Meet our 2023 February Employee Spotlight – Jack Hano! Jack is a key player at our SIT Harahan division. Let’s get to know him:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I am the Field Service and Logistics Manager. I oversee field service personnel in support of commissioning/startups/field service. I also oversee the logistics department for all 3 SIT locations.”

Who/what inspires you?

“When everyone comes together to work towards a common goal without bringing personal agendas into play.”

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

“Having a level head and ability to approach issues logically.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Watching football and playing with my sons.”

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

“Play an Instrument.”

Where were you born?

Baton Rouge, LA

What’s the best thing about your job?

“There is always something that will come up and keep life interesting.”

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

“I am proud of all my moments at EOHI because I know I give my full effort to any task given or required.”

How do you define success?

“Being proud of the work you provide and having the trust and respect of coworkers.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

Langley, WA

Meet our January 2023 Employee Spotlight, Alfonso “Fonzi” Mendoza! Fonzi is a Client Service Representative in our Hydraquip Houston office. Let’s get to know him:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“Inside Technical sales – Assist customers with their requests and assist account managers with their key accounts.”

Who/what inspires you?

“Simple Answer – God, friends and family.

Complex Answer – Knowing I will never be completely satisfied with who I currently am. There is no finish line to growth, in any sense. I will always chase to be better me. If I do not strive to be better than who I am in the present, it is an injustice to friends, family, God and myself.”

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

“I would like to think that my work ethic is a strength that I contribute to the team. I do not like to be outworked.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I like to work out, fish, hike, surf, grill, and play my instruments (guitar mostly).”

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

“I would like to learn another language – French, Italian, Japanese, Nahuatl.”

Where were you born?

“I was born in Baytown, TX.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“The amount of knowledge there is to consume. It is a never-ending pool of learning.”

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

“My performance in the EOHI football game. In celebration of ESOP awareness month, I had the pleasure to participate in a friendly game of flag football alongside co-workers and take home a win!”

How do you define success?

“I define success as a never-ending journey, not defined by any destination but the by amount of work put into traveling along its path.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“My favorite place that I have traveled to is the Yucatan, Mexico. I had the opportunity to see Chichen Itza, one of the 7 wonders of the world.”

Meet our December 2022 spotlight – Bill Stock! Bill is a part of our GCC Northwest team. Let’s get to know him:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I am the Operations Manger for GCC in the Northwest. This includes Kent, Spokane and Portland. I oversee HSE, Inventory, Shipping and Receiving and Quality Control.”

Who/what inspires you?

“Teamwork! It is inspiring to be part of and help coach a great team of people that all have the same goals and ambitions.”

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

“Problem Solving. I like getting a challenge handed to me that I can tear into and find solutions to solve it.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I spend as much time as I can with my family and in the outdoors. For the past 12 years I have also competed in BBQ competitions around the Pacific Northwest going as far as Montana, California and British Columbia. I also volunteer whenever I can to cooking BBQ for Veterans and First Responders.”

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

“To weld as good as Kim Wallis, he is an artist with a tig welder!”

Where were you born?

Anchorage, Alaska

What’s the best thing about your job?

“Diversity. I am never working on the same thing from hour to hour and I can be part of all departments and divisions.”

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

“Gaining the position of Operations Manager in 2020.”

How do you define success?

“Setting a goal and seeing it through. Whether it is a sales goal, work or home project, success to me is meeting your goals.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“Driving the Alcan Highway from Alaska to Washington.”

Meet our November 2022 spotlight – Loyd Hall! Loyd is a part of our SIT Houston team. Let’s get to know him:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“I am the General Manager at our SIT Houston location. I direct Operations for SIT, handle the QA and HSE programs, and work with EOH to promote safety and quality.”

Who/what inspires you?

“My wife. She constantly encourages me and keeps me focused.”

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

“The attitude of getting the job done, no excuses.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“Play golf and work in the yard.”

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

“Play a musical instrument.”

Where were you born?

“Houston, Texas (Native Houstonian)”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“I enjoy mentoring our employees – helping them to achieve higher goals by certifications and encouraging them to always do their best.”

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

“Going from the HSE Manager at EOHI to the General Manager for SIT Houston.”

How do you define success?

“Seeing your employees grow and achieve. It’s not about managing, it’s about leading.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“Cabo San Lucas, Miami FL, and Fredericksburg, TX”

Employee Ownership Month occurs every year in October and is an opportunity for ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) companies across the nation to educate employee-owners, the media, the public, and government officials about the benefits of employee ownership.  It’s a terrific celebration of the spirit of employee ownership.

What does it mean to be an ESOP company?

An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a tax-qualified retirement plan authorized and encouraged by federal tax and pension laws.

When companies launch an ESOP, they form a trust that purchases some or all the company’s shares and holds these shares in retirement accounts for employees. When the stock value increases or decreases, so does the value of employees’ accounts.

ESOPs provide unique benefits to the employee owners, the institutions, and the surrounding communities that they are involved with. ESOPs have been proven to motivate employees, increase productivity, improve employee retention, excel at providing employee training, keep jobs local, counter wealth inequality, contribute to business health and longevity, and so much more.

ESOP Celebrations

To celebrate our ESOP culture, we have brought employees from all locations to our corporate headquarters to recognize their hard work and dedication to our employee-owned company. Each of these employees received an award based on our core company values:

• Acts with Integrity
• Laser Customer Focus
• Work Smart
• Always Seeking Improvement
• Produce Results

Congratulations to the following employees on their achievements:

• Antuan Weddington
• Jasper Cunningham
• Jolene Stroup
• Michael Tafolla
• Alfonso Mendoza
• Sandra Blanchard
• Belinda Lee
• Scott Wood
• Grant Baudoin
• Ben Ledet
• Patrick Cotton
• Oscar Bogarin
• Hector Millayes
• Matt Eckert
• Don Overton
• Chelsea Buff
• Brian Sweet
• Alex Poole
• Rosa Moya
• Michael Davis

We concluded our celebrations with a fun flag football game amongst employees. Team Red brought home the victory and bragging rights until next year! We enjoyed bringing all of our employees together and look forward to next year’s ESOP celebration!

Meet our September 2022 Employee Spotlight, Alex Poole! Alex is a part of our Employee Owned Holdings team in Houston, TX. Let’s get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“My role as recruiting coordinator for EOH is full of opportunities to travel and recruit students. I am currently traveling to several universities for career fairs. This is my first job out of college, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to learn from many different aspects of a company. I have worked on projects with marketing, HR, and operations.”

Who/what inspires you?

“My mother is my biggest source of inspiration. She received two masters while my father was overseas. She set a great example of a strong work ethic and perseverance.”

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

“Hunger to learn and succeed.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I am an active member of Founders Baptist Church. I also enjoy spending time with my cat, Lauren, and magnet fishing with my good friend.”

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

“Fluid power: I want to be a more effective recruiter and understand the technical aspects of the jobs I’m hiring for.”

Where were you born?

“Camp Pendleton, California”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“I love having getting to meet qualified people and offer them opportunities with our wonderful family of companies. I also love the group of people I work with.”

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

“Every new opportunity to expand my responsibilities has made me proud. I enjoy enlarging my scope of projects and responsibilities. I look for any way I can contribute to the success of the company.”

How do you define success?

“The great Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant carried a prayer in his wallet –

‘This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss — good, not evil. Success, not failure in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.” – Heartsill Wilson’

Success is living without wasting a moment because the price of every day is a day of your life.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“Guatemala and Alabama.”

Meet our August 2022 Employee Spotlight, Tom Dolan! Tom is a part of our GCC team in Kent, WA. Let’s get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“My role as the Business Development Manager for the Pacific NW is full of exciting opportunities.  I am involved in all the civil projects which include bridges, hydropower dams and vehicle & passenger transfer spans for the Washington State Ferries.  I’m always looking at new markets, new customers, and suppliers in the Pacific Northwest.  I enjoy the opportunity to work in tandem with the newer members of our sales team on projects and customer visits.”

Who/what inspires you?

“My immediate family, wife and adult children have always inspired me.  I always tell them, ‘Go make the world a better place’. My father, mother and their siblings have provided a solid foundation for personal growth.”

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

“Positive attitude and will to win.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my spare time I enjoy golfing and fishing.

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

“Learn multiple languages.”

Where were you born?

“Spokane, Washington”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“It’s all about the people.  We have daily opportunities to work with a wide variety of customers and markets.  Every day presents a new challenge.” 

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

“Successfully landing and completing several profitable civil projects. Working with our team of field service technicians, engineers, and the support staff to finish the complex scope on projects.  It’s always nice to walk away with satisfied customers.  ‘You guys worked some magic, excellent work.’”.

How do you define success?

“Ultimately success is finding happiness and enjoyment in everything you do.  Success is a choice.

John Wooden – ‘Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.’”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“Italy and France.”

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.”