Jeff Bolebruch, vice president of sales at Blasch Precision Ceramics, has been with the company for more than 25 years. BIC Magazine recently spoke with Bolebruch about what keeps him motivated after a lengthy, fulfilling career with Blasch and how he and his team seek to become a technical resource for clients.
Q: What led to your position at Blasch Precision Ceramics?
A: I have a degree in engineering and served in the military for five years. When I left the service, I was looking to use my education in a high-tech field. I started with Blasch in 1990 in technical sales because I thought industrial manufacturing would be interesting — and it delivered everything I thought it would. Each customer, each application and each solution is different and has its own challenges. I really enjoy continuing to learn something new every day. In the past 25 years, I have held several positions in the company and was promoted to vice president of sales in 2016.
Q: How do you pitch your products/services?
A: We find that if we can partner with prospective customers at the technical level, we can become a key resource for solving difficult temperature, chemical and abrasion-related problems. We view Blasch more as an engineering company working in refractory materials than a refractory company offering a suite of standard products.
Our forming process gives us tremendous freedom to design the shapes or assemblies that will best solve the problem at hand, and we are always looking to add functionality when we can. We are constantly asking ourselves, “What does it do? What is the intent? How can we make it work better, or do more?”
Our customers bring us complex issues that are difficult to solve, when they may not have been able to find any other manufacturer with the experience and ability to design a solution that meets their needs. And of course, we do that while providing them with a positive return on investment — in the near and long-term future.
Q: What keeps you motivated?
A: The constant, ever-changing challenges of identifying and solving particularly difficult problems are what keep me feeling motivated. My team and I travel around the world and see the most interesting and complex challenges in the industry. Every project is an opportunity to learn something new and apply that knowledge to future projects and/ or developments. We are continually seeking ways to expand into new markets, either with new products or by taking an existing product and finding a new application for it that delivers results for our customers.
Q: What type of clients mesh best with your style?
A: We find our most successful customers are collaborative problem solvers who are not afraid to try something new. Because we work with the most highly advanced plant operators in the industry, and because they bring us complex issues to solve, we are often first-adopters with a product or process. Our team is passionate about creating highly technical solutions for our customers when no one else can or will figure it out.
Q: What is a “fun fact” about you people might not know?
A: I graduated from West Point Military Academy with a degree in engineering, and I served as a captain in the Army.
For more information, visit www.blasch ceramics.com or call (800) 550-5768.