Customers are the reason we are in business, and Ryan Ervin lives by that philosophy daily.

Before he became manager of direct sales—Americas at Hardinge Inc., Ryan worked in the company’s marketing department, where he started at the company 12 years ago, focusing his efforts on e-commerce solutions, digital marketing and website management. Since then, Ryan has gained experience in various departments, acquiring an in-depth knowledge of both business processes and market intelligence.

“Ryan’s understanding of the market and his enthusiasm for the industry make him a person to watch in the industry,” says Sue Draht, business analyst at Hardinge and Ryan’s nominator. “He is sharp, has a quick understanding of an issue and reacts in a way to make the customer happy and keeps the Hardinge focus on doing what's right.”

Modernizing sales processes and using technology to improve simple sales tasks is important to Ryan. Therefore, he stays abreast of the latest technology by being an active member of industry associations. He serves on multiple committees for PMPA (Precision Machined Products Association) and attends AMT—The Association for Manufacturing Technology conferences regularly.

“Ryan is a leader who leads by example,” Ms. Draht says. “No one works harder or longer than he does. To work for Ryan is to be challenged to work through processes and procedures, to streamline to the most efficient process and have fun while doing it.”

To nominate an Emerging Leader for our 2019 awards, visit productionmachining.com/forms/emergingleaders.

To learn more about the 2018 Emerging Leader winners, click here.