Matthew Roeser with Wildcat Power Gen

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Wildcat Generation, Power Generation, Industrial Talk podcast, San Antonio, PowerGen, reliability, efficiency, advanced technologies, engineering solutions, data centers, microgrids, nuclear energy, battery systems, market trends, solutions provider.

00:00

Hey, industrial professional Scott Mackenzie here, let me tell you about a company you need to know, Wildcat generation. These folks are the real deal. They bring unmatched expertise to Power Generation, from advanced technologies to boots on the ground. If you're looking to improve reliability, boost efficiency or modernize your plant for the future. Wildcat Generation is the partner that delivers no hype, just results. Wildcat Generation powering industry with purpose and precision.

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Welcome to the Industrial Talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's go all

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right once again. Welcome to Industrial Talk. Thank you very much for joining the number one industrial related podcast in the universe that celebrates industry professionals all around the world. You are bold, you are brave, you dare greatly, you innovate, you collaborate. You are solving problems each and every day, and you are making the world a better place. I'm pointing at you on the video. Thank you very much for what you do. You are the heroes in this story. We are broadcasting on site. PowerGen is the location. No. PowerGen is the conference. The location is San Antonio. How about that for screwing it up. But I bounced back. I bounced back fast. Anyway, we've got a legend. He's a legend, wild cat generation. He's in the hot seat. I'm looking forward to this conversation, because we had a conversation, was it in Dallas,

01:43

New Orleans? Was that

01:46

far, long ago? Yeah, it's been, it's been a couple years. What two, three years, Matt,

01:50

he's in the hot seat. We're gonna get we're gonna get rolling,

01:55

really, yeah, it's been a bit.

01:57

I didn't know that. Were you in Dallas? You were in Dallas? Oh, yeah, we're

02:01

in Dallas, but Dallas was such a crazy show. I I never even got away from the booth to come see you. Bye, to come see you. It's something, yeah, I think, I think the marketing department was really trying to drag me over to you, but we just couldn't get away.

02:17

It's one of those things where I can remember some shows. I really have a hard time remember Dallas. I don't know why.

02:25

No, that's fair. I I remember New Orleans like

02:28

it was, yeah, see, I do too. It's locational, but I don't know. It's not a, it's not a reflection on you Dallas. It's not, it's don't go away saying, Oh, my God,

02:38

I was, you know, I remember Dallas being a great show, right? I mean, obviously we came back to PowerGen for again, so we found value in that. So, but I'm like you, the layout and just the show in general was a blur.

02:56

Thank you. I appreciate it. I feel better about myself. I can, I can rest assured. Okay, are you having a good conference? Dude? When you say you're saying, hey, yeah, we got to come back to PowerGeneral, it's your business. You got to be here.

03:12

You don't have you don't have to be here. Listen,

03:16

the big guys don't come here. You're a big guy. Well, I know we are, but the bigger guys, you know, the big, big guy. You know, they don't come here. But you know, for us, PowerGen is, is a true focus of of concerted buyers and end users, some suppliers and friends that we don't get anywhere else. Everything we can do here in a week, you know, it, it just the value we get from seeing everybody is fantastic. It's fantastic. It's very, you know, PowerGen is starting to grow back. It used to be, it got big, and then it got small, and now it's starting to grow back. But the quality of people that are here for any other trade show, it's fantastic, it seems to me, and

03:57

I could be completely wrong, because I can't remember Dallas again. We cross that bridge is it seems to be bigger this year.

04:08

Oh, indeed, indeed, I will agree with you, though, for sure. Okay,

04:14

so with that said, we've got a level set give us a background, and then we're going to talk about wildcat, sure, sure, sure.

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04:46

right? And,

04:50

okay, so we're selling generators, but we're called engines and and everybody was mispronouncing our name, and the marketing department and myself, we got together, and I. We started throwing all kinds of names on the wall. Yeah, right, this name, that name. And, you know, we're in Kansas anyways, right? So Wildcat came up and just really stuck right there. There was no other Wildcat at the time, and, and, and then we took some, some liberties on, on some other artwork that we had and threw it together. And I think what we came out with was just an amazing logo, right?

05:27

It's, it's amazing on how, how, how much energy and is devoted to try to get that right, getting it, making sure that it feels feng shui. Well, it gets like, okay, yeah. It works.

05:39

It works. Well, here's the funny thing, okay, American public, I know you're in the right spot. I mean, that's who we're selling to. Yeah, we're all brand conscious. Yeah, that's all there is to it. So you better spend some money on something that some the brand that people are going to remember. And that's really what we did. We did a focus group, got a lot of people involved, made sure that the right people were helping us get colors tones. I love it. I mean, I absolutely love it.

06:06

How long has Wildcat been in business, including the other name to

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06:18

Yeah. And why? What, what, what. How did that just happen? I mean, like, it's like, all of a sudden one day or this, and then next day here's like, Yeah, let's create this business.

06:30

We, we don't have enough time to go through that. Literally, it's, it's, it's been the it's been by the grace of God. I mean, he doors open for us at the right time. Scott, that, you know, I look back and I hear people all the time about trying to start a business, and I kind of smile and chuckle because, you know, I remember having that passion 13 years ago. Hey, we're gonna go start this business. And not, yeah, not even knowing, you know what I was getting myself into, right but, but wouldn't have traded it for the world, the the path that we've been down, you know, at every at every turn. You know, when we're just ready to say, you know, enough's enough, we're tired. You know, we can't push on. Something happens, and God's good, he opens doors and and, you know, allows us opportunities to take those next steps up and up and up and up. And so that's what's really happened. You know, we've, we've had some really great, great friends along the way, instrumental at every piece all the way through, that have taken us from, you know, an engine company to a generator company to now, you know, we're, we've probably got the biggest lineup portfolio of just about anybody in this building. You know, we,

07:51

when you say lineup portfolio, what? Just like we have, we have solutions that are down here, and then we have solutions that are up here. Yeah.

07:59

So, you know, when we started, we were, you know, very small. We had, you know, maybe one or two products. Now we have lines of products. So, you know, we have a complete stationary lineup. Now we call it our production lineup. That's that's geared for our our distribution channel, which is our dealer and distributor network. You know, we brought in a mobile line. We read, you know, re engineered a complete mobile line, and did in another six months, which is incredible, break, break, speed mark is crazy, very crazy. And then we entered, you know, we brought in a new line of engineered products where we became more of a solutions provider, and it's, you know, we look at this show, and that's really what the show's been pushing toward, is new solutions and and so, you know, we've taken what we've, we've known for years, and then brought that technology forward, making it new. And, you know, growing that into an engine. We call it engineer solutions today.

09:02

So when you say solutions, you're talking about engineering solutions. I'm a company. I come to Wildcat. I have this I have this challenge. I need power, but I have this particular setup I need. I need a little bit more than just, yeah, we got a generator, that type of thing.

09:19

Talking about, you've got an application, let's say you've got, I don't know, 25 megawatts, 50 megawatts, 100 megawatts, whatever it may be. You know, in order to get that power today, with the resources that are available, the capacities that are going through, on on everybody, there's just not one set platform. And so people have to be, you know, a bit nimble and move around, whether it's a turbine, a battery, recipient, engine, whatever that may be. And so what we found is is on our engineered solution side, that we can walk in and then provide that architecture for these projects, both, you know, not just on. In the product base, but also with the engineering side. We've got, you know, probably on our direct team, I we're five engineers deep. We've got access to, you know, 500 more engineers that all they do are, you know, energy solutions, you know, through us. So, so that's what the engineering solutions. It really is a custom made product specific application,

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application, and see your your pedigree and starting a wildcat, and all of the you're saying, hey, I want to start this business, and I want to, you know, invite problems, and I want to overcome those problems, and I and I want to do that, and I want the struggle. So I'm all into the the services, because you can, you can at least feel comfortable knowing that that person has challenges. Can I? Can I be some sort of a pain reliever a little bit on those individuals?

10:57

That's all this is, yeah, all this is, right? You know, there's a great book out there. It's, it's called SPIN Selling. I don't know if you've ever heard of SPIN Selling, situation, problem, implication, need. And, you know, we, we instill that in our business every day, right? Once you understand the situation what the problem is, you can find the need to solve it. And that's really what we do, right? Finding those, those applications where we can just step in, provide that solution, yeah, and keep going.

11:27

Do you guys do once you engage, and once I say, Yep, sure, you know Wildcats for me. And is there the maintenance support that you guys provide? Do you do that? I mean, I because I'm getting to the point where I just want one person to contact and satisfy my needs. I want that Sherpa to be able to sort of help me along on my journey.

11:56

You're a rare form today. About this conversation a couple of

12:02

times, the answer is yes. You know,

12:04

you know we are a true solutions provider. So you know, whether that's, you know, aftermarket sales and support maintenance, you know the equipment to us. The equipment is just this first step, right? That's it. You know, you know the customer's already given us faith and trust that we're going to pull this off. You know, our, you know, our push is not to just be here and gone, right? So, no, it's not a good business model. No, not, not really. So, so, yeah, many books are written like that, yeah. So, yeah, that's, that's really our push is, is, you know, the long term growth of the customer, yeah, in the power industry, whatever that may be, you know, if somebody comes up to us with some idea, you know, we're going to listen if it solves the problem, okay?

12:55

Because you have your fingers on the pulse of what's taking place in the power industry. What's, what's peaking your interest, and what's saying, hey, we want to be there. What, what helped me understand

13:09

the market out there? Well, I mean, everybody's gonna be talking about the same thing here. That's what it

13:18

is, it is it is which they

13:21

want to they want it tomorrow. They want that power tomorrow, and they want to be able to be up and running.

13:27

And, you know, somebody made a good comment to me. They they said, everybody thinks we're Amazon, right? You click a button today and it's delivered tomorrow. And that's just not how this dog hunts. But, you know, data centers is obviously the big push, right? Everybody's, you know, looking for capacity, needing capacity, you know, turbines, you know, for what it's worth, have become, you know, a hot commodity. I think everybody out here, you know, has, one way or another, been talking somebody about buying or selling or renting.

13:58

Is that really sustainable?

14:02

I can see a bubble sort of bursting. Everybody's like, All right, we got this going,

14:06

14:14

But you're looking at it specifically. It's not just, it's not data centers, it's, it's the whole market, 100% and, and, and this demand for power goes across everything.

14:25

You know, I think what we're gonna really see in the US, I think we're gonna see a re emergence of the the co op utilities, interesting to go back into, like micro grids.

14:38

Just see, I had that conversation with somebody, because I would, I agree with you 100%

14:43

but you, you're pointing out, continue pulling that string.

14:45

15:15

I don't have a problem with that. Because here's the problem, the structural problems that I have with utilities is that they always look at it from the rate of return. I've got a if I'm going to put this asset or capacity out there, I need to have a rate of return for that capital expenditure. And nobody, nobody wants to say, okay, cool, I want to pay more. And then you have the infrastructure challenge. You know, my background in the utilities back, way back when you what we were talking about, yeah, capacity. We don't have enough line capacity, and it hasn't changed.

15:52

No, no. And I think there are some financial models out there that are going to start to emerge. You know, I started to see some already that are going to make it more attractive to those mini micro grids where, you know, nobody wants to be paying, you know, 13 cents, a kWh today, and 26 and, you know, a year, yeah, and a lot of people are seeing this, right? I mean, you know, people are, people want to have set bills and it, you know, if somebody can work out those models to where they can go in and put in a, you know, a 30 megawatt micro grid, right? And, and the consumers are going to be at this for a fixed 10 year period, yeah, I think you're going to see a lot of traction there in the next, you know, two to five years.

16:36

This is to you. So, you know, the market is pretty, pretty frothy. It's happening out there like and I guess I would imagine you get peppered all the time, right? Sure, what about that? And you've got to sort of filter out what's what's you just have to, you know, put your hat on. How does Wildcat deal with it's not just a generator. So I come to you and say, I need a generator. No, there's all this other stuff that goes along with it, the supply chain, the the, you know, yeah, we get, we get that part over here we and then you start talking about the capitalist expectations. You just do. I mean, it's part of it, yeah, you're just constantly wrestling. How do you How are you sort of at wildcat, trying to manage all that stuff?

17:27

I mean, there's a lot to unpack of what you said. I mean, you're talking all the way financial to logistics, yeah, power, generation. You know, it's it really. I think anybody who's successful in business has to have a investigator mindset, yeah, I think a lot of people lack that today. You know, open ended questions, trying to get people to talk, to really understand what their needs are. The Internet hasn't helped people. You know, I'll tell you a funny story. So I've got a I've got a sister who's a hypochondriac,

17:59

right? And all she does not editing that out, bro, yeah, and

18:02

she just sits there on the internet. No, I've got this. I've got this, right? Common, common, common. Well, a lot of people do that for Power Generation too, and that's great. Help them give a basis. But when they start to think they're experts in a field that they don't know, that's where it gets a little tough. And so you've got, you've got to be able as as, you know, frontline into the power industry. You've got to be able to, you know, talk through everything, explore, make sure you understand the full aspect. You know, capital is what it is. This is a, this is a capital intensive business. It is, I don't care

18:39

who you I don't know. I don't care it is what it is. I understand

18:42

it will, it will tie up, you know, cash for 270, days, and not even blink at you and and so, you know, you definitely have to be strong. Cash strong in this industry, no matter what, to be successful. But you know, listen, it's a good time to be in PowerGenerally, because of true capacities. You know, when your demand is out, out, you know, outpacing your your output, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's good, right? And bad. There are logistic issues. But, you know, I think that's the value of

19:14

power, Joe, see, I think there's a renaissance. I think we're, we're experiencing a renaissance here. What do you mean by that? I think there's going to be a greater focus on the need for capital. And I think that with the expansions and growth projections of companies, I think they're going to invest more energy, more investments in the expansion. I think the market's going to grow a bit. Oh, and with that, it has to see. And I just, I think, and either you're buckled in and you're ready to roll, or you're left behind, you're left behind and, and I don't want people to be left behind. I want people to succeed, companies to succeed.

19:54

Well, don't worry what Wildcats here. I mean, we're not going to hell of an old girl Well, looking. Yes, now you know what? Actually, it's the team, right? And I've got, I've got a great team, you know? I think our, our most junior person right now has been only with me for two years. Most of my people have been with me 10 plus years. So, you know that's that just kind of tells you the level of trust we have and partnership we have as a group. And, and they're second to none, right? I got a great marketing department, I got a great sales department, I got an even better engineering team. Yeah, you know. And, and we couldn't be where we're at without them, obviously.

20:33

So how do you how do you do you touched upon it? How do you deal with the people you're saying, Hey, I'm expanding.

20:41

I'm growing. Scott, I don't, I don't. Everybody in the business will tell you I am the least people person to my employees. I've been trying to work on it. It's a horrible trait, and I'm admitting your show, but, but, but, no, you know, I've got, I've got a really good, really good buffer in Monica. And Monica Rosier, who's our CFO, yeah, you know, she's just a doll, and she She's steps in. And does that people? Person part of it?

21:10

That the attraction. I Hey, we need new people. We need young how do we how do we inspire the next generation of individuals that need to be a part of our team?

21:19

That's not me, that that's not me. I mean, I'm, you know, my role is to be the dreamer, and I love that role to, you know, kind of see market trends, what's coming, what's not. You know, this year we focused on batteries. And everybody goes, well, why are you doing batteries? Well, you know, batteries are not new technology. And they've, you know, three years they've been in and out. Now they're to a point where, you know, I put it back to the old LED TVs, right? You remember, you should go buy a 32 inch TV, and it was 678, 100 bucks. Yeah, I walked into Sam's the other day, and you can get a 32 inch for $87 and I'm like, There's one right there. And so, you know, as technology moves on, the price kinds to come, you know, turn back. And with our manufacturing capacities, we're at a point now where we need to bring in and really start to push forward on, on the battery systems. And so we're betting heavy on, on, you know, best systems right now, not just emergency or not just stand by, but mobile as well. And, you know, that's kind of the trends I see coming for Power Generation as this Data Center continues

22:29

to grow. Yeah, you have a business data center that are very sensitive to fluctuations within the quality of that power and you need a a very stable solution. And that's where I see the battery component with,

22:44

well, that's, that's the engineer solutions, right? The architecture all the way through. It's, you know, part part battery, part recipient, engine, part turbine, you know, to ultimately give that, you know, the cleanest utility power possible, right? And that's, that's always been the real issue with reciprocating engines, right? Is, is how clean of power we can provide, yeah. But applications, everything.

23:07

Oh, 100% Oh, yeah, I agree. And now with you focused on batteries. Okay, I got that. What other trends do you see that? Do you blow my mind with another trend? I want to, I want to. I get the batteries. I get all of that. I get the data I get, all that is there's and I maybe I should just retract that, because I want micro grid. I want the micro grid, you know, I do that,

23:32

you know?

23:35

I think there's a couple things that are out there that are coming forward. Now, how fast they come forward will largely depend on legislation and consumer feel. I think nuclear is going to, is going to come back to the front. Yeah, it has to now to what, you know, I don't think we're going to be building, you know, Megan nuclear plants, but the if the technology can get to a point where we're doing micro nuclear, yep,

24:03

module, whatever that is, yeah,

24:08

the general public is going to have to, you know, come back to that, you know, I that's probably the biggest future there,

24:17

you know, I agree. Is anybody talking nukes here. A few people, yeah, yeah. I've been stuck in the salt mine. Other people, get a hold of you. Thank you very much, Doc, got it, I try, because you're that special, yeah.

24:34

So you can always find us at Wildcat. It's WW, Wildcat PowerGen comm. We're in Wichita, Kansas. Feel free to cold. You know, it's cold everywhere pretty soon. Listen everybody in this building smiling right now because of this Arctic storm, because they know generator cells are about to

24:55

go up. Outstanding. Matt, you were fantastic. Thank you. Please deliver. And I think, I think you're just a nice guy. I'm just here to tell you I like

25:09

all right, reach out to Matt. You out on LinkedIn,

25:12

I am on LinkedIn. You can find me. Matthew Rosier, Wildcat power jet

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got it all right. Reach out to him. We'll have all the contact information for Matt out on Industrial Talk. So fear not reach out. You need to know. You need to connect with this gen. You need to connect with Wildcat generation, because they're good. I like that. All right, we're gonna, once again, wrap it up on the other side. We are broadcasting here at PowerGen, and it is in San Antonio. Had some good food last night. It's good Mexican food here, really is you drop the truth bomb. All right, we're gonna wrap it up on the other side. Stay tuned. We will be right back.

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You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network.

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