David Reed

President of Equilibar, LLC

Fletcher, North Carolina, United States

About

Leading the team at Equilibar remains the most rewarding experience of my career. Equilibar continuously works to develop elegant new products, improve customer satisfaction, and build a strong team culture. As Patrick Lencioni described in “The Advantage,” organizational health is a core component of our success. I’ve worked in the valve industry throughout my career. I’ve worked in customer support, sales, new product development, electronics manufacturing, HR, and mid-level management, finally acquiring all the skills necessary to grow a business from zero with confidence. Outside the office, I enjoy living in the mountains of Western North Carolina, working around automobiles, and competitive shooting sports. As a single father, I find particular satisfaction in watching my children raise their own families.

Experience

  • Equilibar (14 yrs 2 mos)
    • President
      Mar 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 5 mos

      Responsible for organizational growth, profit, cash, loss, & compliance, with a focus on driving innovation and new product development. Mentorship and coaching of all upcoming talent. Management of technical and commercial development efforts to drive innovation. Ownership of the Advanced Flow Control new product development project. As the leader of Equilibar, my most crucial responsibility is nurturing a positive workplace culture. I strongly believe in and will continue to foster the ‘Pay-It-Forward’ philosophy of Equilibar founder Jeff Jennings by creating and maintaining a workplace where employees are free to explore new ideas and encouraged to see failure as a positive learning experience. I am a devoted fan of Patrick Lencioni’s ‘The Advantage’ and recommend it to all business leaders.

    • Vice President of Operations
      Jan 2018 - Apr 2022 · 4 yrs 4 mos

      Equilibar focuses tightly on back pressure control valves and high performance vacuum regulators. Equilibar is a growth company. As Vice President it is my mission to ensure that the organization remains healthy through steady sales growth, highly satisfied users, a steady stream of new products & intellectual property, and encouraging the personal satisfaction of all employees.

    • Operations Manager
      Jun 2012 - Apr 2022 · 9 yrs 11 mos

      Equlibar manufactures high technology patented back pressure regulators that provide previously unachievable precision in extreme chemical and pressure environments. As Sales Manager and an Engineer I seek out pressure control applications where people are struggling using exisiting valve technologies.

  • Proportion-Air, Inc. (18 yrs 5 mos)
    • Vice President Engineering
      May 2009 - Jul 2012 · 3 yrs 3 mos

      Research and development of new technologies. All phases of new product design, test, and market launch. Internet marketing. Technical sales. Develop corporate strategy and long term growth plans.

    • Engineering Manager
      Jul 1996 - May 2009 · 12 yrs 11 mos

      Work directly with end customers to provide best fit solutions by rapidly modifying existing pressure control valves or by integrating emerging technologies into our existing platforms.

    • Applications Engineer
      Mar 1994 - Jul 1996 · 2 yrs 5 mos

      Convert sales leads into closed sales by providing the customer immediate and thoughtful solutions to their specific applications. Responsible for troubleshooting, product literature, sales training.