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July, 2016
Lessons Learned on the Road to Becoming an Industry Veteran: An Interview with Rick Polansky of VirTex Enterprises, LP
By Gayle Paterson, Scoop (@PatersonGayle) R
ick Polansky has a tough job. As VirTex’s recently-appointed senior vice president of busi-
ness development and marketing, he has been given the task of growing the company’s business, hitting the ground running in his new job. In this interview, he discusses changes in the electronics industry over the years, and his perspective on the shift in focus from purely product- driven manufacturing to more ex- pertise-based services.
Gayle Paterson: Talk to me a little about the responsibilities you have, as someone charged with growing the business. Rick Polansky: I have been in the industry almost since the inception of contract manufacturing. Back then, the change to SMT created an environment where the contract manufacturers brought real value in the transition from through-hole to SMT. All the EMS companies were small in the 80s, so we had to listen and develop solutions our customers needed, and to be successful, we had to establish a deep trust and add real value to have major organizations move their internal manufacturing to an outside partner. Trust and commitment were core parts of this. We are, again, in an environ-
Rick Polansky, senior vice presi- dent of business development and marketing at Virtex.
ment where the customers need skills that they do not have internal- ly to compete in a global economy. But, the change we are seeing is much more complex than just a tech- nology shift; it is customization and flexibility as a competitive advan- tage. Companies like OtterBox and Samsung, Logitech, Bose, have demonstrated the dynamics of this. G.P.: How have you seen the market evolve? R.P.: We are seeing a re-emergence of a market that requires not only getting the customers what they
need, but getting them things that they do not know that they need. They don’t need widgets to ship to big box stores anymore or through distribution; they have to address many channels they need to deliver an exceptional customer experience. They need solutions profiled to their specific market needs and they need suppliers that can manage the entire process to assure that their customer experience is exceptional. G.P.: Who has influenced the way you approach leadership? R.P.: I had the good fortune to work with thought leaders of this industry that include Michael Marks, former CEO of FLEX (formerly Flextronics), Mike McNamara, current CEO of FLEX, Jure Sola, CEO of Sanmina, Pete Lindgren, CEO of Otterbox, Craig Muhlhouser, former CEO of Celestica. Every one of these leaders knew their core assets were their people. They built an industry by de- veloping, mentoring, training and ac- knowledging the talents of their teams. They had a clear plan and from that they built innovative com- panies with innovative dynamic tal- ent. That passion and desire to bring extraordinary solutions to their cus- tomers is inspiring. They wanted to solve big problems and they inspired those around them to do the same. G.P.: You have a successful track
record and have been referred to as an “industry veteran.” How did hear- ing your name linked to this term make you feel? R.P.: I am proud to have made a ca- reer out of helping companies suc- ceed. Being on the forefront of inno- vation, being part of the explosive growth of technology, and the impact of that technology has been exciting. But more importantly, being in front of the customer and listening to, and helping them address rapid change, global competition and faster and faster product development and de- ployment cycles is exciting. When your success is predicated on your customers’ success, and you define the partnership in that light, all par- ties bring their best game. G.P.: Fill us in about yourself and your ladder of success up to today. R.P.: I came to Texas on a Grey- hound bus from New Hampshire and started my career in the oil industry on the offshore drilling rigs; hard work, dangerous and everyone knew that what they did or did not do im- pacted the safety of everyone around them. That was a good life lesson. Then, after the big oil crash of 1985 I moved into defense electronics in a sales support role for Minco Technol- ogy Labs. We won the largest con- tract in the history of the company
Continued on next page
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