Born to be an engineer

As a self-proclaimed born tinkerer who loved taking things apart, John Brown was destined for a career in engineering. It didn’t hurt that his father was also in the industry – serving as an “instrument man” in the industrial process control world. 

Following in his father’s footsteps, John studied electrical engineering at the University of Utah, then went to work for his father’s company, spending the next 45 years doing process control and industrial implementation in different markets, from power and petrol chemicals to wastewater treatment facilities and even space launch systems. If it was related to instrumentation and process control, John was involved.

When the company was purchased by Sachs Electric in 1995, John’s role evolved to automation operations manager and ultimately the VP of Business Development. That’s how he first entered the solar world. He helped develop Sachs’ Renewable Energy Group, which was a space still in its infancy. He left Sachs in 2012 and worked for a few other companies that exposed him to wiring harnesses.

“It’s something I hadn’t planned on moving into. But with that experience, the rest is history,” said John. “It became very exciting. The industry was growing rapidly, and I was introduced to Paige.”

A simple meeting that led to a major opportunity

John met Dan Pritchard at a solar show. Dan was selling product lines, and John shared his interest. John and Dan became fast friends, uniting over ideas on how to create and grow Paige’s role in the renewable energy marketplace. 

“Paige has been around for 60 years. They understood the harnessing systems and over-molded processes and what it took to manufacture and assemble these harnesses. It was a natural fit,” said John. 

John knew that Paige was well suited to handle the challenges of building a renewables division. Many of the companies in the industry weren’t financially stable but jumped at the chance to enter the space because of the opportunity presented during a down economy. They didn’t have expertise, they learned on the fly, and they didn’t fully understand what was needed to handle projects in an automated fashion. But Paige was different.

A story of growth

John and Dan took the idea of a Renewable Division to Paige management who saw the opportunity as a growth market. Dan would lead the sales effort while John the engineering and estimating needs. In no time, Paige was setting the tone for the renewables space, leading to others mimicking its project support model. 

When asked to share an example of a standout customer win, John mentions the work done with McCarthy Construction, a large EPC contractor that builds solar projection nationwide. Because of Paige’s long relationship with McCarthy, they often come to us with ideas on design and layout improvements. “We custom build our harnesses to support a customer’s need and can point out issues that they might be having or issues they’re going to have based on their design layout,” John adds. “We constantly work with them to design better approaches to their projects. They rely heavily on us to do that. And that’s why our partnership has been so successful, winning tens of millions of dollars worth of business together.”

The relationship building, design support and commitment to innovation is what John loves about working at Paige. To put it in John’s exact words -- “It doesn’t get boring!”

He notes that Paige is in an exciting position because of its unique capabilities, enhanced offerings, and the overall potential of the renewables space. The challenge is not finding ways to evolve but not letting the growth take control. Again, to quote John, “The sky’s the limit!”

For over 60 years, Paige has helped the world connect with industry-leading wire, cable, and wireless technology-transforming industries worldwide. We operate in over 100 countries with seven owned and operated factories and warehouses in North America.

As leaders in the renewable energy space, Paige is committed to continuing innovation and product support expertise. If you’d like to learn more about our product offerings or would like to contact John for engineering support on your next project, email sales@paigerenewableenergy.com or call 908.687.7810.