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With a passion for problem solving and the IoT space, Chris Malo, one of Generac’s Customer Success Managers, talks about his life, entrepreneurial background, and what led him to Generac. Chris is just one of the helpful CSMs who works at Generac. They all come from various backgrounds and possess different skill sets which make them enjoyable to talk to as well as great team members. Chris’s optimism and “can do attitude” are just a few reasons why he is a great asset to Generac.
Career Questions
Q: What brought you to tank utility and what keeps you here?
A: I am a geek at heart with a background as an entrepreneur in the tech industry. I believe that the IoT space opportunity is huge and just like what we are doing with tank monitoring systems, everything that can be connected to the internet, will be. Generac is challenging the way that propane businesses have operated for decades and it’s a huge opportunity which is really exciting to me. What keeps me here is the empowering environment and the people here who make it this way. The lunch places right near our office are a plus too.
Q: You mentioned your extensive background, can you elaborate on some of these experiences?
A: Most of my career has been within the tech industry. I spent ten years at AT&T, where I was a project manager for C-level driven projects such as ensuring connectivity for the Boston Marathon and the Texas Cowboys’ stadium. After AT&T I was involved in a couple of startups ranging from restaurant marketing, fintech, and working with consumer algorithms. One of the companies I was a co-founder of was accepted into the Barclays New York Techstars Accelerator Program which makes me a TechStars alum and keeps me involved in the startup scene here in Boston.
Q: It sounds like you have a ton of experience, are there any defining moments in your career that you have really enjoyed?
A: One of these moments would have to be managing a twenty million dollar deployment of telecommunications infrastructure for the CEO of AT&T at the Boy Scout National Summit. We basically turned 3,000 acres of pure mountain range into an entire city complete with everything from olympic size swimming pools to robotics camps. This required us to build thousands of wireless access points along with hundreds of miles of fiber. We basically converted a path in the woods into an entire city in the span of 18 months.
Getting to know Chris
Q: If you could use two words to describe yourself, what would they be?
A: I would have to say the words would be goal driven and optimistic. When I was in kindergarten, I told everyone that I wanted to be a computer technician when I grow up. I like to tell this story because even at a young age I have always had a goal and was striving towards something.
Q: We know you are a hard worker who enjoys interacting with people, but is there anything else specifically that energizes you?
A: Challenges really excite me. Whether that is the creation of a new product or a specific customer issue, I really enjoy something that doesn’t have a clearly defined path. I like to go out and do something that no one’s done before. That’s why I really love my position here because it allows me to streamline customer problems in my own way in order to really offer them the best value possible.
Q: Is there any advice you have for others who want to set off in a similar direction as you?
A: One piece of advice I always like to give people is to prioritize your relationships with others. Working at a company whose values align with my own has been great. Generac truly values its relationships with its customers and it definitely shows. Another piece of advice I have is to never underestimate the power of Excel skills as they will take you far in life!
