Jeff Knight

For over 80 years, Industrial Motor Services (IMS) has specialized in electric motor repair, aftermarket solutions, and asset management. From full diagnostic electrical testing to IEEE and NEMA specifications, to onsite service of rotational equipment, to complete redesign of electric motors, Electrical Equipment has become a premier provider in the Southeast.

We are focused on reliability management. As an industry leader in innovation, Industrial Motor Services collects more repair data than any other provider in this industry. Unlike legacy systems used by the majority of the EASA industry, IMS provides unrivaled connectivity between people. Every technician is connected, placing critical information at the workbench.

The results are an incredible level of accountability and accessibility. By increasing awareness of procedure, and efficiently managing data throughout the repair evolution, IMS can accelerate the progression of your reliability efforts and substantially reduce downtime costs.

Major Industry Segments Include:
Power Utility / Energy Producers
Fossil Fuel and Non-Safety Related Nuclear Applications
Pulp and Paper, including Kraft, Recycling, and Container Board
Dimensional Lumber, Structural Panels, Fiber and Chip Mills

Typical Customer Cross Section: Dominion, SCANA, Santee Cooper, Gerdau Ameristeel, DuPont, Domtar, KapStone, and Smurfit Stone.

Supported Manufacturers and Suppliers:
Baldor Reliance, Siemens, General Electric, TECO Westinghouse, Toshiba, Emerson Process Management CSI, Von Roll Epoxies and Resins, Rea, CMI Coil, Swiger Coil, Dupont Nomex, SKF, Koyo, Baker, Fluke, and ESI.

Jeff Knight’s Specialties:

Value Proposition Development
Voice of Customer (VOC)
Blue Ocean Strategy -
B2B Sales and Marketing Message Management -
Organizational Development -
Business Process Engineering -
Sales Process Design -
Root Cause Analysis/ Reliability Engineering -
Industrial Automation and Motor Control

Jeff Knight’s Experience

Vice President

Industrial Motor Services

(Privately Held; Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

March 2008 — Present (1 year 10 months)

Reporting to the CEO, with full P&L responsibility for the division, Jeff heads sales, marketing and operations functions through a distributed management team. Jeff also organizes and manages communication with functional executives (HR, IT, Finance) and board members on issues pertinent to financial position, strategies, and market trends.

Challenged with doubling the size of the division, Jeff prepared the division for growth by:

1. Restructuring the organization and implementing corporate level change agents responsible for quality, training, business system development and administration.

2. Designing and overseeing development of a managerial accounting methodology (the first for the company), providing distributed cost center budgeting, real time process costing, and significant advantages in pricing management.

3. Organizing management strategies and establishing regular cross functional collaboration of teams in a each physical location.

4. Enforcing monthly audits of sales process execution, operations training, and compliance to process throughout the organization.

Managing a growth strategy based on market share capture, Jeff is committed to acquiring and developing the best available talent. Jeff implements recruiting strategies requiring an extensive network and a compelling value proposition, successfully drawing new employees from much larger competitors and targeted industries.
Vice President - Sales and Marketing

Industrial Motor Services

(Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

October 2007 — September 2008 (1 year )

With Sales and Marketing responsibility for the services division, Jeff reported directly to the CEO. Faced with a steep sales growth requirement, he developed the annual business plan, communicating its strategy to executive team and board members. Results included an all time sales record for one facility, which grew 52%. Jeff would rapidly implement strategy by:

1. Developing a disciplined sales process, invoking a fact gathering, proposal driven style. Implementation required fully overhauling the sales team, resulting in an 80% turnover in sales and sales management.

2. Designing and overseeing development of a sales automation package (fully integrated to legacy systems) to manage enforcement of the sales process, organize market information, and drive performance (scorecard) reports.

3. Creating market messaging, built around the VOC driven value proposition, defining the company brand, and produced the divisions first comprehensive marketing package, including a standard suite of training and closing presentations.

During the pursuit of business, Jeff would confront the increasing requirements of most demanding customers, and would lay the ground work for quality and customer specification management. In order to ensure the rate of internal change required, Jeff was assigned full division control, including operations.
Regional Manager

Industrial Motor Services

(Privately Held; Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

October 2005 — October 2007 (2 years 1 month)

With divisional P&L responsibility, reporting to the Vice President, Jeff worked with major customers to restructure the organization regionally, developing required processes and capabilities necessary to outperform competitors, increasing sales 21% in the first year.

Upon transferring into the division, Jeff immediately began turn-around efforts of problem units. Using a very successful Voice of the Customer survey implemented throughout NC, Jeff led a marketing transformation from service specific to customer centric, developing a winning value proposition. During the period, Jeff would:

1. Define a service strategy that would provide customers much needed data faster and more cost effective than any competitor in the market, while also establishing a production management methodology (both company first).

2. Close three underperforming facilities, organizing communications, defining market messaging, and overseeing divestment activity.

3. Restructure the sales channel, moving from an indirect to a direct, specialized sales force. Multiple sales territories were quickly redesigned and reassigned, requiring conflict and dispute resolution as necessary between regional managers of multiple business units.
Divisional Sales Manager

Electrical Equipment Company

(Privately Held; Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

October 2002 — October 2005 (3 years 1 month)

Assumed local P&L responsibility for a distressed business unit providing solutions for industrial, commercial, and residential applications. Supported major manufacturers including Allen Bradley, Reliance, and Cutler Hammer.

Managed a team of 12, directing sales, customer service and warehousing. Developed new talent and implemented sales strategies that expanded market reach.

Provided market segmentation, campaign development and execution, and event coordination on a local basis as needed to restore profitability within one year.
Product/Engineering Manager

Electrical Equipment Company

(Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

October 1999 — September 2002 (3 years )

Use multi-disciplined experience in application engineering to penetrate a competitive industrial market with customers such as DuPont, Phillip Morris, International Paper, and Smurfit Stone.

Responsible for development of scope and specification, risk assessment, and ongoing scope management services, overseeing turnkey projects, managing contractors and writing necessary contracts and specifications.

Leadership and development of servo based Motion Control, acting as the primary interface between the regional sales team and channel partners. New client development, as well as application matching and support.

Provided coaching of the sales organization, including division sales managers, sales engineers, and area specialist throughout Virginia. Led seminars and trade show events in each regional market
Automation Sales Specialist

Electrical Equipment Company

(Privately Held; Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

June 1996 — September 1999 (3 years 4 months)

Provided consultative services for Automation and Information Systems architectures focusing on process improvement and increasing productivity.

Acted as domain expert, helping customers specify products and services to improve manufacturing processes. Sold a variety of solutions to diverse companies such as Duke Energy, Georgia Pacific, Vulcan Materials, and Phillip Morris.
Sales Engineer

Electrical Equipment Company

(Privately Held; Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

May 1994 — June 1996 (2 years 2 months)

Gained market share through disciplined application of customer focused sales strategies including solution based selling driven towards demonstrable process improvement.

Successfully specified and sold systems spanning and incorporating multiple product disciplines, including power distribution, low and medium voltage motor control, PLC, HMI, and control/information networks (Rockwell, Reliance, GE, Baldor, and Eaton).

Jeff Knight’s Education

Villanova University

Six Sigma Black Belt 2004 — 2005
Pennsylvania State University

Supply Chain Management 2003 — 2004
Old Dominion University

BSET , 1990 — 1993

Emphasis in Controls Theory and Power Transmission. Engineering Co-op with US Army Corps of Engineers, Hydro Power. Japanese Studies

Activities and Societies:

Lamda Chi Alpha Fraternity
Community College

Associate , Electronics Technology , 1989 — 1990

Additional Information

Jeff Knight’s Websites:

My Company

Jeff Knight’s Interests:

Sales Strategy Development, Sales Force Automation, Customer Driven Value Innovation, Electric Power Generation, Electrical Machinery, and Alternative Energy.