Meet Lynn: Technical Sales Specialist for Spanco

If you’ve ever called Spanco to ask about a gantry crane, you’ve probably had the pleasure of speaking with our technical sales specialist, Lynn.

She’s an integral part of the Spanco family and a long-time employee with a passion for customer service. As one of our dealers put it, “When you speak to Lynn, she’s happy to provide the information you need without giving you the impression that she’s trying to convince you to buy something.” That’s because Lynn truly believes that solving the customer’s problem is the most valuable part of her job.

Lynn is well known in the material handling industry, especially by reps and distributors, who regard her highly. She’s made a huge impression on the people she works with, and not just because she’s a woman in a male dominated industry, but because she—without a doubt—knows more about gantry cranes than most people in the world of overhead cranes. She’s often the last employee left in the building at the end of the day, because meeting her customer’s needs is inarguably her number one priority.

Lynn started working for Spanco nearly 28 years ago, and she has provided the kind of flexibility and vast array of knowledge necessary to create meaningful, professional relationships with dealers and reps in the industry. She began working for Spanco as an office manager in 1986, when she was highly recommended by one of our engineers. Over the years, Lynn has filled many roles for the company and worked in multiple departments, including purchasing and human resources. In 1990, she began to transition to sales, and is now our gantry crane Technical Sales Specialist.

There’s no doubt that Lynn’s priority is ensuring that the customer’s needs are met. According to Keith Marynowski from Lifting Gear Hire, “Lynn is the best damn customer service rep LGH has ever encountered.” And, Jim Smolucka from Smolucka Industrial Sales said, “Lynn is always prompt with her responses—dealers love her because she goes out of her way to ensure we’re happy and that the end user is completely satisfied.”

The evidence is in the final product. After listening to customer feedback and evaluating their needs, Lynn even initiated an upgrade to our gantry casters to improve their overall portability and flexibility—which are often extremely important factors for companies looking to purchase a gantry crane.  Problem solving is a huge part of the job for our technical sales specialists, and as such, Lynn believes in the importance of customization, whenever it’s necessary to meet the needs of a particular application.

In fact, when a dealer came to Lynn looking for a very specific gantry crane for an unusual operation, she made special accommodations to ensure he had what he needed. The dealer needed a high-capacity, heavy-lift PF gantry crane to transport materials in excess of 10,000 pounds and up to 50 feet in length. In addition to increased capacity, the operation required the system to be completely portable. A standard motorized gantry crane is forward and reverse motion only, and they needed to maneuver the gantry from one work area to another.

To meet the customer’s needs, Lynn conducted research, evaluated her options, and worked with our engineering department to come up with a customized solution that would accomplish their goals perfectly. The PF gantry crane was fitted with 12-inch diameter Nylacron™ wheels with heavy-duty bearings and four-position swivel locks, ultimately enabling one worker to move the non-motorized gantry under load with minimal effort.

The customer was extremely pleased with the end result; according to him, “The gantry crane is not only portable, it’s also extremely precise. The first time we used it we were able to place a massive holding fixture onto the back of a trailer within 1/16th of an inch from the edge of the truck. I don’t think the truck driver had ever seen anything like it.”

The positive feedback we get from dealers and reps is a great indication of Lynn’s impressive track record in the industry. According to Mike Hatton, Factory Sales Rep for Spanco, “I never get complaints from dealers about Lynn. She always goes the extra mile—and she does it with a sense of humor. She’s just very knowledgeable and extremely personable. But most of all, when Lynn tells you she’s going to do something, she does every thing possible to make sure she gets it done right.”

It takes a special kind of person to work in customer service, but even more so as a technical sales specialist. In fact, Lynn not only receives calls about our current systems, she also receives calls about older systems on a regular basis. According to Hatton, “When I receive calls about a system from ten years ago or more, Lynn will stop what she’s doing to look up the serial number and locate the dealer who sold it. She’s been here so long, she knows the product better than anyone, but she also knows the history of the company, and how to make the dealer feel important.” That’s because Lynn believes the dealers are important, and she strives to make suggestions that clearly benefit the customer.

Aside from her professional life, Lynn is also a wife, mother, and avid dog lover. She’s been married to her husband, Paul, for 31 years, and attributes their success to the strong friendship they’ve developed over the years.

They love spending quality time with their two sons and adorable black lab, Molly.

Their youngest son, Ryan, is a professional draftsman, sports enthusiast, and talented athlete. Their oldest son, Matt, is an ICU Nurse and Volunteer Fire Fighter. 

Matt is recently engaged to his fiancée, Chelsea, who’s a Physical Therapist. Lynn is thrilled about their upcoming wedding, and she’s looking forward to becoming a grandmother one day. In the meantime, she likes to spoil her two grand-dogs, Roxy and Brantley.

In fact, if you ask Lynn what she wants to do when she retires, she’ll tell you she wants to start a vacation home for dogs. Paul’s not sure he’s totally on board yet, but Lynn knows she’s got time to change his mind. Until then, it’s all gantry cranes for this technical sales expert, and we’re just happy to have her here for as long as possible!