Jon Eldridge: Operations Performance

What did you dream of being when you were growing up?

I actually had two parallel dreams. First was to be a professional baseball player and second was to fly aircraft in the USAF! I ultimately ended up going the USAF route, but the slim chance I had of flying went out the window with color vision deficiency.

What is one of your greatest achievements?

While there are several professional achievements I could list here, each contract won, each promotion received or given, each award won in the USAF, etc., the greatest achievement that really matters the most at the end of the day is my family. I am very proud of all of my family, my four boys, my wife, even my dogs! Being able to support them through all of the great highs and lows, see all of their amazing achievements, and of course being able to provide for them is by far the greatest thing I have ever achieved, and do not see that ever changing.

What do you feel is the biggest strength of our company right now?

We are a flat organization, which none of our main competition can say. This allows us to have access top to bottom both internally, and also for our customers. I love that we have worked very hard to create a culture of trust and collaboration and truly believe we are seeing the beginnings of that setting us apart in the competitive landscape. We are different in so many ways and that is a good thing!

What is the most important thing we should know about you as a leader?

I am incredibly competitive, hate losing and refuse to accept that anything is impossible. I suspect that at times this comes out as me always being positive, but the root of that is that there is always a way and if the first approach doesn't;t work we will find another way! I also love to be part of the team and be challenged and have the ability to openly challenge others on the team. Accepting the first answer "because that is the way we have always done it" is like nails on a chalkboard for me!