 2012, Logan
was promoted to Division Vice President of Gexpro’s Pacific Division.
“I have P
& L responsibility for 15 branches across eight states, encompassing more
than $370 million in annual revenue. I work with the branch managers and the
division leadership team to maximize our success,” Logan said.
He is
especially proud of how he and his staff were able to cope, and eventually
thrive, despite the nationwide business and economic slump a few years ago.
“You can’t just
focus on cost reduction. You have to have a plan to pull all the levers that
drive the business…. Then you have to execute,” Logan said. “But there’s no
way that we would have been able to maintain profitability had we not had a
cohesive plan for sales, cost reductions, price improvement, people investments,
etc. In the end, our team grew closer and we became a stronger business.”
His staff in
Anaheim deserves the credit, Logan explained.
“One thing I’ve
learned is that you can’t do it on your own. So you have to make sure you hire
the best people that you can, then support them as much as possible,” Logan
said.
In his
current position, Logan has his antennae out for finding top talent for his
division.
“This is a
company where you can achieve anything. If your goal is to be the top
salesperson in a market, you can be that [here],” he said. “This is an
organization where you are only limited by your own ambition…. And I would say
that is true of the electrical industry as well.”
While his
hectic schedule limits his free time, Logan is an avid fan of auto racing. And
he even participates himself on occasion—mostly karting, where he competes on
the SKUSA Pro Tour circuit.
“My dream
growing up was to be a race car driver. I’m fortunate in that I’m able to pursue
amateur auto racing as a hobby,” he said. “It’s a nice relief to be able to get
away in a competitive environment.”
Joe
Nowlan is a Boston-based freelance writer/editor and author. He can be reached
at jcnowlan@msn.com.