Faces of Interface Featuring John Guy
John Guy, managing partner at Stress Analysis Services, is the second profile showcasing our outstanding network of manufacturer’s representatives. Interface values the relationships we have with our manufacturer’s reps, and we consider them a integral part of the Interface family.
John grew up in Whitehouse, Ohio, and was exposed to the engineering and DIY lifestyle at a young age. His father owned a sheet metal contracting business and his parents built their own house. Through this exposure, John discovered his aptitude for mechanics and electrical.
Beginning in his freshman year of high school John worked summers and weekends for an HVAC contractor, electrical contractor, and ultimately for a manufacturer of packaging machinery where he learned relay-ladder logic controls. After graduating from high school in 1979, he enrolled at the University of Toledo in pursuit of a degree in electrical engineering and began working as an electrical designer for AVCA Corporation, an engineering firm. One of the big projects he was tasked with was designing a ladle control system which led to System & Specialty Controls (the control panel contractor) offering him a job in technical sales in 1981. It didn’t take long for John to recognize that technical sales was his true calling.
In June 1983, John joined Smith Instruments, a manufacturers’ rep for process instrumentation and transducers, as a sales engineer. This position became his first foray into the world sensors, selling solutions to a wide variety of industries. During this time John grew his technical knowledge and developed a deep understanding of the importance of serving customers.
In June of 1987, the founder of Stress Analysis Services (SAS), Bruce Davey, recruited John to join his company as a sales engineer covering Southern Michigan and NW Ohio. In November of 1987, after a tour with GE and the semiconductor industry, Bruce’s son Mark joined SAS first as a sales engineer and soon thereafter as sales manager.
In 1995 Bruce retired and Mark purchased SAS. By this time John had positioned himself as the top sales performer in the company, one that Mark wanted to keep on his team, so in 1998 he was promoted to managing partner and ultimately earned an equity position in SAS.
From its’ beginning in 1966, SAS has represented Vishay/VPG Micro-Measurements strain gages and strain gage-based transducer manufacturers including Lebow (where Richard Caris, the founder of Interface once worked). Interface and Stress Analysis Services had been acquainted for years, but in 2005 when Honeywell acquired Lebow it turned out to be the perfect time to partner.
Today, John, Mark, and the Stress Analysis Services team of 11 sales engineers that sell Interface force and torque products in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, Illinois, and Wisconsin. SAS serves a wide variety of both OEM and end-user test & measurement customers in the automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, and medical markets.
What John appreciates most about Interface is their reputation for performance and quality. He mentioned that Interface built their reputation in the aerospace industry and weren’t very well-known in the other industries located in the Midwest when SAS started representing the line as part of their overall sensor, instrumentation and service offerings. Through the strong partnership between Interface and SAS working as a team in the region, Interface is now known as a top manufacturer of precision quality products and force measurement solutions available from Stress Analysis Services.
“Over the past 15 years Interface has worked with us to build their global brand across all industries. That success has been built by developing close rep/customer relationships and a commitment to respond quickly to customers’ challenges with innovative products and sometimes custom solutions.” – John Guy
When John is not working with some of the largest automotive providers and OEM customers, he can be found spending time with his wife, two daughters and wonderful grandchildren. John’s eldest daughter is special education teacher and is married with three children. His youngest daughter actually works for John at SAS as a sales engineer and is currently pregnant with her first – congratulations!
John and his wife Janet enjoy biking around Ohio and Michigan together usually logging about 140 miles per week on their Cannondale road racing tandem. John is also an avid tennis player, play 3+ times per week and captaining a USTA team.
In our Faces of Interface interview, John ended our conversation with a quick note recognizing his outstanding team at Stress Analysis Services, saying he appreciates their hard work, dedication, and commitment to putting the customer first. We couldn’t agree more and certainly appreciate our extended family at SAS!
We are committed in working hand-in-hand with our representatives in helping Interface customers get the exact products that match their precise requirements. We truly couldn’t have gained the success and notoriety Interface has earned as a leader in force measurement solutions without our expert representatives around the world.
Tune in to our blog at www.interfaceforce.com/blog/ every month for another Faces of Interface profile. We love putting these together and hope that you enjoy learning about the outstanding people that keep us going strong!
