James Ably
Greenville,WI
Summary
Dynamic and results-oriented sales professional with a robust engineering background, specializing in electrical controls, engineering services, and customer support. Over 20 years of automation experience demonstrates a proven ability to assess client needs, navigate business challenges, and develop tailored solutions that drive success. Recognized for integrating technical expertise with strategic business acumen, fostering strong client relationships, and leading cross-functional teams to achieve sales growth. Skilled communicator adept at presenting complex concepts to diverse audiences while maintaining a focus on reliability, flexibility, and collaboration to meet team objectives.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Account Manager – Northeastern WI
GCG Automation & Factory Solutions
Germantown, WI
04.2017 - Current
- Identifying, qualifying and convert industrial manufactures and OEMs into long-term customers by selling automation and electrical control products manufactured by PCC’s vendor partners.
- Led cross-functional teams to develop and execute strategic account plans.
- Fostered long-term client relationships through proactive communication and tailored solutions.
- Analyzed market trends to identify growth opportunities and enhance service offerings.
- Implemented performance metrics to track account health and drive client satisfaction improvements.
- Follow up on leads generated by marketing programs in an attempt to secure new business.
- Manage existing account business, target and grow additional opportunities therein.
- Leverage internal and external resources (e.g. application engineers, management team) to properly position and demonstrate value propositions and convert business.
- Maintain comprehensive knowledge base of the products offered and their applications by attending formal training and performing self-training.
- Document all sales activity by entering information into CRM software application.
- PCC is a Siemens distributor for industrial automation, power distribution and electrical controls products and other world-class technology providers.
Electrical Project Engineer-Drive Systems / Robotic Solution Sales Representative
QComp Technologies Inc.
Greenville, WI
01.2015 - 01.2017
- Provided sales, sales support, and delivery for the drive systems business by developing business relationships, assessing customer needs, estimating, proposing, customer follow-up, support, and delivery.
- Provided DS electrical controls engineering that included programming, factory acceptance testing, and end user start-up support as well as collaboration on control system design and equipment specification.
- Project management and customer interface for the DS business
- Programming support for the robotics business
- Provided sales and sales support for the robotics business as well as the drive systems business by developing business relationships, assessing customer needs, providing solutions to our customer’s business challenges.
- QComp Technologies provides robot packaging systems, material handling systems, and automation line integration for a multitude of industries that include glass, solar, consumer products, food, pharmaceutical, plastics, paper and metals.
Electrical Controls Engineer / Project Engineer
INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SYSTEMS, LLC
Milwaukee, WI
01.2015 - 01.2015
- Provided electrical controls engineering development, start-up, and commissioning for dryers and washers in the aluminum can and battery businesses.
- Provided electrical engineering that included control system design, equipment specification, programming and factory acceptance testing as well as end user start-up support.
- Provided sales support by estimating electrical portion of new and upgraded machine designs.
- Provided Project management of a multimillion dollar international project.
- A global original equipment manufacturer of industrial process ovens, furnaces, washers and associated material handling equipment.
Territory Services Manager
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
Milwaukee / Appleton WI Territory
01.2011 - 01.2014
- Assisted customers to increase operational efficiency and speed to market through the use of engineering services; remote support services; training services; safety and networks consulting services; and onsite parts services to reduce unplanned downtime, optimize machine performance, and optimization of overall process performance.
- Accountable for territory services budget management, cost controls, and profit/loss management. Resulted in year-over-year growth for past 3 fiscal years.
- Assessed market needs to aligned services products, resources, and activities to maximize revenue for customers using Rockwell Automation equipment.
- Developed field engineering offerings and processes to drive growth and address ease of doing business concerns for the territory resulting in consistent YOY revenue growth as well as a significant reduction in ease of doing business issues YOY.
- Provided subject matter expertize to the North American field engineering business to drive growth and address ease of doing business concerns in the US and Canadian markets.
- Collaborated across businesses within/outside of organization to drive strategy and growth.
- Supervised team of 16 (field service engineers, field service technician, application engineering team lead, and field engineering intern) in 2 offices providing team leadership, coaching, performance management, staff scheduling, staff development, and overall support for an ethical and safe team environment.
- Participated in the Leadership Development Program by developing activities for internal candidate rotations designed to provide a hands-on understanding of the field engineering business.
- Reintroduced and successfully piloted the new Field Engineering Intern Program resulting in a quality pipeline for the Engineer in Training Program.
- Provided leadership in customer and channel issue resolution.
- Partnered with new and existing customers to identify needs as they related to industrial automation, delivery of automation solutions, and overall industrial automation engineering support.
- Provided hands-on leadership in project estimating, proposal development, as well as subject matter expertise sales support for proposal delivery resulting in YOY growth of the project product group for the territory.
- World’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information. Headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, Rockwell Automation employs 22,000+ people serving customers in 80+ countries.
Capability Team Leader
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
Milwaukee / Appleton WI Territory
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Assisted customers to increase operational efficiency and speed to market through the use of engineering services to reduce unplanned downtime, optimize machine performance, and optimization of overall process performance.
- Accountable for territory services budget management, cost controls, and profit/loss management. Resulted in YOY growth for 3 fiscal years.
- Assessed market needs to aligned field engineering services products, resources, and activities to maximize revenue for customers using Rockwell Automation equipment.
- Developed field engineering offerings and processes to drive growth and address ease of doing business concerns for the territory resulting in consistent YOY revenue growth as well as a significant reduction in ease of doing business issues YOY.
- Collaborated across businesses within/outside of organization to drive strategy and growth.
- Supervised team of 10 field service engineers in 2 offices providing team leadership, coaching, performance management, staff scheduling, staff development, and overall support for an ethical and safe team environment.
- Partnered with new and existing customers to identify needs as they related to industrial automation, delivery of automation solutions, and overall industrial automation engineering support.
- Provided hands on leadership in project estimating, proposal development, as well as subject matter expertise sales support for proposal delivery resulting in YOY growth of the project product group for the territory.
- World’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information. Headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, Rockwell Automation employs 22,000+ people serving customers in 80+ countries.
Senior Field Service Engineer
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
Milwaukee / Appleton WI Territory
01.2005 - 01.2008
- Provided field engineering services to increase operational efficiency and speed to market by directly helping to reduce unplanned downtime, optimize machine performance, and optimization of overall process performance for users of Rockwell Automation equipment.
- Provided planned and emergency field engineering support to Rockwell Automation customers resulting in new and renewed support contracts.
- Provided consistent on-time / in-budget field project delivery resulting in return project business.
- Provided project estimating, proposal development, as well as subject matter expertise sales support for proposal delivery.
- World’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information. Headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, Rockwell Automation employs 22,000+ people serving customers in 80+ countries.
Electrical Controls Engineer / Project Engineer
INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SYSTEMS, LLC
Milwaukee, WI
01.2000 - 01.2005
- Provided electrical controls engineering development, start-up, and commissioning for dryers and washers in the aluminum can and battery businesses.
- Provided electrical engineering that included control system design, equipment specification, programming and factory acceptance testing as well as end user start-up support.
- Provided sales support by estimating electrical portion of new and upgraded machine designs.
- Provided company’s last line electrical engineering support for global installed base.
- A global original equipment manufacturer of industrial process ovens, furnaces, washers and associated material handling equipment.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering Technology
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Associate Degree - Electrical Engineering Technology
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Associate Degree - Electromechanical Technology
Northeast WI Technical College
Green Bay, WISkills
- Territory Sales
- Business Development
- Strategic Planning
- Customer Relations
- Solution Selling
- Collaboration
- Issue Resolution
- Relationship Building
- Active listening
- Sales and Electrical Controls Engineering
- Schedule management
- Excellent negotiation skills
- Partnership development
- Digital marketing
- Goals and performance
Accomplishments
- Achieved year-over-year double-digit sales growth in assigned territory
- Nearly doubled sales of assigned territory
- Identified, Estimated, Proposed, Sold, and Led the Delivery of large electrical control solutions
- Moved multiple leads through the sales process to proposed solutions and closed business to capture market share
- Led a diverse delivery team in achieving or surpassing annual operating plan (AOP) YOY for 6 fiscal years.
- Grew engineering team from 7 to 14 while developing team members to advance their careers to other roles in the organization as a service manager.
- Operational excellence increased YOY resulting in a reduced, more accurate time-to-market that included standard estimating and delivery of field engineering business.
- Developed semi-automated project estimating tools and proposal templates to reducing proposal development time from days to hours.
Training
- Professional development continues through attendance in seminars/workshops in: Customer Centric Selling
- Leading for Results
- Coaching University
- White Men as Full Diverse Partners
- Leading Teams
- Managing and Supervising People
- Communication Diplomacy
- Project Management
- Growing Employees
- Time Management
- Mastering Communications
- Financial Intelligence
Timeline
Senior Account Manager – Northeastern WI
GCG Automation & Factory Solutions
04.2017 - Current
Electrical Project Engineer-Drive Systems / Robotic Solution Sales Representative
QComp Technologies Inc.
01.2015 - 01.2017
Electrical Controls Engineer / Project Engineer
INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SYSTEMS, LLC
01.2015 - 01.2015
Territory Services Manager
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
01.2011 - 01.2014
Capability Team Leader
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
01.2008 - 01.2011
Senior Field Service Engineer
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
01.2005 - 01.2008
Electrical Controls Engineer / Project Engineer
INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SYSTEMS, LLC
01.2000 - 01.2005
Associate Degree - Electrical Engineering Technology
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering Technology
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Associate Degree - Electromechanical Technology
Northeast WI Technical College