Eddie Garcia turns a temporary job into a career that now involves helping customers implement technology
Nine years ago, Eduardo “Eddie” Garcia had no idea what his future held. However, he quickly realized after taking a job with Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc. (KSM), that he had a good opportunity.
“My father has worked for Kirby-Smith and its predecessor companies for a long time, so I suppose that played in my favor of getting hired,” Eddie quipped. “I started a couple of months after graduating high school, and the intent was that it would be something until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. That temporary job turned into a career with a great company.”
Like many employees of KSM, Eddie started in an entry-level position — in Eddie’s case, washing equipment — and worked his way up. He became a “yard guy,” shipping and receiving machines, before being promoted to parts sales, which involved learning about how equipment functioned and how to support it. All the while, he was taking advantage of company and manufacturer training.
Four years ago, he joined the company’s Smart Construction team as a specialist. Still based in Dallas, he helps customers throughout Texas and Oklahoma implement technology such as GPS systems into their operations.
“Technology continues to improve, and I enjoy working with customers to adopt it and expand its use in their business,” said Eddie. “Smart Construction has solutions that will help with every step of a project. I get a lot of questions from customers about what’s the next step in order for them to see greater accuracy and production, and save time and money. We work together to determine that, whether it’s adopting intelligent Machine Control or adding a solution such as Smart Construction Remote, which allows equipment managers to remotely access equipment and see what the operator sees if there is a plan question or an issue. There are numerous items available to make job sites and processes more efficient, and I’m excited to tell customers about the potential they have.”
Like a tourist
Much of Eddie’s time is spent in direct contact with customers or traveling to check on their progress. He estimates that about 90% of his time is spent in the field.
“That’s actually great for me,” he stated. “When I’m on the road, I like to visit places like I’m a tourist during downtime. I’ll check out the local restaurants and places of interest. In addition, I love the outdoors, so I enjoy recreational activities like fishing. Even though I am on the road quite a bit, I am in the process of building my dream home, and I raise and sell cattle.”
