Bridgeport, N.J.-based Godwin Pumps last week named Grant Salstrom chief operating officer.
Salstrom began his career with Godwin in 1978, serving as a diesel engine repairman in the evenings and on the weekends, while also working full-time at a Lister engine distributor as parts and service manager. In 1987, Salstrom accepted a full-time position with Godwin Pumps as its operations manager, overseeing parts, service and assembly at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Bridgeport.
“We hired Grant with the goal of building a parts and service department that would match our desire to never say ‘No’ to our clients,” said Godwin president John Michael Paz. “Like most of our long-term, senior managers, Grant worked his way up literally from the shop floor to the position he is in today. He understands the pace of the business and has been instrumental in our ability to maintain a sustainable long-term growth pattern.”
Salstrom took over as Godwin’s vice president of operations in 2001, the same year that Paz acquired the Godwin Pumps manufacturing facility in Quenington, England. Salstrom has played a critical role in Godwin’s ability to work with the factory and its third-party suppliers, including John Deere and Caterpillar, to meet the growing demands of its more than 180 North American distributor locations and 25 North American branches.
“Because we design, build, rent and sell our own equipment, we control our own destiny,” said Paz. “You can expect to come to our facility in Bridgeport on any day of the week and you will find Grant holding the production schedule for our outgoing pumps. He has been the navigation system behind our operational success, and this promotion reflects his significance in our success.”
In his new role, Salstrom will be responsible for all day-to-day operations involving service, parts, warranties and fabrication.
In addition to his experience with Lister, Salstrom had an additional year of experience as parts and service manager for a large Detroit diesel engine distributor.
Godwin Pumps maintains a fleet of more than 5,000 portable rental pumps and related equipment for use in dewatering in construction, mining and quarrying; in drinking water supply; and in wastewater bypasses in municipal, industrial and environmental markets.
