Representor Winter 2025 - Someone You Should Know

Someone You Should Know: Damien Croft

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 Damien Croft, general manager at NorComp. The Representor asked Croft a few questions about his time in the manufacturing business and his experiences with ERA. Here is what he had to say.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in Nottingham, England and moved to Charlotte, N.C. in 2015. I’m married with four children—two daughters and two sons, ranging in age from 8 to 17 years old. I studied business management at the University of Lincoln and then completed my MBA at the University of Roehampton in London. I’m passionate about my family, leadership, sports and learning. I enjoy cooking and can often be found by my ceramic grill making everything from a smoked brisket to smash burgers to chicken shawarma.

What are some things you enjoy outside the workplace?

I enjoy being around my family playing games, walking, playing tennis and pickleball and exploring new places. I’m an avid sports fan who enjoys most sports but particularly “real” football, football, golf and F1. Nowadays, I play golf as often as time allows and enjoy my early morning workouts which include running, resistance training and bootcamps. Earlier this year, I hit the gym at an industry event at 5 a.m. and Walter Tobin had already done 12 rounds and was just finishing his workout. Way to show us how it’s done, Walt!

How long have you been in the manufacturing business?

I started my career at MH Connectors in the UK nearly 16 years ago in a junior sales role. I have always been fascinated with leadership so when the opportunity came to step into a leadership role after just 14 months on the job, I jumped at it and became the sales manager and then general manager of that business. During that time, we were purchased by the EDAC Group and I had the opportunity to help integrate MH into the Group which entailed spending a good amount of time in Asia at the Group’s manufacturing facilities. This gave me a great appreciation of what it means to be a manufacturer and all of the engineering, equipment, tooling, testing, processes and resources required to achieve high-quality products.

How did you become interested in the electronics industry?

I had zero interest in the electronics industry; in fact, growing up I wanted to go into sports science and become a physiotherapist. That said, technology has always intrigued me, and I was made aware of a job opportunity with MH through a friend and have grown to love this industry and the people in it. I have developed some great friendships and partnerships during my time in the industry and am excited about the growth potential our industry offers.

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

It’s all about the people. I have met many amazing people during my career to date and learnt countless valuable lessons from many of them. I have had the opportunity to be in leadership positions for much of my career and the joy of building strong teams that pull together and achieve great things is really where I gain a lot of satisfaction. To be able to positively influence the trajectory of someone’s career and life is a privilege.

Briefly describe your organization. 

NorComp is a phenomenal interconnect manufacturer that really stands out from many of our competitors through a strong emphasis on providing an exceptional customer experience. We serve customers that are looking for quality and performance with a particular strength in applications that are in harsh environments. Our products are used in drones, medical devices, robotics and weather stations operating on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, to name a few. Our engineering capabilities allow us to partner with customers on custom connectors that meet their specific needs in a time-to-market pace that most struggle to keep up with.

What are some recent innovations, best practices and innovations your organization has made?

As an organization we have been very intentional about our culture and it’s been fun to see how that has evolved and the positive impact it is having on our team, our customers and partners. Over the past two years, we have made many improvements to the business. We have increased our production efficiency by over 50 percent through applying some lean principles. In the summer of 2024, we acquired Northern Technologies, a connector company out of Toronto, further expanding our capabilities and customer reach. Our approach to managing the channel and our manufacturers’ rep networks have evolved in a very positive manner, helping to drive deeper engagement and impact. New product development is very important to us, and we have developed a very robust system that allows us to convert customer needs to new series available to the market in an efficient manner.

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?

I believe the ERA Conference is one of the premier events on our calendar each year and have gained much from the educational content as well as the people I’ve met. There are a number of industry leaders who I have met at the Conference who I communicate with regularly and have built long-term relationships with. This promotes joint problem solving, knowledge sharing, partnerships and some great friendships.

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

My uncle worked in local politics and at one point held the office of Sherriff of Nottingham. He wasn’t the tyrant depicted in the Robin Hood movies.