2009 30 under 40 winners

Ed Sprigler, 40

Director of customer experience, Belron US, Columbus, Ohio

Sprigler didn’t grow up in the auto glass industry but he believes the fact that his family owned an independent grocery store in a small town for 20 years provides him with perspective in his current role. “When you’re in a small town, you need to be their grocer of choice. We stayed with our core strengths. We had great meat, friendly service. Once you’ve got that, you’re good. The glass business, yes, it’s challenging, but if you know what you’re good at and focus on that, the rest will come.”

Sprigler says his past experiences also gave him the ability to clearly prioritize his tasks. “I’ve had so many different jobs in this business. If I were an installer I would say don’t go for speed, go for quality. As a sales manager, being busy to me is less important than being smart. In business today, there are so many things we can do. However, if you don’t prioritize all the things you need to accomplish, you get all these little things done and miss all the big things.”

One-word description of the glass industry: Fragmented
One-word description of self: Committed
Career history: 2008-present, director of customer experience, Belron US, Columbus, Ohio; 2007-2008, director of marketing, Belron US; 2004-06, director of business development, Autoglass Specialists/Belron US, Madison, Wis.; 2001-04, director of sales/operations manager, Autoglass Specialists/Belron US; 1999-2001, corporate sales manager, Autoglass Specialists/Belron US; 1996-99, Wisconsin sales representative; Autoglass Specialists/Belron US; 1995-96, territory manager, Lifetouch, Madison, Wis.; 1992-95, marketing manager, Global Executive Resources, Chicago
Education: 1992, Master of Business Administration, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio; 1989, Bachelor of Arts, political science/Spanish, Illinois State Univeristy, Normal
Diversions: Scouting with his sons, reading, traveling
Family: Wife, Pamela; two sons, Stuart, 14, and Patrick, 10
Favorite book: “Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains,” Jon Krakauer
If a movie were made about your life, who would you cast to play you? Jimmy Stewart
Connections: 2400 Farmers Drive, Columbus, OH, 43235, 614/210-9470, ed.sprigler@safelite.com, www.belronus.com

 
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