Over 30 years experience in sales, sales management, marketing, and general management of plastic extrusion machinery and auxiliaries. I am now Vice President of the Plastics Equipment Division of the Thomas Technology Group based in Marblehead, MA (thomastec.com). TTG is a group of elite and experienced technical sales professionals serving a broad base of industrial manufacturers, providing a wide range of technical solutions in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, New York State, and Canada. We have known each other for 29 years and collectively have 130 years of technical sales experience helping our customers grow their businesses profitably. Having been involved with the start-up of American Kuhne (extruders) from its earliest days in 1997 through 2012, I am proud of the team that we built and the breadth and depth of our successes against the biggest and most well entrenched competitors in the industry.Primary duties from 1997 through 2012 included direct sales as well as sales management of regional managers, manufacturers reps, and inside sales. Direct involvement in the development and implementation of all sales and marketing strategies ranging from quote formats, order entry process, sales training, and PowerPoint presentations to advertising, press releases, web and literature development, as well as newsletters, e-mail campaigns, and trade shows. Furthermore, as a managing partner and corporate officer, I participated in our three person management team to establish and direct both short and long term business strategies. American Kuhne was successful by establishing a lean business model devoid of bureaucracy, focused on delivering maximum value to the customer. We attracted and developed a talent pool capable of delivering highly customized machinery at prices competitive with standard machinery.