Member Spotlight: Eric Roth
Member Spotlight: Eric Roth
GEAPS In-Grain newsletter features GEAPS Member Eric Roth in a recent issue. The full issue of In-Grain is available to GEAPS Members. If you aren’t currently a GEAPS Member, you can sign up online.
About Eric
Name: Eric Roth
Chapter and committees:
Family:
Brandi Roth, Bristol (10), Ollie (4)
Position and Company:
- Hazardous Monitoring Group Manager
- Feed Yard Industrial Solutions
Years with company: 1 year
Years in Industry: 9
Interesting or unique fact about your facility/company:
Feed Yard Industrial Solutions revolutionized the corn flaking industry by introducing full automation to rolls, roll stands and flake production facilities. This level of automation has allowed us to create new avenues for grain storage companies looking to bolster new revenue streams in their regions, along with increasing facility safety, reducing waste, gaining better machine life and improving automation at their current grain facility.
Past positions:
- AGI / CMC Industrial Electronics Regional Sales Manager
- Electro-Sensors Inc. Corporate Account Manager
Education:
Biggest influence on your career:
I have had the opportunity to work with, and for, many of our industries most influential leaders. I feel very blessed to have been able to spend so much time with each of them. When I look to the greatest influence in my career it has always been family pictures in grain elevator offices. Sitting down in a grain elevator office and seeing pictures of wives, husbands, daughters, sons and parents sitting on the same desk as a scratched up hard hat and well-worn gloves is a constant reminder of why hazardous monitoring is so important. My biggest motivation is sending happy, hardworking employees home to their families every night.
How has GEAPS helped your leadership skills?
GEAPS has been a foundation of my career growth in the hazardous monitoring and safety industry. Early in my career, I was skeptical of the value of GEAPS. Working at CMC Industrial Electronics, GEAPS was highly promoted by our leadership. I struggled to see the value and even at one point thought that events like Exchange would decline and go away as a younger group of leaders took over key positions. My expectation was that GEAPS would be replaced by websites and search engines like Google. I was very wrong. Over the years I have seen how face-to-face meetings harbor open communication. GEAPS events create lasting relationships that become a support group. They allow for hands-on learning with dedicated equipment designed for a niche market. Even the GEAPS website has become a go to for me as I look to connect with companies across our industry and gain education in areas of our industry on topics that are often only covered by GEAPS. I have come to realize that many industries channel information with Google, when it comes to grain and grain safety, we have GEAPS.
What are three of your favorite memories from GEAPS?
I enjoy a sales coverage that is worldwide. Over my career I have had the privilege of attending GEAPS events all over the country. Vendor events with chapters like Gulf South and Mid-South are always a great time. One event I try not miss annually is our trap shoot with the Kansas City chapter. All these events provide a relaxing way to connect with people in our industry.
What is the best advice you have received from another GEAPS member?
Each year at Exchange there are countless conversations that become moments people never forget. One of the greatest pieces of advice I have received came from Doug Forst. Doug and I were discussing trouble shooting methods for hazardous monitoring systems. I will never forget when Doug told me, “Trust the sensor first. The sensor is always right until proven wrong.” That way of looking at trouble shooting has saved many lives and pieces of equipment over my career. Often people will hear an alarm and simply bypass it expecting it to be a sensor problem, when in reality, the alarm is because the machine is failing. Trusting the sensor and shutting equipment down to inspect the problem is always the best policy, yet its sadly underutilized.
What is one industry-wide trend affecting your company right now? How are you reacting to it?
Hiring is a constant challenge for all companies right now. We are constantly looking at new opportunities to find top talent. We have recognized some of the best talent is coming to our company, our clients, and our industry from outside markets. To help our clients acclimate new employees to their facilities we have streamlined our automation interface so that it is user-friendly and easy to navigate. We have also developed a robust machine monitoring and reporting system that operates remotely and emails users for potential issues based on system defined information. In this way we are helping companies overcome labor shortages and still meet demanding shipping deadlines.
What is something unique about the grain industry in your region?
Feed Yard Industrial Solutions is fortunate to have clients worldwide. The passion for grain quality, feed quality, and facility safety is now a worldwide trend. The pressures of moving and storing more grain than ever before while feeding more livestock than ever before is global. We sincerely enjoy the challenge of meeting regional needs and over coming global challenges. Unique is not regional for us, it is who we are.
