Matt Ledger
Name: Matt Ledger
Position: North Central NA Regional Manager
Years with the company: 3 months
1) What was your childhood like?
I grew up with 2 older brothers, which means I usually followed in their footsteps as far as sports go. Soccer, football, lacrosse during school time, and mountain biking, water sports, skiing and camping during off season. Most of my free time was spent outside.
2) Who was a hero to you growing up? Why?
I don’t think I had a specific hero, but I did have my older brothers who were always at the next level of sports I wanted to be at, so I guess they would be considered my heroes (don’t tell them though).
3) What are your hobbies?
Skiing, Mountain Biking, Music, and I am getting into kiteboarding again.
4) How did you end up in metrology? Did you go to school for it?
I ended up working in an aircraft tooling facility in the fabrication department: plasma cutting, welding, working a press for a little while, and then I was eventually working a laser tracker on nights. That lasted for a while until I got moved to day shift and eventually running the laser department. That was my schooling, and I am proud of every moment of it. I then moved on to work for an OEM on the software side of metrology in which I was able to run just about every piece of digital metrology equipment out there and now, API.
5) How did you come to be at API?
I had worked very closely with several of the employees at API, and it is rare to find a group of individuals that know the equipment so well, as all of them had run the equipment in their previous lives. So, their understanding of application was impressive. Oh, and they talk to customers as I would like to be talked to, instead of pre rehearsed sales jargon. Those 2 things made it an easy decision to work for a team that matches my morals and application workflows.
6) What are your roles and responsibilities with API?
They have graciously allowed me to cover a large swath of territory, North America North Central from Michigan and Ohio’s eastern border all the way to the western borders of the Dakotas and north from Kentucky. I am responsible for all the sales activity for API’s entire product suite and assisting any services in my territory. I would like to think of the role as assisting any API activity from application to marketing, as I have found the whole of API works as a team. It sounds cliché, but it definitely is not at this company.
7) What sets API apart from other metrology companies in your mind?
The people that sell the equipment, run the equipment. The level of respect everyone has for each other’s backgrounds allows each person to call on each other. The willingness of everyone at API to help you without any monetary gain on their end gives you so much confidence that the customer will be taken care of, even if you’re not fully informed on that specific application.
8) What API Product or Service are you most excited to tell people about?
I can’t believe when someone has never even seen an API tracker in manufacturing. Our technology has been the most capable, portable and supported equipment in the industry, and I believe that to my Radian Core. I am also super excited about our Machine Tool Calibration line as the need to inspect and calibrate CNCs and machine tools, to me, is a 10x market if not more.
9) What about API’s future excites you?
I feel like I joined the team at the right time. The products design is the smallest and most matured in the industry, so all the supply chain intricacies have been honed. The amount of work API has put into their marketing and support channel is finally getting the brand the recognition they have always deserved. I am excited about riding this huge upswing they are having, and I hope I can help with it.
10) What does “Nothing Beyond Measure” mean to you?
To me, it means we are focused on measurement. I’ve heard some others in the metrology industry refer to their company as “a finance company” or focused on their shareholders. API being private means we can focus on the only thing we are always striving to perfect, measurement.
