Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 16 Octubre 2023 By David Steinkraus A s he was growing up, his career choices were three, said Eduardo Sán- chez, and he said it with humor in his voice. His parents, immi- grants from Mexico, expected him to become a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. As it turned out, one of those careers really did fit. "When I was younger, I gravitated toward math," he said. "I gravitated toward electronics." Now, at 41, he is the principal of Designteq Consulting Engineers based in Chicago and the company's lead electrical engineer. Designteq is only four years old and in September, graduated from ComEd's incubator pro- gram to certify energy efficiency service providers. That should help the business, Sánchez said, because it will allow Designteq to explain to clients how their inves- tment in more efficient lighting fixtures and other equipment can be repaid within a year or two, given the greater efficiency of newer equipment and finan- cial incentives from ComEd. As a young boy Sánchez lived in the Little Village neighbor- hood. As he approached school age, he said, his parents moved to West Lawn, near Midway International Airport, in search of better education options. Sanchez and his older brother Edgar attended Catholic school, and Sánchez went on to the University of Illinois at Chicago where he earned an engineering degree. (His brother became an electrician and now works for ComEd as one of the people who run the city's power grid.) In his first job Sánchez worked for a large national engineering company. Next came a smaller firm, and Sánchez reaped bene- fits. At a large firm, he explai- ned, you specialize in one type of work. "In smaller firms, you do everything from A to Z. You meet clients, you talk to the clients, you do every aspect of the project." It was the same at his next company, also a smaller firm, where he did exactly what an owner would do. Although gra- teful for the work, he said, he saw an opportunity. "I thought could provide better customer experience." A GOOD PARTNER Key to starting his own com- pany was the man he met at his first job out of college. Neil Mantala had immigrated from the Philippines at age 19, Sán- chez said, and they worked together for eight years, then moved to a different company for another two years. They work well together, Sánchez said, and Mantala was the per- son he turned to when he star- ted thinking about forming his own company. "If it wasn't for him, I think it would be really difficult to have this going." Mantala is a 50% owner with Sánchez and serves as the company's lead mechanical engi- neer. They also have five emplo- yees who work on contract. They want to expand and hire more engineers, Sánchez said, but the primary consideration will be hiring people who appre- ciate the company's values and culture and can carry those to clients. They also want to have more corporate clients, he said. At present, the company does a bit of everything. They ser- ve some large corporate clients but also some small business owners who are just starting out and have a building they need to renovate. "We do a lot of work for small restaurants," he said. Their big current project, just starting, is a school renovation for Chicago Public Schools. EFFICIENT WORK What Designteq doesn't have is an office. When they were starting, Sánchez said, they realized that answering some questions doesn't require a lengthy in-per- son meeting but can be handled with a short email or text chat. "That was one of the benefits we were going to offer employees: remote work, you don't have to be at the office, we can still collaborate by using technology, it's pretty simple, maybe meet once or twice a week on major issues." This approach also saved money for their start-up. Then the COVID-19 pande- mic hit, and remote work beca- me something that everybody did. Now managers are pulling employees back to offices, and Sánchez said he and Mantala are thinking about an office, too. They still work virtually but see the value of having a dedicated space of some kind. When he told people he was leaving to start his own com- pany, Sánchez said, only a few people questioned why he would abandon a steady job for the uncertainty of a new ventu- re and self-employment. More numerous were the supportive people who encouraged him to follow his dream. Particularly important was finding Neil, he said. "Being able to lean on someone, it's priceless." Seeks better customer service DESIGNTEQ As the child of immigrants, Eduardo Sanchez jokes that his career choices were doctor, lawyer, or engineer — but one of them really did work out and culminated in his new consulting business. " I thought could provide better customer experience." Eduardo Sánchez

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