EARLY IN SCOTT TATE ' S CAREER, HE HAD TREPIDATION ABOUT SALES. After earning an engineering degree, he viewed sales as involving cold calling and door-to-door product pushing. However, early in his career he learned that sales could be about solving problems for the customer. This problem-solving approach, deeply ingrained in the company ' s culture, has been a key to its success. " In the engineering and technical landscape, it is not sales, it is problem solving. I quickly realized I really enjoyed solving problems instead of sitting in front of a computer all day." This perspective removed his trepidation about the sales aspect of business. His dad took notice. When his father decided to retire, they took time to transition Scott into company leadership and ownership. In fact, the process took approximately seven years, during which Scott paid off a loan for 51 % ownership before his father ' s retirement.
" He and I didn ' t run the company the same way, but we had the same customer philosophy." In 2007, they had 17 employees; now, they have 59 employees. In 2019, they made a strategic move to a new location on Sprague Avenue, across from Costco, in Spokane Valley. This location, while more conducive to retail and taxed as such, is also a good central location for employees. Scott said the location is excellent because many employees can drive down Sprague instead of driving on the freeway in winter weather, which has improved employee satisfaction and productivity.
The company, founded in 1992, provides electronics manufacturing and complex circuit board assembly services. Scott said they also manufacture switches for stoplights, climate control systems, fire alarms, and security monitoring systems. However, they have experience working in the aerospace and space industries, including prototypes and CubeSat projects. They also work with national laboratories and the armed forces.
Scott is intrigued by the space industry and said, " We aren ' t currently doing any CubeSats, but we have our eyes open." He shared how much they learned about the vacuum of space and its " violent atmosphere." Space exposes electronics to tremendous conditions. " A lot of things you wouldn ' t normally think about, we learned a lot. If I could find that work, we would be suited to do it. Product cleanliness is a huge component of this type of work. We didn ' t have the wash systems that could do it( at that time), but now we have the best wash system in the business." This adaptability and readiness to invest in the best technology positions them to handle even the most challenging projects.
One project involves their customer Matt King at Global Navigation Sciences, supporting commercial and military aerospace work. The featured products are in-flight iPad charging and lighting equipment. King said they ' ve worked
24 | NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS