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For the past month I have had to come to terms with some of the most difficult facts.
All of you who know me, know I take business very seriously. The promises I make and the actions I take are always the most important decisions I ever make, because the words and actions have such an impact on others. I can accept when I have made a decision that only impacts me but will always wrestle with a decision I make that has a negative impact on someone else’ life. You all know my heart and know that I assume the role of friend and colleague with passion and no compromise and why I have remained in a holding pattern while I evaluated the things I have witnessed over the past 8 months.
As I look back on the past 8 months; I see a field of customers who have gone through broken promises after broken promises. You have looked to me to determine if you should continue on this path and keep the faith with Portal-Tek. I trusted what I was being told and encouraged you, as customers, as well as others to do the same. How the delivery of product and the handling of customer’s orders has been approached by the leadership of this company has been a very painful experience for everyone involved including myself. To continue to run a business in this manner without understanding the huge impact it would have on not only the customers but the employees as well, is irresponsible. Also, in my opinion, there have been so many promises made and so many broken that it makes you question the intentions of those running it.
I feel as if I have personally failed each and every one of you by not delivering to you not only what you paid for but what was promised over and over. In my opinion, Portal-Tek and its CEO, Rob Hardy has broken the faith with us! I can’t find it inside myself to sell non-existent product to another customer. I can’t take another hard earned dollar from someone with the promise that their product is just around the corner and they’ll get what they ordered in just a few weeks. I can’t fight to order product and fulfill parts requests with dollars that are being miss-spent on the whims and fancy of a detached CEO who avoids responsibility and will not accept his leadership role with dealing with customers. I can’t seek out customers and get them to spend money with a company where customers are not respected, a company that does not understand that people’s lives are impacted by poor decisions, and the lack of business knowledge that is evident in the actions of a careless CEO that affect us all.
I have been on phone call after phone call listening to your frustrations and passing on promises that were made by the leadership of this company. Promises I delivered with my good name and best of intentions because I believed what was being promised to me. I cannot and will not be a part of a company that intentionally lies not only to its own employees but gets those employees, in good faith, to extend these same lies to the customers that they are building relationships with. Over the past few weeks I have felt it would be ignorant as well as irresponsible not to start at least looking at Portal-Tek with a different perspective. Maintaining an open mind has led me to make some big decisions with the way I do business within Portal-Tek. Because of these decisions, on Friday, January 22nd, I was removed from my position as Sales Manager with Portal-Tek.
Jim Jackson, the former COO of Portal-Tek remained for this past week to help me get some of the hardware and parts that have been promised to customers. This past Thursday, January 28th, Jim and I kitted up hardware kits for those customers who have Super-14 housings and cases and who were waiting in limbo until the remaining parts could be obtained. I did this on my own time and without compensation because I believe strongly in the commitments and promises I made to each and every one of you. However, before Jim and I could ship these parts out (at our own expense) Rob Hardy, the CEO of Portal-Tek, took possession of the parts and hardware kits as well as all of the customer files.
Some of you may fault Jim Jackson as a senior staff member. However, when I watched a man evaluate his position in this company as well as its ability to provide the products promised to customers and work tirelessly to deliver as best he can; I knew he was someone that could look at the situation, take the high road and deliver on his promises. I asked Jim why he was leaving Portal-Tek and why he was willing to help me obtain the parts customers needed after I was no longer employed with the company. He responded by telling me that he made commitments to people that for many reasons he was unable to follow through on because he wasn’t in control of this situation, and this is his attempt to try and make things right in a small way.
This is an incomplete list but it is a list to the best of my knowledge of the parts that were available, kitted up and allocated to customers:
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Your brake parts may or may not be in the shop. There are several different brake parts that have been promised so many different times to so many different customers I don’t know if Rob can send out what you need.
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The adjuster nuts and remaining washers were kitted up and ready to be shipped to you.
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The Super-14 case you ordered is sitting at the machine shop waiting to be paid for. A hardware kit was put together for you and should be waiting to be shipped out.
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Two hardware kits for the Super-14’s are kitted up and had your name on them. There are two cases at the machine shop that need to be paid for before they can be shipped to you. Pinion Supports are not yet manufactured.
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We’ve talked extensively over the phone. I told you that one of the Super-14 centers was yours but later found out it was shipped to a different person without my knowledge. I know there are a few centers left at the machine shop but Portal-Tek needs to pay for them.
Dustin Emick:
Two hardware kits to assemble the Super-14 axles you have waited so patiently for have been kitted and were allocated to you.
(They owe me a lot more than that)
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The production Trophy Series centers have not yet been cast.
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I have some parts and two housings allocated to you. The portal boxes have been cast but need to be delivered to Portal-Tek. I don’t know if they have been paid for but they do need to pay for the shipping before they can be send to the shop for machine work.
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Your pre-production Trophy Series cases are at the machine shop along with the two bearing bridges. The machining process needs to be done and the bridges need to be sent out for heat treatment after the machining process. The machine shop will not do any more work until they receive payment for services already rendered. You have several parts on the shelf waiting for the Trophy Series housings to be build and assembled.
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Two hardware kits for the Super-14’s. Pinion supports are not yet manufactured.
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I have some parts and two housings allocated to you. The portal boxes have been cast but need to be delivered to Portal-Tek. I don’t know if they have been paid for but they do need to pay for the shipping before they can be send to the shop for machine work.
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The production Trophy Series centers have not yet been cast.
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The axles have been assembled and are waiting on the hydraulic steering components. Evidently I was lied to when I was told that the rover bolt pattern adapters were finished. They have yet to be constructed and do not currently exist as has otherwise been stated.
I would suggest you contact Rob Hardy directly on his cell phone at: 801-358-2951.
In the event that he does not answer the phone (most likely) you can send him text messages at the same number.
You can also contact him at the following email addresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Scott Phillips
FORMER Sales Manager
Portal-Tek Axles
www.portal-tek.com
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