When Rick Gierke applied to Sentry Equipment, he didn’t realize he’d be working remotely for a company in Wisconsin. But eight years later, he’s fully settled into his role as a product support specialist and is looking forward to continuing a long career with Sentry.

Even though he didn't realize the position was remote, he took the job anyway and found that he enjoyed working in steam and water analysis and power generation. 

Now he’s a product support specialist, meaning he usually is providing solutions to solve customers’ issues. And COVID-19 hasn’t slowed him down. Equipment still needs maintenance and customers still have challenges – and Rick and the product support team are committed to solving them.

“I love the environment here. Everyone are true self-starters, ready to work, and committed to the company and the customers,” says Rick.

Rick Gierke

Product support specialist

Three things he’d take on a deserted island: “A knife to build a shelter, shoes to protect my feet, and a gun to hunt for food.”

What did he want to be as a kid? “An astronaut. I’ve always wanted to go to space, and still would love to go.”

If you could be or do anything else, what would it be? “I love the country life, so I would probably be a rancher with my own property.”

The only constant is change

Over the years, he’s seen Sentry undergo many changes, including acquisitions and adapting current equipment to new processes. While solutions have changed, many customers’ questions and issues remain the same. He enjoys sharing his knowledge about water analysis and the power generation industry as well as exploring solutions for other applications and markets. “Every day is a fresh new morning and new challenge. I love to help people and I like to learn about new applications and solutions,” he says. “I learn as much from the customers as they do from me.”

Growing up in small town Marinette, on the western shore of Green Bay in northern Wisconsin, Rick lived on a farm before moving into the city. Even now, he prefers the country life and would rather be outdoors applying a little elbow grease more than anything else. And it’s that level of hard work that he now applies to his career at Sentry. “Every day is a challenge, but if you give it everything you can, you’ll be successful,” he says.

For the future, he hopes to keep learning about Sentry’s products, industries and applications so he can continually help customers solve problems. “The more knowledge I can gain the better I can serve our customers,” he says. “I’m looking forward to all I will learn in my position and the future.”

In retrospect, that accidental job application to an out-of-state company in Wisconsin was a stroke of luck.

“I plan to stay right here at Sentry Equipment,” he says. “I like the company I work for, and there isn’t a lot of people who can genuinely say that today. Sentry is a great company to work for. Employees, such as myself, are truly happy to work here.”

Employee-Owner Profiles is a regular feature that highlights members of our team. As an employee-owned company, Sentry Equipment believes that employee ownership makes a difference. Our employee-owners are dedicated to hard work, positive results and continual improvement and innovation to provide our customers the highest quality products and services.