Milt Tandy of WireCrafters on leadership, innovation and service.
FOR DECADES, MILT Tandy has been a steady and visionary leader in the material handling industry. As president of WireCrafters and a former member of MHEDA’s Manufacturers Board of Advisors, he has championed innovation, relationship building and service to the MHEDA community. With his retirement planned for the end of 2025, Tandy reflects on the principles that have guided his career and the lessons he hopes to pass on to the next generation of leaders.
TMJ: Can you provide a brief overview of your career journey and how you ended up where you are today?
Tandy: This is the only job I’ve had since graduating from the University of Louisville in 1980. When I came here – coming up on 45 years ago – I didn’t know anyone in the building and had no idea what they did.
I used to work at a small food mart down the street from WireCrafters. The president at the time, who was also a minority owner, would come in from time to time. I didn’t know who he was or what he did, but he’d always ask me, “How’s school going? How much longer until you graduate?” That went on for about three years, and I never thought to ask about his work.
One day, I told him I’d graduated, and he handed me his business card and said, “I need a salesman. I’ve got a company down the street. Come take a look.” In 1980, you couldn’t just check out a website, so I walked in to see what they did. I figured I’d stay for a year or two to get some experience – but 45 years later, I’m still here.
When I started, there was just one other salesperson, and I was the “young guy.” As the company grew, I became material handling sales manager, then director of sales and marketing and in 2020, President. Today, WireCrafters has about 15 inside salespeople and 10 outside salespeople across the country. We’ve grown from 30 employees when I started to nearly 300 today. It’s been an incredible ride.
TMJ: During your tenure, what changes have you seen in the industry?
Tandy: When I first started, there were many mom-and-pop material handling companies; some were one-person operations working out of a basement or the trunk of a car. Today, after years of acquisitions and mergers, the industry is dominated by larger players. Technology has been the biggest change. When I started, there wasn’t a single computer in the building. Not at WireCrafters and not in most companies. Now, we have advanced design software to create detailed drawings for our distributors, robotics on the production floor and multi-million-dollar machines producing our products. The same goes for many other material handling companies: They’ve embraced automation and technology both in the office and in production.
TMJ: How would you describe your leadership style in three words?
Tandy: Listen, calm, empower. Listening is something I learned in sales. Shut up and listen. Staying calm is something I learned from our owner, who has led the company for about 40 years. I never heard him raise his voice. And finally, I believe in empowering people to do their jobs. Trust them and let them succeed.
TMJ: What would you say is the biggest challenge you’ve faced, either in the workplace or personally, and how did you address it?
Tandy: Early on, our biggest challenge was building our brand. We were a small player in the wire partition market, competing against bigger names. It took years of work to become the largest player in the industry.
The other major challenge came when I became president in 2020 – just two months before COVID hit. It was incredibly difficult to keep our people safe, enforce mask policies and meet weekly to track developments. Sales plummeted from April to August 2020 as distributors couldn’t make calls and customers didn’t want visitors.
Then, in September, business came back. For the next couple of years, we were hiring three to five people a week. That brought new HR challenges we’d never faced before. COVID taught me how to handle both ends of the spectrum: navigating a sales drought and managing explosive growth.
TMJ: What advice would you give to a young professional in this industry?
Tandy: First, never make a decision until you’ve heard both sides of the story. Someone you trust may tell you their version, but when you talk to the other party, you might learn details that completely change the picture.
Second, look into the 80/20 process. It’s the idea that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. From 2012 to 2016, our management team went through a formal 80/20 process with a coach. The lesson is simple: take care of the 20% who bring you most of your business, and identify who else could join that group.
And remember, not all orders are good orders. Some are bad for your business, and you need to recognize the difference.
TMJ: What is the best business or leadership advice you’ve received, and from whom?
Tandy: It’s the same lesson: not all orders are good orders. Some companies believe every order is worth taking, but that mindset can hold a company back. Knowing which business is truly profitable, and focusing on that, makes all the difference.
TMJ: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Tandy: Since this is The MHEDA Journal, I’ll say this: MHEDA has been incredibly valuable to our company. You truly get out of it what you put in. We were slow to get involved, but in the last 15–20 years, our participation has helped us tremendously.
We sent three people to MHEDA’s Emerging Leaders Conference in Chicago. It’s a great investment in them. They feel valued, and they learn so much. I served on MHEDA’s Board of Advisors from 2015 to 2019, and the networking opportunities and leadership development were tremendous.
I’d also say our success has been about more than a good product – it’s about relationships. From our three Dealer Councils to our WireCrafters Academy training program, we’ve always focused on building connections. That hasn’t changed since 1980, and I believe it’s the key to taking a business to the next level.
