Meet our July Employee Spotlight, Dean Braud. Dean has been with Hydraquip for 16 years. Let’s get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I am an Account Manager at Hydraquip. I manage the technical development of projects and provide my customers a point of contact for their supply chain complaints.”

Who/what inspires you?

“My kids inspire me to be the superhero that they think I am, I still have them fooled!”

If you had to pick one strength you bring the to team, what would it be?

“Organization and attention to detail.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Anything baseball or LSU related. A quiet float in the pool with a drink in my hand isn’t too bad either.”

If I could learn how to do one thing, what would it be?

“How to keep my wife happy 100% of the time, I mean always happy. Life Goals!”

Where were you born?

“Baton Rouge, LA.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“I enjoy having the opportunity to provide solutions in problem situations.”

What’s been one of your proudest moments at EOHI?

“Being awarded Employee of the Month as an Account Manager, I don’t believe that happens very often.”

How do you define success?

“Happiness in everyday life is how I define success.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“I enjoy both tropical and mountain style vacations, I guess my favorite would be Jamaica.”

Meet our June Employee Spotlight, Chris Bennett! Chris is a valuable team member at our Supreme Integrated Technology branch in Harahan, LA. Let us get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I was recently promoted to Director of Integrated Systems (formerly Systems Integration Manager). I mentor/manage a team of engineers and assist with integration of projects in the Harahan office.”

Who/what inspires you?

“My dad inspires me. He always told me ‘Do your best at whatever you do even if it’s sweeping the floors’”.

If you had to pick one strength you bring the to team, what would it be?

“One strength I bring to the team is my broad knowledge of the technical disciplines (mechanical, hydraulic, electrical) to be able to integrate the systems we provide.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Participate in anything aviation related.”

If I could learn how to do one thing, what would it be?

“I would love to learn how to speak another language (probably Spanish).”

Where were you born?

“I was born in Marrero, Louisiana.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“Interacting with the other engineers and seeing projects going from sketches to functional systems is the best thing about my job.”

What’s been one of your proudest moments at EOHI?

“Being promoted to Director of Integrated Systems. This promotion shows that I’m moving in the right direction and continuing to grow in my career.”

How do you define success?

“I define success on how happy myself and family are. If we are happy then I’m successful at life in general.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“Singapore was my favorite place I traveled. It was cool seeing the buildings and cultural sights.”

Meet our May 2022 Employee Spotlight, James Bach! James joined our EOH team back in March and has already been a huge asset to Elite Control’s team as the Sales Manager. Let’s get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I’m the Sales Manager for Elite Controls. I wear many hats, but my primary functions are business development and driving a successful growth plan for ECI.  I am the commercial front and strive to help build, maintain and strengthen trusting rapport with customers, vendors and our sister companies.”

Who/what inspires you?

“God is my cornerstone and my family keeps me motivated. Both of these inspire me.”

If you had to pick one strength you bring to the team, what would it be?

“Customer Centric Culture. I have over 20+ years of experience in sales and over half of this has been in commercial leadership rolls. My hope is to help influence and strengthen our already solid team.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Family is my everything! My wife and I love to be with our 4 wonderful children. We have a strong passion for travel, the arts, concerts and enjoy camping, hiking & exploring.”

If I could learn how to do one thing, what would it be?

“Speak multiple languages. I have always found a beauty in the different dialects of the world. It would be great to be emerged into another country/culture learning and speaking the dialect of the local nationals.”   

Where were you born?

“I was born in a small town called North Tonawanda, it is between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York. Fun fact: Tonawanda means “Swift Waters” because of its location near the mighty Niagara River that separates US and Canada and feeds the Falls.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“Customers, the diverse applications and a chance to learn more.”

What’s been one of your proudest moments at EOHI?

“It is early in my EOHI career, but as of now the day my wife and I signed the offer letter.”

How do you define success?

“Success to me is when you are doing something you love and can contribute back to people through teaching & sharing what you have learned. By doing this, my hope is that they may be able to find a quicker and more efficient way to their own successes.”  

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“Thailand – the people, culture, food and overall beauty of the country is fantastic.”

Meet our April Employee Spotlight, Rhonda Tankersley! Rhonda is a valuable member of our EOH accounting team and has been a part of our employee-owned family for 8 years. Let’s get to know her better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I am the Accounts Payable Specialist. I do all aspects of the payables side, process invoices, weekly check runs, audits, etc. I’m always trying to make sure our vendors stay happy.”

Who/what inspires you?

“The inspiration in my life was my Granny Moore. She taught me everything I know and to enjoy doing it. She always told me to enjoy and work hard at everything you do and once the joy is gone, move on.”

If you had to pick one strength you bring the to team, what would it be?

“My biggest strength is the ability to stay calm and focused in stressful situations.

What do you like to do in your free time?

“When I’m not working, I love going on road trips with my husband. I also love having downtime with my daughter to just hang out and try her new creations that she cooks up in the kitchen.”

If I could learn how to do one thing, what would it be?

“I would love to learn how to fly. I love being up in the clouds.”

Where were you born?

“I was born and raised in Houston, TX.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“The best thing about my job is the laid-back atmosphere.”

What’s been one of your proudest moments at EOH?

My proudest moment at EOH was the day they offered me my job. EOHI is such a great place to work – great people and a great environment. They really make you want to get up every morning and look forward to coming in and being the best you can be.”

How do you define success?

“Success to me is walking out the door at the end of the day feeling like you have conquered everything you came to do. It doesn’t happen often but when it does it’s a great feeling.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“Hawaii is my favorite place. I love the clear beaches, ocean life, and all the small islands.”

Meet our March Employee Spotlight, Matthew Haley! Matthew has been with GCC for two years now. Let’s get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.  

“I am a Territory Manager for Southeast Florida.  I visit new and existing accounts to generate and maintain sales.”

Who/what inspires you? 

“My biggest inspiration is strong leadership with a specific goal.”

If you had to pick one strength you bring the to team, what would it be? 

“I am comfortable interacting with anyone in an organization from ownership to warehouse personnel, allowing me to communicate at all levels of our company.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“In my free time, I enjoy golfing, scuba diving and fishing.”

If I could learn how to do one thing, what would it be? 

“I have always wanted to learn how to kite surf because it is one of the few things I don’t know how to do in the ocean yet. I often see people doing this and get 15-20 feet up in the air. I think this would be a fun experience to learn.”

Where were you born?

“I was born in Parma, Ohio. I moved to Florida when I started high school and have been here ever since.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

 “A cool thing about my job is that I get to meet new people while constantly finding new business and have the opportunity to help solve problems.”

What’s been one of your proudest moments at EOHI?

“When I transitioned from a base salary to commission compensation after one year, I felt a large since of pride. Having met sales goals in such a short period of time was a good feeling.”

How do you define success? 

“Knowing that I gave it my best effort in whatever I do is how I define success.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“I’ve been all over but my trip to Staniel Cay, Bahamas has been my favorite by far. The resort had numerous bungalows overlooking the gorgeous ocean. One of the coolest things about this resort was that we had our own private boat that allowed us to island hope and complete many excursions. There was so much to do and I never wanted to leave!”

Meet our February Employee Spotlight, Belinda Lee! Belinda is a part of CS Controls, one of our newer editions to our EOH family. Let’s get to know her better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I am a Contracts Administrator at the Houma, LA office. I handle all factors of component orders from the beginning to the completion of the order.”

Who/what inspires you?

“Above all, the Lord is my biggest inspiration. My son is also my inspiration. He was born premature (less than 2 lbs) and I was told that he would not be “normal”. To watch him grow and become the man he is today is truly a blessing. He defied the odds and I am truly motivated by all of his accomplishments.”

If you had to pick one strength you bring the to team, what would it be?

“My biggest strength is being able to be a team player so that we can get the job done successfully.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I love spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy shopping, music festivals, and concerts.”

If I could learn how to do one thing, what would it be?

“I have always had a fear of public speaking, so I would love to master that skill.”

Where were you born?

“I was born and raised in Thibodaux, LA.”

What’s been one of your proudest moments at EOHI?

“I have only been a part of EOHI for a few months. I have not experienced a “Whoo-hoo” moment YET. However, I believe once I get more familiar with the operating system and company procedures without making a phone call, I will then have a proud moment.”

How do you define success?

“To me, success is simply putting your best effort forward each day in accomplishing your goals.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“The Bahamas. It was my first and only trip out of the country at an all-inclusive resort. The scenery was so serene and beautiful. It also was special because it was a gift from someone who was very dear to my heart.”

Houston, Texas – January 2022, Janet Albanese, Director of Corporate Operations for Employee Owned Holdings, Inc. (EOHI), announced her retirement, effective February 25th. With over 14 years of service within the EOHI companies, Janet played a major role in the growth and extended reach of EOHI and its subsidiaries. 

Janet began working for EOHI’s subsidiary, Hydraquip, Inc., in 2008, and later moved into the position of Quality Manager for Hydraquip in 2014. In 2016, Janet was promoted to Corporate Quality Manager for EOHI. In this role, she continued to lead company subsidiaries in ISO 9001 accreditation by driving process improvement, and achieving high standards of quality, business practices, and efficiency. In 2018, Janet advanced to Director of Corporate Operations, for EOHI.

“Janet was instrumental in improving our company-wide facilities, security, health, safety and quality aspects,” said Matt Weisser, CFO of EOHI. “She has been an extremely valuable member of the EOHI team, and we will absolutely miss her.”

“Janet’s contributions have made a lasting impact on our company and the people she interacted with. She promoted outstanding safety, organization and best business practices. We wish her the very best as she moves into the retirement chapter of her life,” said Richard Neels, President and CEO of EOHI.

“It has been a privilege to have been a part of this employee-owned company for so many historically eventful years,” said Janet. “The people here, including the customers and suppliers, are world class. I truly appreciate the ESOP culture. It is my great good fortune to have worked in the company of our talented and dedicated employee-owners.”

EOHI is a 100% employee owned company based in Houston, Texas and the parent of Hydraquip, Inc., Supreme Integrated Technology, Inc., Elite Controls, Inc. and GCC, collectively doing business in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Tennessee, Arizona & New Mexico.

Meet our January Employee Spotlight, Jolene Stroup! Jolene is a part of our Hydraquip inside sales team. She is celebrating 30 years with our employee-owned company! Let us get to know her better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I am a client service representative in inside sales at our Denver office. My day consists of receiving orders from customers, shipping out orders to customers, communicating with customers via phone and email to answer any questions relating to orders and deliveries, and promoting products to all customer inquiries.”

Where were you born?

“I was born in Colorado”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“In my free time I like to go camping, dancing, entertaining and spend time with my family and friends.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“The best part of my job is getting to work with my “family”. We have such a great family-oriented culture which makes it easy and enjoyable to come to work every day.”

How do you define success?

“I believe the secret to success is living a well-balanced life between work and play.”

Who/what inspires you?

My father has always inspired me create that balance of success.”

The holiday festivities are the perfect time to express our gratitude for what our employee owners have done and continue to do for this company. This year all of you have worked hard to help this company gain new heights. The energy, creativity, and help you provide are a gift to our company all year long. We’re very proud and happy to have an awesome company family, and it’s now time to celebrate it. Thank you for your hard work and dedication this year!

Every year we come together and give back to our communities. Led by our FUEL leaders, all our locations participated in community involvement initiatives throughout the year. Our employees donated to local food banks and animal shelters, donated blood, stuffed backpacks with school supplies and now are donating toys to children in need during the holiday season. These great efforts and generous contributions showcase the drive and passion we have to make a positive difference in our local neighborhoods.

We are so grateful to our employees for serving us so well. We wish all of you an abundance of peace, prosperity, happiness, and all the good in the world. Happy holidays!

Meet our November Employee Spotlight, Eric Martin! Eric is a part of our Supreme Integrated Technology (SIT) sales team and has been with our employee-owned family for 15 years. Let us get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“My current role is Director of Sales for SIT, and it is my responsibility to work with the SIT sales team, our vendors, sister companies, and customers to grow sales.”

Who/what inspires you?

“I have many different people who inspire me for different reasons. I look at the way different people handle individual aspects of their lives, or even individual situations, and take inspiration from that.”

If you had to pick one strength you bring the to team, what would it be?

“I think that my systems level project background at the distribution level, and bi-directional perspective, will be beneficial. I am now seeing on the other side of the proverbial curtain, so having visibility from both angles will help understand and overcome the existing barriers to business growth.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I help coach my son’s select baseball team, and my daughter does competitive dance. When there are off weekends from those activities, I love to play golf.”

If I could learn how to do one thing, what would it be?

“Play the piano. It is something I have always wanted to learn, but have never made the time.”

Where were you born?

Huntsville, TX

What’s the best thing about your job?

“The best thing about my current role is the ability to influence. There are parts of being in sales that were great for sure; but having a voice, being able to provide input to leadership, and to have an impact on the direction in which the company migrates is very cool.”

What’s been one of your proudest moments at EOHI?

“One of my proudest moments at EOHI was when I hit the $25M sales mark. I remember when $8-9M in a year was a crazy number, so hitting $25M was something I was really proud of.”

How do you define success?

“This is a question that should be answered sitting on a bar stool, not in a company wide email. I look at success as list of categories, and achieving the highest possible level of success in one area likely means I will be lacking in another. Life is a balance. So I define success as function of effort and balance. If I put forth maximum effort, and balance the areas of focus to the best of my ability, then it’s a success.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“I love the Black hills area of South Dakota, because it is very unique and I spent a lot of time there as a kid. Lake Tahoe and Grand Tetons would be high on the list also.”