THE INTERVIEW | JIM GOODALL
A cultural revolution
For a forward-thinking person, these unpredictable times pose many challenges. But among the challenges lie opportunities to create the kind of cultural change that can make an organisation both resilient and responsive. Jim Goodall, managing director of pewag USA, did just that for a European company that was struggling to make its presence felt in the lifting industry but is now flying high.
whatever else they say with a large pinch of salt. Most careers are built on aptitude, application, opportunity and a little luck. Jim Goodall, currently managing director of pewag USA, would be the first to confess that his track record of success in companies both small and large across different industries was not sketched out in detail during his college years, but emerged from his ability to take risks, build relationships and look one step ahead. A growth-focused and accomplished leader who has proven his ability to drive revenue growth and expand the customer base of every company of which he has been a part, he can certainly build and implement strategic plans for future success, but he always remains open to what is new, unpredictable and unexpected. “Every career move I have made was a case of taking a chance on my ability to do more than was expected of me,” he explains. “I have always said yes when an opportunity came along. Did I always know how to do it? No, but I had faith I would figure it out and I always made it all work. It was the same with my current role. I had impostor syndrome when I first started because I did not have that much international experience, but I knew I could do the job.”
I
f anyone tells you that they set out with a meticulously crafted plan for their career and it all came to fruition, it might pay to take
From the roadhouse to pewag Goodall took up his first position at pewag USA as VP of sales back in 2022. The Austrian- headquartered company has a history that can be traced back more than a century. Though its roots can ultimately be traced back to the first forging plant in Brückl, Austria, in 1479, the modern brand was established in 1923 following the merger of production plants in Graz and Kapfenberg. It remains one of the world’s oldest and most prominent manufacturers of high-quality chains and components, and its primary specialisation is in engineered chain products – snow chains, forestry chains, lifting/lashing chains, tyre protection chains and conveyor systems for various industrial applications. This is a far cry from Goodall’s first steps into the workplace, which saw him involved in hands- on rigging roles in the entertainment industry. “My high school aptitude test said I was likely
to be a park ranger, which made sense because I had been a boy scout and an eagle scout, but I actually ended up going into electrical engineering at first,” he says. “I had a strange fascination with lighting and rigging and I ended up working backstage at a roadhouse. I was setting up and taking down sound and light rigs in bars where new shows were being built and taken down every night.”
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