Employee Spotlight on Justin Dart, Automation Specialist and Inside Sales Representative
At Lakeland, our employees are a key component to the success of our company. This month’s employee spotlight is on Justin Dart, Automation Specialist and Inside Sales Representative. Justin is often the first point of contact for customers, working alongside them to help find a solution to fit their needs.
Justin has been with Lakeland for about two-years, during this time, he’s expressed a drive to continuously learn new products and technical aspects of the industry. Due to his natural ability and willingness to put in the extra commitment, Justin was selected to train as an Automation Specialist.
“I originally went to college at the University of Colorado Springs for electrical engineering,” said Justin. “That was my first introduction to the industry and one of the reasons the role at Lakeland Engineering Equipment Company seemed like a good fit.” Prior to coming on-board with Lakeland, Justin worked in similar customer-based and technical roles for international sourcing companies.
Inside Sales and Technical Support for Lakeland Customers
At Lakeland, Justin’s role is multi-faceted, ranging from technical support to outside sales, variable frequency drive troubleshooting and more. “Inside the office, I primarily act as a resource for customers calling-in with technical questions,” said Justin. “If I don’t know the answer, I work with our team and suppliers to find it in a timely manner. I understand how vital this is to people’s bottom line and processes.” In addition to technical support, Justin also has customers close by that he provides in-person outside sales support to.
“A couple months into my role at Lakeland, I worked with a customer on a very large project that was required to be completed in the U.S. with an air freight set-up to ship to Europe,” explained Justin. “I was working on the ordering and delivery of the last item for this project, a large motor. It was absolutely crucial that the delivery deadline be met. I was on the phone with the supplier and the customer on an hour to hour basis. We were able to get the motor delivered late Friday night so it could be delivered on the air-freight the next morning. The customer was very appreciative of this!”
Justin went on to explain that this is his favorite part of working for Lakeland, “I really enjoy the people that I get to work with. Whether it be my coworkers, customers or suppliers, I enjoy working creatively together to find solutions.”
Automation Specialist Trained on Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)
One of the services Lakeland provides is drives start-up and troubleshooting. Justin is one of the team members that has undergone extensive training on drives. He is a certified Schneider Electric Drives Specialist, having attended multiple trainings including a week-long drives university. “Being challenged and learning something new every day is an exciting aspect of my position,” commented Justin when discussing his training to becoming an Automation Specialist.
“I have upcoming trainings scheduled with Lenze, Yaskawa and possibly a few additional suppliers throughout the next year,” said Justin. “I’m also looking forward to diving-in to IDEC and Schneider Electric PLC training!” Lakeland’s goal is to support continuing education opportunities to grow the skills of our workforce and meet the evolving needs of our customers.
“One project that comes to mind is when a customer required a drive very quickly in order to prevent their facility from being down,” explained Justin. “I supplied and crossed-over the customer with a variable frequency drive Lakeland stocks, a Schneider Electric ATV320. We were able to avoid any downtime for the customer.”
An Outdoorsman and Vikings Fan
Outside of the office and training travels, Justin is an avid outdoorsman. “In the summer and fall you can normally catch me camping, hunting or fishing,” exclaimed Justin. “I have traveled to quite a few states as well and even lived in Colorado for about two and a half years before settling back in to Minnesota.” When he’s not spending time adventuring, you can find Justin watching the Vikings.
Contact Lakeland about Your Project
Lakeland carries a vast product line from over 60 industry-leading suppliers. For a full list of suppliers, check out our supplier page. To learn more about the drives start-up and troubleshooting services we provide, click here. Get in-touch with Justin Dart via email at jdart@lakelandengineering.com or sales@lakelandengineering.com.