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06/28/2012

Spotlight on NAHAD Leaders: Scott Johnson of Lewis-Goetz

Spotlight on LeadersHere is an interview with Scott Johnson, senior executive vice president for Lewis-Goetz and Company and newly appointed NAHAD board member.

NAHAD: Tell me a little about your history and how you got into this industry.

Scott Johnson: I’ve been the industry for quite a while. Right out of college I went to work for Gates Rubber Company and was a field rep for them in their West Virginia market. I was with them for a year before I went to work for my largest distributor, Industrial Rubber Products, who was located in West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. I spent many years with Industrial Rubber Products, and they were acquired by Louis-Goetz in 2002. And I’ve been with Lewis-Goetz ever since.

Scott Johnson Lewis-Goetz

NAHAD: What do you like best about this business?

Johnson: I definitely have to say it’s the quality of the people in this industry. There are a lot of very good, hard-working people in the industry with high integrity.

NAHAD: How would you describe Lewis-Goetz, and what is its key differentiator?

Johnson: Lewis-Goetz is a very large industrial rubber products distributor that has a strong footprint across North America. Our key differentiator is that we target and focus on the larger customers, customers that have multiple locations and would value the products, services, fabrication quality and safety performance that Lewis-Goetz is able to provide across each company’s footprint.

NAHAD: Now that Lewis-Goetz is part of ERIKS, how does that impact the company’s future growth plans?

Johnson: It only enhances our growth plans. ERIKS has a long-term vision for continued growth, and they’re very interested in the North American market. So they’ll be able to provide the resources we need to grow both organically and through acquisition.

NAHAD: What are your goals as a new member of the NAHAD Board of Directors?

Johnson: Before becoming a board member, I had been a NAHAD member for many years, and I’ve gotten a lot out of NAHAD both through contacts and through the Hose Safety Institute and its predecessor. So my goal is to give back in any way that I can, and to continue to enhance the Hose Safety Institute, which is one the best programs I’ve seen put together by an industry organization.

NAHAD: What are the biggest benefits to NAHAD members?

Johnson: One of the greatest benefits available is being able to make new contacts with the different manufacturers, and being able to meet manufacturing workers at all levels of responsibility, from the regional salespeople all the way up to the principals of the organizations. That’s not easy to come by, especially for many smaller distributors.