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.
You might
say that Clayton Bond came from the street smart school of industry training compared
to many of his colleagues in this 30 under 35 series.
He was born
and raised in Bridge City, Texas, located about 90 miles east of Houston. Bond’s
first introduction to the electrical industry came as a young boy working at the
C.W. Hubbard Electrical Company, which was started by his grandfather in 1964. Bond
worked there during school vacations.
“I
worked in the back or in the warehouse in the summer,” he said. “And
I’d also be a grunt out on the various projects when needed. So I just worked
every summer and worked my way up within the company.”
By “grunt”
work, Bond is referring to work in the fields.
“I
would be just doing whatever needed to be done, whether it was digging ditches,
cleaning up, whatever it took for the business,” he said.
And since he
was working outside in the Texas summer heat, it’s not hard to imagine how grueling
that work was. Bond laughs a little and adds that that might have been what
drew him into a sales career.
Bond did not
attend college but he is grateful for his unique type of industry education and
training—grunt and otherwise.
“You
can’t learn that in any college or any school,” he said.
After
high school, Bond started full time at C.W. Hubbard, eventually
working his way up to general manager. Then six years ago he had the chance to
join Rexel as a counter person.
He spent
some time in inside sales and later outside sales at Rexel before arriving at
his current position as an area sales manager.
Bond’s
territory covers Mobile, Alabama, Pensacola, Florida, and Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
From talking with Bond, it is apparent that what keeps him in electrical and
keeps the industry challenging and interesting to him is the constant learning
and product innovations.
“If
you’re not growing your knowledge base, you’re dying in the industry. You have
to constantly be growing,” Bond said. “And a lot of times we also learn from
our customers. They’ll show us the way to better service them. They’ll come
right out and tell us.”
His passion
for his work and the industry is obvious and it’s one he wholeheartedly
recommends to young graduates.
“I
would tell them to look at this industry as being a career due to the need for
it and the excitement of it,” Bond said. “It is an ever-evolving industry. It
provides something that people will always need.”
He and his
wife, Jill, have three year-old twin boys, Hudson and Cole. Bond found time to
coach them this year in T-ball.
“I
thoroughly enjoyed that,” he said. “It was great stuff. I enjoyed
working with the kids, especially at that age. Their minds are sharp and
they’re very eager to learn. It was a great time.”
He is also
an avid golfer living in Florida. But despite being in an area with a number of
excellent golf courses, Bond chuckles and admits that “I haven’t played
once since I moved down here. But I may get out there, one of these weekends.”
Joe Nowlan is a Boston-based freelance writer/editor and
author. He can be reached at jcnowlan@msn.com.