SJE is excited to introduce Trey Spath, our newest Regional Sales Manager! Trey will be responsible for the Northwest Region (Wyoming; Colorado; California; Arizona; Alaska; New Mexico and El Paso, Texas; Nevada; Washington; Idaho; Oregon; Montana; Utah; Hawaii) for SJE Rhombus and CSI Controls upon Mark McCollum’s retirement at the end of the year. Trey has 17 years of experience in the water industry, working from wholesale distributors to manufacturers and taking care of specific territories for the water, well, ag and SSE markets. For Trey, the customers are his favorite part of the job and what keep him in this industry. “The people, the relationships you form with your customers—they’re hands-down second-to-none,” Trey said. Outside work, Trey enjoys golfing and spending time with his family. They have 7 children and are very involved with sports, which keeps them running nonstop. Contact him at trey.spath@sjeinc.com.

Lack of access to affordable, high quality childcare is a major obstacle that keeps parents out of the workforce in Ashland County. However, a new onsite daycare in the Ashland Business Park could help change that. The Women’s Fund Childcare Initiative (through the Ashland County Community Foundation) hopes to expand childcare access to the community, and SJE is proud to be a partner in this mission. The Childcare Initiative proposes building a new onsite daycare in the Ashland Business Park that will add 131 new childcare spots: 23 infant, 33 toddler, 39 preschool, and 36 school-age. With a current lack of licensed childcare after 6 p.m., the daycare will offer hours of operation to include non-traditional work hours. It will also create over 20 full-time jobs, as well as a boost in construction jobs during the build. With two Ashland locations, at 221 Ford Drive and 2395 Rock Road, SJE recognizes that this new initiative will benefit both its employees and the community at large. SJE Inc. and the SJE Foundation together have committed $200,000 over five years to this project. During June, this donation will be used as matching dollars for any contributions. SJE will also host a kickoff event at the 221 Ford Drive location. Tim Bartholomew, operations manager for SJE’s 221 Ford Drive location, is serving on the initiative’s board of directors. His own personal experiences as both a parent and manager involved in hiring new employees informed his decision to join this initiative. “As more companies come to Ashland and the Ashland Business Park grows, having affordable childcare will also help our city to grow,” Bartholomew said. “Families will be more likely to put roots down here since they can both live and work in the city without having to commute.” The initiative is hoping to raise $3.5 million for construction and startup, and $1 million for endowment to support ongoing operations, according to the Ashland County Community Foundation’s website, www.ashlandforgood.com. Construction is planned for spring 2023, with a target opening date in the fall of 2023.

SJE is pleased to announce that Bjorn Haldorsen has joined the Leadership Team as President of the Engineered Division. His position is new to the company and will emphasize customer focus and growth execution. The Engineered Division will expand through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. Bjorn’s experience in running businesses in similar industries with comparable strategic focus aligns well with SJE. “Our Engineered Division has seen significant growth over the past few years,” said Dave Thomas, President & CEO of SJE. “Having Bjorn join SJE as the Division President will provide additional focus as we continue to expand our leadership in providing controls and automation solutions to our customers.” Bjorn has more than 28 years of leadership experience in the industrial manufacturing sector. Before joining SJE, Bjorn held the position of President of North America at Colson Group. He headed their North American business operations, with focus on growth and strategic initiatives to best service the marketplace. In addition, he worked for Honeywell International for 8 years and then for Flowserve Corporation for 18 years. At Flowserve, he served in various regional and global leadership roles that culminated in the role of Vice President and General Manager for the Industrial Pump Operations. His background brings valuable experience to SJE. “SJE is a good fit for me because of their strong brand recognition in the industry and their focus on growth,” Bjorn said. “I have experience working with their end markets, as well as driving growth organically through new vertical markets, product development and M&A.” Bjorn received his bachelor’s degree in Purchasing and Logistics Management from Arizona State University and his M.B.A. in International Finance from Thunderbird School of Global Management. He will reside in Maryland with extensive travel.

SJE is excited to announce that Tim Fowler has joined the Leadership Team as Chief Information Officer (CIO). This is a new position for the company that will oversee IT initiatives and the current IT team. He is based out of the SJE location in Plymouth, Minnesota. “I am looking forward to helping the company grow by being a true business partner,” said Fowler. “SJE is an excellent fit for me to add value given my background in M&A, Cyber Security and broad IS strategy in enablement of new business capabilities.” Before joining SJE, Fowler held a series of VP and divisional CIO roles at Polaris Industries. Prior to that, he spent 21 years between Irwin Financial (banking) and Rexnord Industries (international industrial manufacturing). He has developed a successful track record positioning the role of IT to support both the short and long-term needs of fast-growing organizations. “SJE’s fast growth over the last few years has created challenges that require new capabilities, new perspectives and additional expertise on our team,” said Dave Thomas, President & CEO of SJE. “Tim’s background in high-growth, larger company environments will enable SJE to scale our technology capabilities to overcome these challenges and improve the level of service we provide to our customers.” Aside from work, Tim enjoys coaching, running, hunting, exploring nature, boating and the finer details of a restaurant.

SJE Inc. is excited to announce that it has purchased Horlick Company, effective March 31, 2022. Horlick ownership recognized that, in order to grow the company and meet customer demand, they needed to find a business partner with additional specialized functional skills and financial resources to invest in the business. SJE is excited to be that partner and to work with Horlick in a mutually beneficial relationship. “We are excited to welcome the Horlick team to the SJE family.  They have built a tremendous business, and we look forward to combining our resources to accelerate growth plans for both organizations,” said Dave Thomas, president and CEO of SJE. Over the past twenty years, Horlick has established itself as a leading manufacturer of custom control panels and motor-generator sets.  Horlick’s commitment to quality and excellent customer relationships will help SJE grow their presence in Massachusetts and the surrounding area. In return, SJE offers additional technical resources and manufacturing capabilities that will augment Horlick’s current capacity and provide access to a broader product offering. While the acquisition provides growth opportunities for both companies, in many ways it is business as usual. Horlick will continue to operate out of the current facility in Randolph, Massachusetts, marketing under the Horlick brand. Shawn Hennessey, who has managed the day-to-day business for the past 27 years, will continue as Director of Operations. “We selected SJE due to their similar culture of taking care of their customers, expanded technical resources and their commitment in growing Horlick,” said Hennessey. SJE looks to partner with companies that have talented employees, opportunities for future growth and a proven track record of strong performance that aligns with SJE’s culture and values. In 2021, SJE acquired two companies: L. W. Allen, based in Wisconsin, and Ohio Electric Control, based in Ohio. Business Capital Exchange, Robinson & Cole LLP, and Naffah & Company advised Horlick during this transaction. Horlick Company Founder William Horlick started the company in 1936, and was mainly involved in the buying, selling and refurbishment of surplus military equipment, including motors, generators, transformers and switchgear. Today, Horlick Company has transformed into a complete system integrator capable of supplying a range of equipment, from a simple relay-based duplex pumping station to a complex motor control center with custom PLC-based process and SCADA interface. To learn more, visit www.horlick.com.

We’re excited to welcome Jim Felker to SJE as our newest Regional Sales Manager! Jim will be working out of his home in Oxford, Michigan, covering our northeast territory for SJE Rhombus and CSI Controls. Jim Felker has been in the water and wastewater industry for over 20 years. He started his career in outside sales selling water well supplies to contractors. Part of that job was helping contractors’ size and design pump systems to fit their application. He worked for five years at a distributor and manufacturer in the automotive automation business, where his experience helped him understand the electrical operation of a control panel. Most recently, he worked in Outside Sales at Sales Service Plus, a manufacturers rep that represents SJE Rhombus. Working for a manufacturers’ rep for the past seven years has taught him about managing a sales territory. His favorite part of the business is his customers, who he describes as “hardworking, down-to-earth people. Some of the customers I’ve met over the years have become personal friends.” He’s also helped engineer and design pump and controls systems for irrigation. He has attended multiple pump manufacturers training seminars for residential, commercial and engineered systems. He has experience conducting trainings, so he is very comfortable with public speaking and presenting. But ultimately Jim enjoys connecting with customers one-on-one the most. “One of the things I enjoy most is talking to a contractor about a job they may have and discovering a solution that we may have with one of our products,” Jim said. “I think I’m good at what I do because I try to bring a genuine excitement and belief in the products that I’m talking about.” Outside work, Jim and his family enjoy spending time outdoors, camping, hunting and fishing. He and his wife, Lori, have 2 children: Ben (12) and Emily (10). Contact him at jim.felker@sjeinc.com.