Leaving the machinery business...

[Erik Loza]

Friends, I was recently offered a position with company in a different segment of the wood industry (not a machinery competitor) and will no longer be representing Minimax or SCM Group. This all happened rather suddenly but the upshot is that it will put me in a position to help grow a brand in a rapidly expanding market, much as I was able to do with Minimax USA back in the early 2000's. I'm leaving SCM on good terms and as a courtesy to customers, will keep myself available until the end of this week for any support or questions. After that, there will be an automated reply to my SCM Group email address (which they hopefully leave up) directing folks to various contacts for customer care, parts, service, etc. I'll probably hang around the Creek for the next week or so but will, more than likely, be an infrequent visitor afterward. I've really enjoyed participating and might become active again but it's probable that I'll be under the radar for a while while I focus on this new career.

For folks considering Minimax bandsaws or combo machines in the future, the only person you need to be talking to is Sam Blasco. Sam is (like myself) a factory authorized SCM Group Business Partner and has been my colleague for close to ten years. In addition to new machinery sales, Sam is also an excellent woodworker who offers seminars and workshops in the European style. Sam is not very active on social media but is (in my opinion) the only real expert in this industry on bandsaws and combined machines. By that, I mean a person who actually uses this equipment themselves and will steer a customer the right direction rather than just feed you a bunch of sales and marketing hype. SCM Group/Minimax is a sponsor here on the Creek, so I believe it's OK to give out contact info. You can reach Sam either through the Minimax toll free number, which is 866-975-9663 (get the operator and ask for him), or through his site, which is "Samantics2" (Google it). Even though I'm leaving the industry, my opinion of Minimax machinery is still the same. It's the best combination of value and performance out there and the last one you will ever buy. See you around, friends.

Erik

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Erik,

Good luck in with your new career!

Please do drop around once in a while!

[Frederick Skelly]

Good luck Erik! We'll miss hearing from you.
Hope you''ll stop by here occasionally just to check in.
Fred

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Erik hasn't gone unnoticed it seems.

[Matt Day]

You said you're leaving Minimax, not SMC right? I hope you keep posting here!

When can you tell us your new job?

[Bruce Page]

Good luck Erik.
Don't be a stranger, I always enjoyed your insight.

[Jim Becker]

Wow...very nice for you to get a great opportunity like that! Sometimes, a fresh start can be a great thing, too. Best wishes to you and I'm sure we'll be communicating anyway. ;)

[Kevin Womer]

Best wishes and thanks for the helpful information!

[George Bokros]

Best wishes in your new endeavor. I know you will be successful. Don't be a stranger here.

[glenn bradley]

A loss for the SCM folks for sure. I know you will bring the same added value to your new endeavor as well. Congrats and don't be a stranger.

[Paul McGaha]

Eric,

Good luck with your new job and I hope you continue to post here on the creek.

I've always thought you did a nice job with your comments in regard to providing expertise on woodworking machinery without pushing the manufacturer you sell.

The animal lover in you came thru your posts also. I remember a post of yours about your dog passing on and how the other animals in the house mourned him. It really was very touching.

PHM

[Rich Riddle]

Good luck.

[Mike Henderson]

Best of luck, Erik. And thanks for your help in the past. We'll miss you.

Mike

[Peter Kelly]

Best of luck man. Let us know where you land.

[Art Mann]

Thanks for all the valuable information you have shared on these forums over the years. I wish you the very best in your new endeavor.

[Mike Wilkins]

Best of luck in your new position. I do not own any SCM machinery (yet) but always found your information and insight very helpful.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Good luck Eric. I hope you find time to occasionally pop in and visit the creek. You are valued here not only for your expertise, but for your gentlemanly way of approaching things. I wish you success in this new opportunity.

[Erik Loza]

Thanks for all the kind wishes, gents. My new career is nothing clandestine, just not sure if I can make a direct link without violating the Creek's TOS. I'm going to working for a local Austin millwork that does high-end residential and commercial work. Their sector of the market is growing very quickly and they are trying to expand to meet it, which is why they brought me on board. I'd be the last person to ever think you could ever get excited about cladding, siding, or flooring but the stuff these guys are doing is awesome. Things I had never seen before. For example, engineered wide-plank flooring of species like French Chestnut (which, as we all know, is commerically unavailable here in the US, but is sustainably harvested in Europe) or that they are best known for, which is applying an ancient Japanese technique of charring the exterior surface of wood, call shou-sugi-ban. These guys have the process to a science, are producing it, and have been featured in Wall Street Journal and a number of architecture and lifestyle/design publications. It's a new segment of the market for me but I'm really excited to be a part of their team. I'll still be a member here on the Creek but probably only pop up once in a while, due to being focused on this operation. Here are some installations...


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A loss for the SCM folks for sure...

Oh, I know. Interestingly, when I emailed SCM that I was leaving, I heard back from a number of the US folks (who I all consider friends as well as colleagues; some of most dedicated folks I've ever worked with) but not one of the big-wigs from Italy. And I've sat across the table from them at high level meetings too many times to count, so it's not like they don't know who I am. You know, it's not like I ever expected "Thanks" or an attaboy but you'd think that after almost 15 years, ya' know? I guess it was time to move on.

Erik

[Andrew Hughes]

Eric I hope you do well at the new company you seem like a straight forward guy.With a real talent in CS and sales.

Finaly I can make fun of Minimax machines without hurting your feelings.:)
Just kidding.

Goodluck

Aj

[Erik Loza]

Thank you, Andrew. True story: The gentleman who is the US Business Unit Manager for Minimax and SCM Classical actually suffered a heart attack and had multiple bypass surgery about six weeks ago. He's recovering well and I believe his first day back in the office is this week. He's a great guy and we have a good working relationship but I told him that I didn't call him first because I didn't want to give him another heart attack. Actually, he would make the second US Business Unit Manager for Minimax that has had a heart attack and in both cases, at less that 45 years old. Crazy but true. You guys would not believe some of stories I have experienced over the years.

Erik

[Rod Sheridan]

Best wishes Erik, I hope everything works out well for you...........Rod.

[Erik Loza]

Thanks, Rod. I heard they were popping corks in Newcastle, DE and West Sacramento, CA.

Erik

[James Baker SD]

Eric,

I also worked for an Italian company (although not in the woodworking machinery business) before I retired. Dealing with the bigwigs back in Italy is why I did not even consider SCM when I purchased from Felder. Just prejudice I know, but it was management's fault I felt that way toward all things Italian.

Good luck in the new career path and I always considered your advice sound and honest.

[Van Huskey]

or that they are best known for, which is applying an ancient Japanese technique of charring the exterior surface of wood, call shou-sugi-ban.

Erik

You will be missed, I always enjoyed your insights and the time we passed PMs about your competitions bandsaws. :)

Funny you mention Shou-Sugi-Ban I have been learning about the technique over the last couple of weeks and plan to "treat" flooring for the upstairs of my shop when I get around to finishing it.

Good luck!

[Rod Sheridan]

Thanks, Rod. I heard they were popping corks in Newcastle, DE and West Sacramento, CA.

Erik

No Erik, they would have been popping corks in celebration if your new job was with them :D

I know your post was in jest, nobody likes losing an ethical, honest competitor, you will be missed by your customers and competitors............Rod.

[Erik Loza]

Eric,

I also worked for an Italian company (although not in the woodworking machinery business) before I retired. Dealing with the bigwigs back in Italy is why I did not even consider SCM when I purchased from Felder. Just prejudice I know, but it was management's fault I felt that way toward all things Italian.

Good luck in the new career path and I always considered your advice sound and honest.

Thanks, James. You know, I actually worked for Felder for about a year (before Minimax poached me to come to Austin) and one of the reasons I left was because of management. Now, that is nearly 15 years ago and I'm sure things are different today but one thing I've learned in this industry is that if you want a US operation to really succeed, you need to put a US person in charge of things on this side and let them steer the ship. Regardless of whether the company is Austrian, Italian, or whatever. One of the biggest reasons I took this new position at the millwork was because the owner/CEO sits right there in the office and I can have a face-to-face talk with a top decision maker any time I might need to.


You will be missed, I always enjoyed your insights and the time we passed PMs about your competitions bandsaws. :)

Funny you mention Shou-Sugi-Ban I have been learning about the technique over the last couple of weeks and plan to "treat" flooring for the upstairs of my shop when I get around to finishing it.

Good luck!

Thank you, Van, and nice to see you back! I'm still a noob about the shou-sugi-ban process and actually am going to ask if I can make a run of it in their shop. As you can imagine, different species take the char differently and there different levels of char, as well. I'm sure I'll learn all about it. Believe this or not, the guys that started this millwork learned the process through DIY and social media luncheons, which is probably why I connect with them: "Minimax USA" was actually started in the spare bedroom of the (then) CEO's house in Round Rock, TX. Imagine that: The MM16 bandsaw got its start at a house in the 'burbs of Round Rock, TX.

I'll drop in and post some pics from the millshop when I can. They have a HUGE power-fed resaw bandsaw. Old American iron, I forget the brand. It has like a 5" blade on it. And an ancient Weinig four-sided moulder as well. Let's keep in touch. I'm interested in seeing your results.

Erik

[Malcolm McLeod]

Good luck, and thanks for the insights. Please don't be a stranger.

[Erik Loza]

No Erik, they would have been popping corks in celebration if your new job was with them :D

I know your post was in jest, nobody likes losing an ethical, honest competitor, you will be missed by your customers and competitors............Rod.

Hahaha, indeed Rod :).

Folks outside the industry probably don't realize how small the industrial woodworking machinery sales community actually is. I could draw a very interesting family tree of sales guys and that web would cover every brand you know. This industry is so niche that once you're "in", it's very unusual to see someone leave. More commonly, they stay in and jump around from manufacturer to manufacturer. The current SCM Group NA CEO is an ex-Giben (Italian panel saws) guy, I know an ex-SCM territory manager who went from SCM to Casadei-Bussellato, then to Onsrud (CNC's) and a number of SCM guys who left SCM to work as reps for some bigger, privately owned machinery dealers. Everyone knows everyone. At the last AWFS show, I watched Massimo Paganelli (global Business Unit Manager for Minimax and SCM Classical) invite Hansjeorg Felder (the owner of Felder) into the SCM booth for an espresso. I mean, what kind of conversation would those guys be having and wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall? I would! Anyhow, that is the stuff I always found interesing about this gig.

Erik

[Rod Sheridan]

Indeed Eric, it is a close knit group, best wishes on your new life.........Rod.

[Jeff Bartley]

Congrats on your new gig Erik! I do hope you stay around to share your new experiences with this mill shop, sounds like they're doing interesting work!
And I have very much appreciated your insight and opinion here. Having an insider posting was a bonus for us; maybe you can talk Sam into becoming a member here?
Good luck with your new venture......but don't be a stranger!
Jeff

[Bryan Lisowski]

Erik, best of luck with the new endeavor! Thanks for taking the time to answer so many questions by the members here.

[Erik Loza]

Congrats on your new gig Erik! I do hope you stay around to share your new experiences with this mill shop, sounds like they're doing interesting work!
And I have very much appreciated your insight and opinion here. Having an insider posting was a bonus for us; maybe you can talk Sam into becoming a member here?
Good luck with your new venture......but don't be a stranger!
Jeff

I won't be a stranger and will ask Sam. I actually just sent a couple of my existing customers to him, so he can work with them and so they will stay in good hands. I've said it before and will keep saying it. He is "the guy" in this industry of you want to learn about combo machines or bandsaws.

You know, that is what I will miss the most about this industry; the cameraderie and friends I made. All the behind-the-scenes fun that the public never sees. Setting up trade shows, hanging out with guys you only ever saw every few months. All those Minimax videos that are floating around the web were basically devised and shot by myself, Sam, Dain, Jim, and Michael from the Minimax USA days in Texas. None of us had ever made a video before but th attitude was "how hard could it be?", so we just did it and now, those videos are all over the place. Here is a trip down memory lane....

Me, Sam (I think he was growing his hair out for some theatre role; he does acting) and Massimo Paganelli, the global Business Unit Manager for Minimax and SCM Group Classical. Great guys.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/Atlanta%202014_zpsrftnm6dj.jpg

Sam teaching a seminar on the CU300 back in the Minimax USA days here in Austin...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/View%20from%20above_zpsaappopie.jpg

AWFS 2005. Michael (who went on to be the US BU Manager for Minimax/SCM Classical, Dain (no longer in the industry), Sam, technician Rob (lost track of him), Jim Strain, our fearless leader, and sales rep Carl (also lost track of). At that show, I recall guys literally standing in line to give us credit cards for machines. This is was the peak of the bubble, which burst a couple of years later.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/Minimax%20crew%20AWFS%202005%202_zpsjjkw3obi.jpg

Ever wonder what $14,000 gets you. Well, this...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/AWFS%202005%20Minimax%20banner_zpsuvhwdcrq.jpg

Sam demo'ing the (then) new CU410 Elite-S at IWF in 2006. I remember a steady stream of Felder reps creeping around the booth, trying to get a better look at it, LOL. Sharp eyes will notice the Suva sawblade guard.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/Sam%20and%20Michael%20with%20David%20Ingmire_zpsbu yuks54.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/CU410%20Elite-S%20at%20IWF%202006_zps2ldwn3v5.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/IWF%202006%20booth%205_zpsa8y2ws8o.jpg

Dallas Closet Expo, 2007. A small show but big hitters. Notice the Brandt edgebander (Stiles) and the Weinig moulder. They were actually running that thing in this small hall. My ears rang for days after that show.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/Mini%20Max%20at%20Dallas%20Closet%20Expo%202005_zp sozoyb4fm.jpg

Jim worked out a deal with Ricky Garniga to start selling their tooling, branded for us. The recession put the kybosh on that plan but we did get some nice Garniga tooling in the warehouse. I think a few choice customers ended up with it when Minimax USA folded.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/C26%20shaper%20spindle_zpsk3d2a0od.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/Univeral%20Swivel%20Cutterhead_zpsss8kplcn.jpg

We came up with some "creative" advertising and marketing ideas back in the Minimax USA days. A few beers, some studio lighting equipment and a forklift, plus nobody to say "no", and well, you get the idea....

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/DSC_0059_zpsbhto7u6x.jpg

Jim was a big fan of the local hockey team, the Austin Ice Bats, and I seem to recall he wanted to advertise with them. Again, "no" was not a word that existed in the Minimax USA vocabulary.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/General/Hockey%20bandsaws_zps9op1br8b.jpg

Oh, the memories.

Erik

[Rick Potter]

Best wishes on the new position, Eric. You will be missed.

[Jim Becker]

Those photos brought memories, Erik...I worked one of those shows with you folks for the show pass and two shirts. :) My "Vanna White" moment. :D

BTW, Sam "is" a member here, AFAIK. He just hasn't been active for sometime. He's quiet on social media. 'Busy guy with the business, the theater, the house and family for sure.

[Beau Cassidy]

Erik thank you for all of your insite and expertise. You are THE reason I have 16 inch bandsaw and J/P in the garage. I hope you excel beyond your wildest dreams in your new venture.

[Erik Loza]

Those photos brought memories, Erik...I worked one of those shows with you folks for the show pass and two shirts...

Jim, do you by chance wear a size medium shirt?

Erik

Oh, thank you Beau!

[Jim Becker]

Jim, do you by chance wear a size medium shirt?

Erik

Not even on a good day... ;) The ones I had for that show were a bit, um...up close and personal. I'm a fan of XL in most shirts, although I can do an L in some.

[Erik Loza]

Not even on a good day... ;) The ones I had for that show were a bit, um...up close and personal. I'm a fan of XL in most shirts, although I can do an L in some.

I was going to offer to send you a Minimax trade show shirt. Anyone on your side a good tailor? I have several. It could be like Silence of the Lambs, but out of MM polo shirts.

Erik

[Peter Kelly]

MiniMax used to pack these branded 2-tone green lab coats with some machines. Received two and a really nice SCMI tool kit when I bought my edgebander years ago.

[Erik Loza]

Peter, I've seen photos of those but never in person. They send me schwag every so often: I got an SCM windbreaker, long-sleeve Tee, and some USB flash drives not too long ago.

True story: Michael had a VHS copy of an 80's promotional tape that a then-dealer (prior to Minimax USA) did with a bunch of bikini models hanging all over the machines. I never saw it but he told me it was scenes like a model's bosom resting on the table of a machine, some piece of tooling or component between one of the model's breasts, etc.

Erik

[Peter Kelly]

Clearly you haven't been to Italy :)

[Dennis Peacock]

Thank you for all you've done to this day and thank you for leaving such good info to those that may need it. All the best to you on the new job!!

[Gordon Eyre]

Best wishes Erik on your new endeavor. It is reenergizing to start something new I am sure you will be of great value to your new company.

[Susumu Mori]

Hi Erik,

Although I am a Felder/Hammer user, you still helped me through this forum and PM.
You were amazing. I hope I still can see your candid and thoughtful comments here!

[Jim Becker]

I was going to offer to send you a Minimax trade show shirt. Anyone on your side a good tailor? I have several. It could be like Silence of the Lambs, but out of MM polo shirts.

I appreciate the offer...I did end up donating the two I had a few years ago since they really were too small to be comfortable. With "maturity" comes, um...other personal growth... :D

[Chris Padilla]

Just saw this, Eric!! Best of luck to you in your new career. It is scary and exciting at the same time! I'm sure you'll be back on here...you'll miss us!!! :D

[Patrick McCarthy]

Erik, I am yet another who has always appreciated your participation here. Good luck with the new gig. Patrick

[Robert LaPlaca]

Eric, I guess I am late to this party.. Best wishes on the new gig, sounds kind of exciting.. Always enjoyed the threads about euro equipment and shapers..

About your throwback Minimax pictures, it reminded me that I bought my FS41E from Dain (if IIRC he was a musician) and I am beginning to believe that you sold me my mm16 in 1998-1999 timeframe..

[Erik Loza]

Thanks, gents.

Robert, yes, I remember those days. Dain is an excellent jazz musician (keyboards/piano). He actually performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, once. I've lost touch with him but we had some good times at trade shows. Thanks for the memory.

Erik

[James Raubenheimer]

Erik,

you probably won't remember me personally but you are the only reason I have ever had anything to do with SCM's products.

As a long time and enthusiastic lurker I signed up to this wonderful site simply to wish you very well wherever you go.

I wish you the very best good fortune wherever you go and whatever you do and whichever employer has been fortunate enough to have you working with them is truly very lucky.

Thank you very much for being the wonderful and enthusiastic person who has been so loyal to SCM's customers like myself - without you I honestly feel the SCM product range is less valuable and I humbly apologise if my views offend against a company which supports this site, it is not my intention to knock their wonderful machines.

Thank you!!