1. Name, title and how long you’ve been at Specialty Manufacturing Co.

Darrin Bergman, Integrated Services Sales Manager. I’ve been a member of the Sales Team at Specialty Manufacturing since October of 2022.

2. What is your role at the company, and what does a typical day look like for you?

As a Sales Manager, I spend most of my time communicating with customers and working on quotes. A typical day is filled with meetings, phone calls, and a lot of email correspondence, both internal and external to our company. I try hard to “over-communicate” because I’ve learned that it’s almost impossible!    

3. What aspects of our culture do you find most rewarding or unique?

I really enjoy the work/life balance and small company feel. We are not very “corporate”, so there isn’t much unnecessary bureaucracy, which is a welcome change from some of the larger organizations where I’ve worked. Also, our senior leaders are very accessible and approachable, which is an important part of our culture, and I really feel that I can comfortably talk to anybody at any level of our organization.

4. What is a project you’ve worked on that you are proud of?

We recently earned some new business from a global corporation based on our ability to injection mold NSF rated PVC. The project involved design engineering, rapid 3D prototypes, mold design & fabrication, machining field test samples, and assembly of retail ready packaged parts, showcasing many of our core competencies as an agile Contract Manufacturing Organization. I’m quite proud of the efforts of our entire team in bringing this project to fruition.

5. Is there a colleague or mentor who has had a significant impact on your career?

Ed Greene and I have known each other for almost 30 years and have supported each other through many life chapters, including multiple career stops, continuing our education, and becoming fathers and now grandfathers. We are kind of an “odd couple” because he is fun, funny, and gregarious while I’m as boring as dirt, but that may be why we get along so well.

6. What advice would you give to someone starting a career in manufacturing?

Never stop learning and lean into new challenges. View every job as a potential bridge to a future job you may be capable of doing some day. Most people don’t know what they are capable of because they never push themselves to the outer limits of their comfort zone. Go there. It is rich territory.

7. If you could switch roles with someone at Specialty for a day, what role would you want to try?

I greatly admire our employees who “talk to machines”, so our manufacturing engineers, machine set-up operators, and Robotics programmers are my idols. But I wouldn’t want to swap roles for a day, or even an hour, because I’d likely do irreparable damage to some expensive capital equipment and that would make Kevin Frane crabby.

8. What’s something about you that most people at the company might not know?

I wrote a book about curling, but many co-workers already know that. Due to my quiet nature, it might surprise people to know that I love to sing karaoke! It’s never a beautiful sound, but I sure can make a joyful noise!

9. Outside of work, what are your hobbies or interests?

I like to stay active, so favorite activities include golfing, curling, rucking, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, biking, fishing, hiking, boating, bowling, and have recently started playing pickleball.

10. Favorite music or movies?

For music, I’m fond of ZZ Top, Talking Heads, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains, Black Keys, Avett Brothers, and Greta Van Fleet. As for movies, I love anything by the Coen Brothers or Christopher Nolan, believe The Godfather is untouchable classic, love the underlying message of It’s a Wonderful Life, and will always smile if quote any line from The Princess Bride!

Interested in a career at The Specialty Manufacturing Co.? View our current openings.