John Michael Paz was eager to
take on new risks even after more
than 20 years in business.
>>>So, in 2001, Paz bought out the
British manufacturer that had been
supplying his company, Godwin
Pumps of America, since 1976.
>>>The move helped transform
Godwin into a truly international
business, with distributors in Africa,
Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe and
South America.
>>>“Entering each of these markets
and preparing to enter even more
has forced me to learn to think globally,
rather than just within the comfortable
confines of our traditional
North American and West European
sphere of influence,” says Paz, president
of Godwin Pumps.
>>>Godwin makes and distributes
industrial pumps used to drain mines,
quarries and construction sites. The
pumps can also be used as water supplyand
wastewaterbypasses.
>>>Customers are served through 24
company-owned locations in the
United States and through a growing
network of distributors, both
domestically and abroad. Annual
sales exceed $165 million. Its rental
fleet numbers more than 5,000
pumps backed up by a $10 million
parts inventory
>>>In addition to stocking a range of
products, the company aims to distinguish
itself through quick
response to customers.
>>>“We provide real 24-hour service
and emergency rentals,” Paz says. “If, in the middle of the night, a
pump is needed for an emergency or
one breaks down on a job site, we
respond immediately. Period.”
>>>The ability to respond rapidly
has proven useful in emergency situations
around the country.
>>>In 2002, for example, seven
orange Godwin pumps were used to
keep water away from nine miners
trapped underground during the
Quecreek mine accident in western
Pennsylvania. And last year, officials
pressed Godwin equipment into
service after Hurricane Katrina
flooded New Orleans.
>>>International expansion is the
latest in a string of moves to grow the
company, which has its origins in a
family vacation to England.
>>>During the trip, Paz’s father,
John, visited a long-established
manufacturer called Godwin Pumps
Ltd. and decided to become a distributor
in the United States.
>>>In 1976, John Paz secured distribution
rights for the 13 states that
made up the original colonies of
Great Britain. He named his company
Godwin Pumps of America.
>>>John Michael Paz joined the
business in 1978 after graduating
from college. He became president
in 1985 and quickly began making
his mark.
>>>One of his first moves was to
build a new manufacturing and distribution
facility in Bridgeport, separating
Godwin from a sister company,
Paz Brothers Construction.
>>>Under his leadership, Godwin
continued to expand its distribution
territory. By 1999, the company covered
everything east of the Mississippi River. |
|
In that same year, Godwin identified
limits to future growth and set
about to overcome them.
>>>His plan included installing
experienced middle managers to
handle areas such as marketing,
information technology, credit,
sales, accounting and environmental
safety and health. In addition,
Paz recruited a sales manager for the
western United States.
>>>Today, the company employs
663 people, with 220 of them in
New Jersey.
>>>“We find the best people and
then we do everything we can to
keep them. We promote from within.
We share our financial success by
paying well. And, as a result, our
people stay,” Paz says.
>>>Paz inherited his commitment to
workers from his late father. “He
taught me many things, including
the value of both perseverance and
hard work,” Paz says. “But I think the
most indelible imprint that he left
on me and on our company is that
you have to care for and about people,
including people outside your
own organization.”
>>>Recently, Paz’s business acumen
has been put to use on behalf
of New Jersey. Gov. Jon Corzine
tapped Paz to serve as one of 25
panelists in the 2006 Forum on the
Future of New Jersey. The panel
will deliver a report card on how
the state has fared over the last 20
years and where it is headed over
the next 20.
>>>Paz would like to see more
emphasis on technical and vocational
education in the state. “I
know that Godwin has trouble finding
qualified and experienced ‘mechanics’ to fill positions that
pay between $65,000 and $95,000,”
he says. “That shouldn’t be the case
in a state with the resources and
the diversity that we enjoy here in
New Jersey.”
>>>Paz also has given guest lectures
at the Camden campus of
Rutgers University on the issues of
global manufacturing and marketing.
Godwin, meanwhile, plans to
create an annual scholarship for
deserving engineering students at
Rowan University. Visit the Godwin Pumps Website |
