Meet Jeff Edwards | International Business Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Edwards and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, what principle do you value most?
I think those can be split into two areas for me. The first and most important value is integrity followed very closely by what I value most, and that is relationship. In the world of international trade and such a niche industry as ours, the most significant asset I have is my name. Being an American who purposes to do what is right in business, even when it may hurt financially, speaks louder than any words I can ever shout. Secondly, valuing relationship has been key in our global expansion. The friends made around the world by choosing relationship first, has made me rich beyond any bank account. Friends work hard and will do “anything” for a friend.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When “ECS” – Energy Control Systems was founded in 1987, it was in an industry that was pretty much unheard of and what people had heard was mostly snake oil. Surge protection was unknown and most often perceived as an unnecessary expense that could be had from the local hardware or electronics store. It has since grown into a multibillion dollar industry. An evolved acronym for ECS has been extreme customer service. We have dedicated part of our corporate culture to that of follow up! Every week we get comments back in email from prospects and customers thanking us for getting back to them so quickly. We have learned to listen to the client as well. Early on we heard prospects say “We really don’t need that, but what about a battery back up unit?” Hearing it enough, we added UPS – uninterruptible power supply – units and then a service department to our portfolio. We quickly became a top tier partner with one of the largest manufacturers of these units in the world. Our foray into international was almost accidental and came about by focusing on what we determined as a perceived need, protecting large CNC machining centers. Out of this came a connection into South America for the manufacturer and eventually launched our international growth into 45 countries around the world. Along with two awards from the US Department of Commerce for international business growth. Our growth stemmed from doing the right thing at the right time and building relationships with our distributors and their clientele.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Great question in that when overseas and I am asked where I am from, I always say Texas! Fort Worth is great city and we would commence our trip with the iconic Fort Worth Stockyards. Lunch at the White Elephant Saloon and dinner at H3 restaurant. We then go over to Billy Bob’s for a little boot scootin’ and country music. The following day would be a leisurely day at the Number 1 Zoo in America, the Fort Worth Zoo and an afternoon drink on the balcony at Bird and Branch. The day would conclude with my chef son preparing a meal featuring green apple stuffed pork loin, chipotle mashed potatoes and bacon wrapped asparagus while watching the sun set from high atop the Tower Condominiums. Today is the day for a road trip over to Dallas to pay a visit to the School Book Depository and the Presidential Library. The evening dinner is at Fearings Restaurant with an exquisite meal prepared by Dean Fearing with wine pairings by Paul Bottamer the sommelier, Thursday is sleep in day for the visitors, everyone needs one of those days! Today we visit the Museum district for a bit of culture provided by the Kimbell, Amon Carter and Modern Art Museum. Lunch at Modern is a must for today. Our culture day ends at the Bass Hall and a performance by the Fort Worth Symphony. Friday is shopping day at Sundance Square and lunch on the rooftop at Reata! We culminate our week at The Capital Grille with an atmosphere accentuated by my friend Gloria and steaks by Chef D!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without a doubt, if I had not had the overwhelming support of my wife Cindy Edwards, I would not have come close to having the success we have experienced. Another shout out has to go out to Juan Chavez. Juan is my VP of Latin American sales. We met originally in 1995 and then he came on staff with us in 2000. He truly captured my vision for the product and company and lead us into capturing Latin America.

Website: www.ecsintl.com
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jeffedwards
Facebook: facebook.com/jeffreyledwards
Youtube: youtube.com/c/sinetamer