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.”

Houston, TX – Hydraquip, Inc., a leading provider of innovative power solutions across multiple markets, officially acquired substantially all assets of Flint Hydraulics, Inc. on October 1, 2021. Flint Hydraulics, Inc. carries an excellent brand recognition and outstanding reputation with its customers. These clients will continue being served by the business under the name of Flint Hydraulics.

Flint Hydraulics is a global distributor of original and replacement hydraulic pumps, motors, and hydraulic pump replacement parts for heavy mobile and industrial equipment based in Memphis, TN. In addition to their hydraulic distribution capabilities, Flint Hydraulics provides complete hydraulic circuit design for a variety of mobile and industrial equipment. With over 40 years in business as a company, Flint Hydraulics has earned the respect of many large clients in the industry. With similar capabilities, Hydraquip is expected to utilize the synergies between the two companies to exponentially grow its business.

 “We are excited to welcome Flint Hydraulics to the EOH (Employee Owned Holdings, Inc.) family,” stated Scott Nelson, President of Hydraquip. “The synergies of vendor-partners, including the Danfoss partnership shared by both companies, will allow us to diversify into new geographical territory and markets.”

 “We are thrilled to partner with Hydraquip,” stated Andy Malmo, President and CEO of Flint Hydraulics. “Over the years, we have built our reputation as a company focused on providing high-quality hydraulic components with outstanding customer service. I can’t think of a better partner to grow our business.”

“This acquisition marks the latest step in our ongoing effort to grow our business and provide innovative power solutions to new territories,” commented Richard Neels, President and CEO of Employee Owned Holdings, Inc. “We are thrilled to be entrusted with their dedication and talented employees.”

Flint Hydraulics joins the family of 100% employee-owned companies operating under Employee Owned Holdings, Inc. (EOH). EOH is the parent company for Hydraquip and other U.S. fluid power and automation companies: GCC, Supreme Integrated Technology, Inc. and Elite Controls, Inc.

Meet our September Employee Spotlight, Ross Phillips! Ross is a part of our IT team and has been with our employee-owned family for almost 3 years. Let us get to know him better:

What is your role? Briefly describe what you do.

“My Job title is IT Specialist. I focus on hardware, software, email, user accounts, group policy, phone systems, etc. I am a liaison between EOH and other companies that currently provide IT related services. I am also furthering my knowledge in firewalls and other cybersecurity tools.”

Who/what inspires you?

“As conceited as it may sound, I inspire myself. When I felt like I could not do something, I made sure to prove myself wrong. With that attitude, my accomplishments began to build up and served as a counter to any negative outlook that I may conjure. It motivates me to keep moving forward and not become complacent.”

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

“I am a mixed bag. A jack of all trades but master of none. I have done a little bit of everything in both my military and IT professions. Many of my tasks in the military were deeply rooted in information technology and analysis. With my past experiences in the military along with the lessons learned in college, I had a good understanding of “the big picture” when it came to a corporate environment. I also have an obsessive nature. I usually don’t quit at something once it has its hooks in me, whether it be a task or an idea. This characteristic helps in the areas of problem solving and troubleshooting.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“At one point I was gamer, which led me to building computers and deciding to go to school for Management Information Systems. Now, I am really into just working on my house and doing things around the lawn while listening to Neil Diamond and hydrating with sweet tea. Dad stuff basically, except that I am not a father. I still like to ride motorcycles and get out on a long trip once a year. I am slowly getting back into camping and would like to camp from the bike on the next trip. I also spend a lot of time with my two dogs, Madison and George.”

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

“I have always wanted to learn to play the piano.”

Where were you born?

“I was born in Houston, TX.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“The people. My supervisor and colleagues have continuously pushed me to attend training, broaden my scope of tasks, and prepare me for future endeavors. I feel that I am respected and appreciated as a member of the EOH IT team.”

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

“I do not have one singular moment but more a culmination of several small moments. I thought it was challenging and fun to rebuild certain parts of our infrastructure soon after I was hired. I have had the opportunity to learn several new skills and become proficient in several different tools that benefit a corporate landscape. It is not so much the proudest moment that I have at EOHI, but pride in the company for continually shaping me into a more knowledgeable professional.”

How do you define success?

“If I can go into the office happy, come home at the end of the day happy, and go to sleep without a worry then I consider that successful.”

Where is your favorite place that you’ve traveled?

“I have been all over the US and outside of the country several times. I honestly couldn’t choose a favorite. I do have a preference though and that would be the deserts of West Texas. I would gladly choose tumbleweeds, cactus, and mountains over the pine trees of East Texas any day.”