Someone You Should Know: Jeff May

Jeff May

With so many ERA members, it is not easy to get to know every rep, manufacturer and distributor in the business.“Someone You Should Know” is The Representor department that gives readers the chance to learn about fellow ERA members, including how their time is spent both in and out of the office.

Meet Jeff May, president and founder of Logix Sales & Marketing. The Representor asked May a few questions about his time in the electronics rep business and his experiences with ERA. Here is what he had to say.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in Buffalo, N.Y., raised in the Chicago suburbs, moved to Ann Arbor, Mich. for high school and attended Michigan State University. I owned a painting company that provided enough income to put me through college. I interned at Texas Instruments for two summers and accepted full-time employment with TI upon graduation. 

My wife and I have two boys in college (UVA and Wake Forest), recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and have lived in the same house for 24 years. We lead active lives contributing our time and energy back to our community.

What are some things you enjoy outside of the workplace?

Exercise, family time, friends, good food and wine are a few things I enjoy. My wife and the boys are athletic, so the family stays active. We cook at the house all week and enjoy the wonderful Houston restaurants on the weekends. Skiing is my favorite sport and fortunately the same for the family.

How long have you been an ERA member and how long in the rep business?

Logix has been a proud member of the ERA for eight years. The ERA provides a solid foundation which allows the entire industry to flourish. I have enjoyed donating my time to the ERA – thank you ERA for all your support!

How did you become interested in being a rep in the electronics industry?

While I was working at TI, I met a sales representative that knew more about TI’s programs, people and the politics than my boss did! He had an electrical engineering degree and defined how a sales representative should perform. This person quickly became my mentor and eventually hired me into the industry. 

What have you found to be most rewarding about the rep business?

The quality of the people (employees, principals, distributors and customers) and the friendships I have made has been very rewarding. I enjoy investing my energy into the business and seeing the company grow. On a personal level, the rep business allowed me to be home for dinner (most nights), coach my boys in various sports and lead a balanced, enriched life. 

Briefly describe your rep firm.

Logix Sales & Marketing is a technical rep firm that has helped resolve engineering and design challenges for customers for more than 22 years. We assist engineers in the design process, facilitating a smooth transition from concept to production. Most of our outside sales team have an electrical engineering degree. 

We have certain procedures and tools in place to communicate our efforts to our partners. Data plays a key role in driving our behavior. Marketing is part of the Logix company name and we are increasingly emphasizing the importance of marketing. 

I am fortunate to have a great business partner and a very talented team. Sales representatives are primarily built upon their people. Good people make a good firm. 

What recent innovations, best practices and/or changes has your firm made?

Data analytics and digital marketing has been a large focus. Twenty-two years ago, I started the business using the same Access database that the Memec companies developed. A few years ago, we retooled with the help of Budde Marketing and Repfabric. Digital marketing has become increasingly important – and expected. Data management and marketing has been a fundamental reason for our success since our inception.

What have you learned and/or what contacts have you made through ERA that have had the greatest positive impacts on you and/or your business?

Working with our competitors to improve our industry has been rewarding. The stronger our competitors are, the better Logix will be. Our industry is strengthened when collaboration occurs amongst our distributors, principals and sales representatives. It is exciting to see the synergies created when everyone works together to improve our sales channel. Walter, Erin and the ERA team have been very instrumental in growing the ERA membership base. Understanding the distributor and manufacturer perspective has helped to improve our business model. I also believe it has brought the three pillars of our industry closer together. 

Are you active on social media? Do you follow ERA? Have ERA updates via social media been helpful to you?

I am active on LinkedIn. All ERA updates are helpful – keep them coming!

What is one interesting fact that people may not know about you?

I was a bartender and ski instructor in Aspen after college. Texas Instruments allowed me to delay my start date so I could enjoy a ski season prior to entering the real world.