Q&A with Chris Stevens

President atDalton Electric

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What’s a typical day like for you at Dalton Electric?

It starts and ends with our customers. Our value proposition to our Dalton users is reducing the total cost of heating. My daily thoughts and actions hinge on how we can most effectively communicate our message of lower cost of heating by educating heating professionals of the practical benefits — ease of removal and longer life — by switching to Dalton Electric’s Diff-Therm® and Watt-Flex® technology. One minute might be spent working on a large quote with a salesperson, the next might be configuring a capital expenditure authorization to improve our efficiency, the next might be discussions with our marketing team improving our website, while the next minute might be finding our next new hire. One thing is certain about what I do — like the weather here in New England, it’s always changing.

What products and services does Dalton Electric offer the heat-treat industry?

Dalton Electric has a long history in developing innovative heating technology. Some of our earliest customers were heat-treatment shops. Dalton Electric’s patented Diff-Therm® platen heater design revolutionized diffusion vacuum pump operation and maintenance. Our single unit replaces three clumsy-to-install components, provides superior heating performance and longer life. We keep a readily available stock of these heaters and have the ability to custom make most diffusion pump designs still in operation.

How are you constantly striving to improve on what you offer the industry?

Our motto, “Trust the Dalton Difference,” reflects how we treat our customers, suppliers, employees, and our community. We do this with a unique personable human touch that seems to have left today’s business ideology. What this means to our customers is: We pick up the phone; we greet you warmly, and we answer your questions. Our focus on just two heating technologies means we have industry knowledge about your type of system — especially in the era of company mergers and consolidation and “early retirement.” Because we focus on the total cost of heating vs. the cost of the heater, we don’t scrimp on low-cost materials of diminishing quality. We buy the best materials to make the best, longest lasting heaters in the industry. Lastly, we custom make our heaters to meet the demands and specifications of our users. These uncommon business principles culminate in our commitment to delivering lower total cost of heating to our esteemed customers.

The Diff-Therm Heater® (Courtesy: Dalton Electric Heater Company)

Dalton has a major milestone coming up (100-year anniversary). How are you planning to mark this accomplishment?

We began planning and working on our celebration two years ago in anticipation of the centennial milestone. The first thing Dalton devotees will notice will be our website — we have begun the re-design and plan to launch on our country’s birthday – July 4.

We also have several novel promotional activities and celebrations planned for our customers, employees, and suppliers over the next two years.

What’s in the crystal ball for Dalton’s next 100 years?

The biggest future trend is climate change or more precisely how we all must adapt to counter the effects of detrimental human activities. But in the nearer term, we see real and significant change happening at P&G, Coca-Cola, Unilever, etc. making big statements about virgin-plastic use and/or moving away from plastic all together. Electric battery powered devices will grow, and I suspect that will lead to further innovation in wind- and solar-power generation. Eventually, we will need a disruptive (next level) power generation source that does not add carbon or other pollutants to the atmosphere and fuels growth for the second half of the next decade. Dalton will remain by adapting to these new manufacturing realities and by delivering value and reason to “Trust the Dalton Difference.”

MORE INFOwww.daltonelectric.com