Material Handling Sales Engineer Sees it Through
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Sales Engineer Matt Thibodeau talks about transitioning to the material handling industry.
Dewitt, NY - As part of its continued effort to highlight the best and brightest young talent the material handling industry has to offer, MHEDA Edge's January "Meet A Young Leader" section features an article from Matt Thibodeau. In his article "Seeing it Through," Thibodeau, who is a sales engineer for Skarnes, Inc. (Plymouth MN), talks about the path that lead him to success at Skarnes.
Thanks to his father, who spent most of his working life in the material handling industry, Thibodeau has been around the industry for most of his life. As a teenager, during the summer months, he helped his father's company install shelving and pallet rack. However, after graduation Thibodeau didn't go straight into the industry; he spent nearly a decade as a sales rep for the Taylor Made line of golf equipment. After tiring of that job, he decided to pursue a new but familiar challenge. Skarnes had recently purchased his father's employer, DL Systems, and he decided to join the team as a sales engineer.
At age 38, Thibodeau is young by material handling industry standards and some end-users have hesitations about trusting him. "It's no different than when someone goes to the hardware store," says Thibodeau. "They don't look for the young guy; they look for the grey-haired veteran because they assume that he's been there before." Obviously, Thibodeau doesn't see it that way "I see my age as an advantage. Since I haven't seen a particular situation 100 times, that means I'm not stuck on one tried-and-true way of fixing it."
To find out more about Thibodeau and the rest of MHEDA's young leaders, check out MHEDA Edge (www.mhedaedge.org), the online resource for young professionals in the forklift, storage and handling, conveyor and general material handling industries.
About MHEDA
Founded in 1954, the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) is the premier source for manufacturing knowledge, education and networking. Through its member journals (http://www.TheMhedaJournal.org), e-magazines, newsletters, and industry wiki (http://www.wikimheda.org), MHEDA connects the manufacturers of storage and handling, lift trucks and conveyor equipment and distribution leaders for the purpose of delivering optimal solutions to the users of those products. MHEDA publications are the industry's voice for all matters related to the latest technology and the most up-to-date processes spanning the movement and storage of all materials. A 501(c)3 organization, MHEDA members span all of North America.
