Southwest Territory Sales Representative Matt McCleney calls on his 20+ years of heavy-equipment experience to further L&M Radiator’s success in the heart of America’s oil and gas country.
Longview, Texas — For the next phase in his 20-year career Matt McCleney refused to just settle for any old job. He wanted to work for a company that would truly value him and his experience, put family first, and would encourage long-term career growth.
When Matt McCleney took on the role of L&M Radiator’s Southwest Territory Sales Representative in June 2021, he knew he had made the right move.
Joining the L&M Radiator team brought McCleney from Colorado back to his home state of Texas and provided him with an unexpected “bonus” — what McCleney calls “my new extended family” of co-workers in the much colder state of Minnesota.
“L&M Radiator wasn’t on my radar until a mechanic friend of mine saw the sales representative position on LinkedIn,” McCleney said. “He said, ‘You have operations background, you have sales background, you have mechanical background and you used to be a machinist in the military. You’re crazy qualified for this job.’”
Learning more about L&M Radiator
“As I did my research, I asked myself questions such as: ‘Who are these guys in Hibbing, Minnesota? Where’s Hibbing, Minnesota? Or in my case, where’s Minnesota?’” McCleney said with a laugh. “I was shocked. The more I dug into the company history — when they started back in the mining industry 65 years ago and how the concept of removable tube radiators got started in World War II with the British tanks – the more I wanted to learn about this company.”
McCleney researched the Southwest Territory Sales Representative role and learned more about the company on the mesabi.com website. He also used LinkedIn as a resource to gauge how employees felt about the organization.
“The profiles I came across online for some of their different employees kind of amazed me. They had employees who had not just been there for a number of years, but for decades,” McCleney said. “For me personally, that was a huge selling point because in today’s market it’s so common that people come and go, but not L&M employees. They stay. There obviously had to be a good reason for that.”
Interviewing Process like “Meeting Family”
McCleney applied for the position and continued the interview process via Zoom, where he met various managers and leaders for L&M Radiator. He also met long-time sales representative Roger Bauer who would be his mentor throughout the transition.
“Roger gave the best example of how L&M is a family. Roger recently retired from L&M Radiator, but since day one I’ve looked up to him as my friend and a mentor who helped me make my transition into the world of heat exchangers,” McCleney said. “Roger represents everyone at L&M though — they’re a phone call away and they’re there for you to walk you through your questions and help you get things done right.”
After accepting the role with L&M Radiator, McCleney spent two weeks in Hibbing, Minnesota for additional on-site training.
“Meeting the team face-to-face was great,” McCleney said. “One weekend, one of the customer service managers took me fishing on Lake of the Woods where I caught my first walleye. It’s not catfish but it tasted great!”
The L&M Employee Experience and the Radiator Cooling Industry
“With its flexible core radiators, L&M has products in the oil and gas world that can’t be beat,” McCleney said. “They’re super simple, super easy to fix and repair, and they’re built to last at least two engine lives. That’s what I call a product you can count on.”
McCleney is optimistic and excited to continue to bring L&M Radiator products and cooling systems to the oil and gas rich Southwest.
“We’re hitting the industry from many angles and coming to the market with new product types,” McCleney said. “Not only with the cooling system for gensets to run on drilling rigs, for example, but we’re also looking at developing products for the next generation of engines that will rely upon lithium-ion batteries. What most folks don’t realize is that tomorrow’s green engines still need to be cooled to optimize their performance.”
“I also monitor the Gulf Coast region around New Orleans — everything from tugboats to work boats and our applications for offshore drilling packages,” McCleney said. “Whether the oil and gas operations are inland or offshore, I’m going to cover them all.”
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