Behind the Scenes

Bill Loenhorst—Hydro Tek of Nilfisk HPW – High Pressure Washers

Published January 2019

Editor’s Note: This column exists to give recognition to a few important individuals who often work outside the limelight but whose contributions are important.

Question:

What is your position/job title with the company?

Answer:

Operations Manager at the Hydro Tek facility located in Redlands, CA.

Question:

How long have you been with the company?

Answer:

27 years.

Question:

What are your responsibilities with the company?

Answer:

Production.

Question:

What can you tell us about your background?

Answer:

I met my wife of 37 years, Ellyn, at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. We frequently teamed up to develop high pressure misting systems. I have marketed, sold, and installed pressure washing systems around the United States and around the world, including the Middle East, South Africa, and Australia. Many manufacturing requirements and components align well with power washer and accessory development here at Hydro Tek and with our HPW Team.

Question:

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

Answer:

Staying fast, flexible, and frugal—many customers need functional, customized products fast so that they can profit.

Question:

What is the most rewarding thing about your job?

Answer:

The opportunity to see our machines in operation; like seeing our machines working late at night in Las Vegas to keep the venues looking nice.

Question:

Who has influenced you professionally, and how has his/her influence impacted your work?

Answer:

John Acres of IBM. Even with losing the PC market in the early 1990s, he had an idea that really stuck: “Do your thing within a definable, repeatable process. If you can define what you want to do or build, it can be repeated.” This has influenced the way we make machines and how we work to fulfill our delivery and quality promises.

Question:

Who has influenced you personally, and how has his/her influence impacted you?

Answer:

My old boss, John Koen Jr. He was frugal, which helped provide value in the product and services we provided for our customers. A big part of his strategy was to understand the customer’s needs and help them while not being afraid to get dirty in the process.

Question:

What advice would you give someone to live by?

Answer:

Establish your spiritual and worldview values early and find a spouse who shares those same values, so you can team up together to live by them.

Question:

What interests do you have outside of work?

Answer:

I volunteer with the following organizations: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Rope and Rescue developing standards and training; Mill Creek Mutual Water Company’s water quality standards & maintenance; San Gorgonio Search & Rescue Team—we average one search and one rescue a month; Steep Terrain Graffiti Removal—we team our pressure washers and wet sand blasting systems with volunteer canyoneering climbers to keep mountain canyons looking nice.