Walter G. Landgrebe: Alaska Account Manager, Snap-On Industrial.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: View from the Top

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

An avid outdoorsman, Minnesota native Walter G. Landgrebe worked with hand tools as an Army tank crewman in the 1980s and as a bicycle/ski mechanic upon moving to Alaska in 1991. He joined Snap-on Industrial in 2000 as manager of statewide accounts.

The change, coupled with his earlier experience in the field of parks and recreation and in directing a community school, helped Landgrebe realize he liked sales and was good at it. At Snap-on Industrial, he works from a home office, toting and promoting new products and services when traveling to visit customers. He's also responsible for day-to-day order processing, project development and finding solutions to customer needs.

* PRODUCT FOCUS: Snap-On Industrial is a division of Snap-On Inc., whose products and services include hand and power tools, tool storage, diagnostics software, information and management systems, shop equipment and other solutions for customers in industry, government, agriculture, education, aviation and natural resources. Snap-on makes more than 50,000 hand and power tools, and our team of 400 engineers is dedicated to continuous product improvement.

* GLOBAL REACH: Snap-on Industrial has been in Alaska since the beginning of North Slope and pipeline construction days. In a testament to our product line, some Snap-On hand tools and storage devices purchased at startup still are found in use at Prudhoe/ Kuparuk production facilities. Our largest customers are in oil and military sectors. Snap-on emphasizes a direct sales relationship with customers.

In Alaska, we have two industrial account managers: traditional and government. As the former, I handle commercial, State, borough, municipal and education business. Don Taylor handles all General Services Administration accounts, including federal government and military agencies. Today, Snap-on boasts almost 12,000 employees at 35 manufacturing facilities globally.

* RETOOLING: Tools are always needed. While Alaska is a strong market, 2009 was as difficult for Snap-on Industrial as it was for most industries; business in 2010 is better overall, and we're seeing growth resume...