Eric Strickler is the Head of Marketing at Functional Devices, a company that manufactures electronic control products for HVAC, building automation, and industrial control systems. Under Eric’s leadership, Functional Devices produces more than 4 million products annually, with a field failure rate of less than one in 16,000, and its Relay in a Box line has become synonymous with quality and reliability in the sector. With a diverse background spanning sales, marketing, and B2B consulting, Eric brings a customer-centric and data-driven approach to driving growth and operational excellence.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [04:36] Eric Strickler explains why reliability and simplicity are game changers in control systems
- [06:25] How Relay in a Box revolutionized technician efficiency
- [08:04] Eric’s unique sales-to-manufacturing leadership career path
- [13:48] How creating demand means rethinking distribution and buyer personas
- [15:19] The biggest friction points between sales, engineering, and operations
- [19:43] Why listening to understand is the most underrated leadership trait
In this episode…
Manufacturing in the US has never been simple, but staying innovative while keeping customers at the center is a different kind of challenge. What does it really take for a manufacturing company to remain relevant, competitive, and trusted over decades without losing sight of the people it serves?
According to Eric Strickler, a seasoned manufacturing and operations leader, the answer starts and ends with genuine customer focus. He explains that at the strongest companies, this mindset isn’t a slogan but a shared behavior, from leadership all the way to the production floor, where even the smallest component is treated as mission critical. That kind of discipline creates reliability, trust, and staying power in an industry where failure of a single part can bring an entire system down.
In this episode of In Good Company: Where Relationships Drive Results, Lisa Kilrea is joined by Eric Strickler, Head of Marketing at Functional Devices, to discuss redefining customer focus and innovation in US manufacturing. They explore how customer-centric thinking drives long-term competitiveness, why simplicity and quality fuel product longevity, and how marketing and operations must align to create demand.
Resources mentioned in this episode
- Lisa Kilrea on LinkedIn
- WSI eResults
- Eric Strickler on LinkedIn
- Functional Devices, Inc.
- “Making Automation Accessible and Effective for Modern Manufacturers With Joel Onyshuck” on In Good Company: Where Relationships Drive Results
- “Driving Business Growth Through Inclusion and Purpose With Dan LaTurno” on In Good Company: Where Relationships Drive Results
Quotable Moments
- “It really boils down to staying customer focused; you hear a lot of companies say that, but it really is true.”
- “We created something that was somewhat different, but we brought it to a company and listened to them.”
- “If you have a product like ours that fails, the entire system fails.”
- “Happy customers create happy employees, happy employees create happy customers.”
- “Listening to understand is such an underrated quality that you experience in today’s world.”
Action Steps
- Embed customer focus into daily decisions: When every role prioritizes the end user, quality, and reliability become consistent outcomes, not occasional wins.
- Design products for simplicity and ease of use: Reducing complexity saves customers time, minimizes errors, and builds long-term trust in your solutions.
- Test and validate relentlessly before shipping: Thorough testing protects your reputation and prevents small component failures from becoming system-wide problems.
- Encourage experimentation across teams: Trying new approaches, even when outcomes are uncertain, creates learning opportunities and drives innovation forward.
- Lead by listening to understand: Taking time to truly hear employees and customers strengthens culture, improves alignment, and leads to better decisions.
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is sponsored by WSI EResults Manufacturing Marketing — revolutionizing digital marketing for the manufacturing industry.
At WSI EResults, we help B2B manufacturers, OEMs, and industrial distributors elevate their digital presence through AI-powered, data-driven strategies designed to generate targeted, impactful leads.
From AI-powered SEO and content marketing to tailored campaigns built for the unique challenges of the manufacturing sector, WSI EResults delivers the tools and expertise to help your business stand out, grow, and thrive.
Learn more at wsi-manufacturing-marketing.com. Your blueprint for smarter, more effective manufacturing marketing.
