7 with Evan: Volume 10

Evan Carroll’s focus now more than ever is on Black Bros. and its future. Representing the sixth generation of family ownership, in this segment Evan gives a grade to IWF, employee dedications, and his takeaways from the Engineering Department.

  1. Machines are being moved into the new roll building as we speak. Looking at how the project has turned out, how satisfied are you? The satisfaction is still extremely high. We continue to stay ahead of schedule. We have some lathes in there now, the extruder — which puts all our rubber on — is set up and ready to go. The floors are level, the lights are on. We’re just excited to get in there and get back to making a great product. And we’re ready to reap all the benefits that come with a new building.
  2. It looks great, and I can’t wait for the Open House (Nov. 21). Describe the significance of an Open House. Open Houses are just a great way for family, friends, community members, and business leaders alike to come by and see all the progress and work we’ve put into the building. And again, just showcase all the things we are doing. People are generally interested in what’s going on, and we’ve been getting a lot of questions about the new building. So, it’s for them to see what it’s turned into and how great it looks.
  3. I agree. My kids are bugging me and super excited to see the inside. IWF took place in early August. Give the show a letter grade. The show, per usual, was great. We were super busy. New leads, old leads. People coming in with 50-60 year-old equipment. Dropping by just checking to see what’s new because their 1972 is still running all the same, and we’re taking care of their parts and service. It is cool to see those returning customers come back just to check in. That’s the kind of relationship we like to have with our customers. And, the new leads! We talk to so many people each time who really are not too familiar with what we do and what panel lamination is. So, being able to have our team there — with all the experience — and having everyone bouncing ideas off each other is awesome. … Atlanta could be better, downtown. But I still think the show (was a) resounding ‘A’ with the booth, all the people we talked to and impacted while we were there, and all the leads and business that came up.
  4. A lot of work anniversaries in the last month, Steve DeLong 40 years among them. What is it that makes people devoted to Black Bros.? First and foremost, I think it’s treating people with respect. Taking care of people when all the different instances of life come up, and knowing that we fully understand. We’re here to take care of you, because you’ve always given it right back to us. It’s a two-way street going back and forth. Being transparent. Keeping communication up. Making sure we are all on the same page about the goals we need to complete in the short-term, medium-term, long-term. And then, you know, the family work environment we can have while also getting things done. It’s not uncommon for us to greet everyone with a good morning, how was your weekend, how are the kids, how are the grandkids. How about the Pack? How about the Bears? It’s that work-life balance that we uphold for our team here. As far as Steve’s 40th, holy cow. Anyone who knows Steve knows how unbelievable his Black Bros. knowledge is and how helpful he is to every single team member here. He has so much history with our company, and he’s been a go-to guy for a very long time. His values are second to none, and everyone knows he’s an even better person than he is an employee — which is insane to say about someone of his ability! So thankful for him.
  5. Black Bros. recently donated again toward improvement for IVCC’s manufacturing and CAD programs. What’s in it for Black Bros.? We believe in the trades, and we are happy to see them being brought back into our high schools as well as IVCC — our local community college. The fact they’re embracing them and getting more skilled labor back into our workforce, which is something that might have been lost as colleges and universities were pushed so hard for so long. Kinda, a round peg in a square hole situation, where (people) just felt pressured to go to college when there are so many great things you can do with your hands without a degree. We’ve sent our sales team there, engineering team, office team, shop team, assembly and electrical teams. We’ve used them quite a bit for many different trainings. So, its always good to help them out and help them become the best resource they can be for the area, the town of Mendota, and anyone who wants to get into manufacturing to make a career for themselves.
  6. Well said. What’s the biggest surprise or thing you’ve discovered now that you’ve settled into your role in Engineering? There’s obviously just a ton to learn. We make some pretty crazy machines with a lot of different, crazy options. So knowing how to put it all together and turn it into our prints, drawings, models — is pretty dang amazing. All the talent those guys bring up there, and the timeliness and quality they bring is truly some amazing stuff. I’ve learned a lot from the Customer Service side of things, for sure. Our wear items: rolls, sprockets, gears — getting to see all that as a model and blow it up on my screen and take it apart or make it 3D to see the intricacies that make our machines run. Whether it’s chains, air pods, electrical panels, anything like that. Being able to see them in a detailed manner has been outstanding for my own knowledge and makes me feel more confident being able to discuss all the things we do.
  7. You mentioned the Bears and Packers. What will their records be when they meet in the final game of the regular season? Tough time for a Packers fan with Love going down (in Week 1)! Injuries are never fun. That being said, if my estimations are right, I think we could see them in a similar situation, where they’re 9-8 or 10-7 depending on what happens that last game. It’s early but they could be in a similar boat, (needing to win) that last game.
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