New-to-town company seeks long-term relationship. Must be willing to grow in our relationship. Cleanliness, professionalism and punctuality is imperative. No games please — looking for the one. Sorry, no direct calls. If interested, contact Ed Weston at the Great Lakes Wind Network.
From wind-energy consultant to master matchmaker, Great Lakes Wind Network''s Ed Weston is the middleman between a burgeoning industry and potential Northeast Ohio suppliers clamoring for a piece of the action. Essentially, he's a yenta to wind turbine manufacturers who want to avoid an overcrowded bar scene.
With master's degree smarts and a military background, you can see how he could fit in just as easily with folks who wear blue collars as those who wear white ones. He's tall, but he's not imposing, thin but not weak. He talks in generalities unless he sees you want specifics.
The wind business is different from most industries. The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are ardent about finding long-term partners, Weston says. They want to pick the best of the best to work with and then grow with them in an industry predicted to expand to 12 times its current size by 2030.
"Wind isn't for everybody, but for the right company, it is a remarkable opportunity," he says. "The OEMs want to work with companies with the desire and ability to expand as the orders grow. They're looking for partners."
They need companies that can build large-scale products, have world-class quality but also be cost-competitive with companies throughout the world. That's a tall order to fill, Weston says.
It takes a special company to be able to complete that type of work, he says.
"You're looking at precision beyond aerospace. And the vetting process is extensive. It's like marrying the governor's daughter."
A company that partners with a wind turbine maker must go through a qualifying process that routinely takes 18 months.
So far, 24 companies in Northeast Ohio are working in wind. Many request — beg, actually — not to be mentioned. And none of the manufacturers would talk: Once mentioned in an article like this, clients are pestered with questions about how they landed the gig, and OEMs are plagued with requests for work.
That's why the Great Lakes Wind Network is so important.
Basically, Weston screens local companies and makes assessments about their capabilities. He also identifies companies that do not realize they could get into wind turbine production and talks to them about the opportunities. He then listens to OEMs about their needs, which helps him develop a list of potential clients.
It's Weston who makes the introductions, and he's picky.
That's what makes him effective, says Jeff Grabner, Cardinal Fastener's director of wind product sales: He will not work with average companies.
After the introduction, it's up to the OEM and the local company to hit it off on their own.
This winter, in a span of just 90 days, the Great Lakes Wind Network facilitated 85 such matchmaking events.
Cleveland-based Swiger-Coil has been working in wind for a half-decade, and that industry is responsible for a good part of the company's growth, says Chris Warda, business development manager. In the past 18 months, Swiger's total number of employees has grown by 71 percent, from 147 workers to 252.
Most of the OEMs Swiger is working with now were clients before Great Lakes Wind Network was formed, Warda says, but Weston's group has made additional introductions that look like they could turn into more work for his company. But it takes a long time to develop the relationship, he says. They are never looking short term, always long term.
There's no question, though, that Northeast Ohio can benefit from this industry.
"There is a lot of hype behind wind generation. And that hype is there for a reason: It will grow," Warda says. "The economy is hurting, and we need something to boost the region. And with our manufacturing expertise, this is a good fit for the personnel that's already here. This isn't too far off from what has been manufactured here historically. There are lots of quality applicants."
Warda says he believes Ohio is one of the top five states currently working in wind, and Great Lakes Wind Network can only help that grow.
Before joining the wind network, Weston worked as a consultant to Cardinal Fastener, the most high-profile company working in wind in Northeast Ohio. President Barack Obama highlighted the company's progress by visiting the Bedford Heights facility in January.
Grabner, Cardinal's director of wind product sales, says Weston was responsible for their first-ever wind turbine order.
"Ed has a unique way of getting in touch with people and maintaining relationships," Grabner says. "He's Sherlock Holmes. If there is business to be had, he'll find out about it and whom he needs to talk to. If you're in the Rolodex, you're in good hands."
OEMs trust him, Grabner says.
"Ed screens the companies he would like to recommend," he says. "You need to be very professional, very quality-oriented and very disciplined to work with Great Lakes Wind Network."
The wind industry right now is much like the early auto industry, Weston says. It's building, and before you know it, it will be huge.
"The time to get in on the ground floor is now," he says. "In 18 to 24 months, it won't be the ground floor anymore."
By Weston's calculations, Ohio has the second-best capabilities of anywhere in the country, and most of those capabilities lie in Northeast Ohio. If the region takes proper advantage of these opportunities, wind could have a major impact on the economy.
Great Lakes Wind Network recently launched an online database of 900 companies in their network — which spans throughout the U.S. and Canada — and a high concentration of them are in Northeast Ohio.
The online database will work sort of like Match.com. The OEMs can peruse quality companies without Great Lakes Wind Network even knowing they are doing so.
He believes it is the first such database in the country.
The Web site is important, because any opportunity to create a relationship can ultimately pay off big, Weston says.
In addition, the wind business could even have a ripple effect across the precision machining industry. There are no companies in Northeast Ohio working exclusively in wind. So as their wind business increases, some companies will grow, but others will have to contract out some of the non-wind business the've been doing for a long time. That means companies that may not be a good fit for wind business could also benefit from the residual work available, as long as other companies are so busy manufacturing turbine parts.
Alternative energy-related manufacturing has come at a good time for Northeast Ohio. We have a glut of talent. Companies looking to expand have no problem finding quality workers. Ultimately, this could help revive an industry that has struggled in recent years, Weston says.
"We're actually seeing a demand for skilled labor," he says. "This is cool."