Bruce Bacon Spreads His Wings

April 19, 2022
By: Alexa Schlosser

Bruce Bacon of Exodus Global was one of the recipients of the 2022 NDA Hall of Fame Award bestowed at Demolition San Diego earlier this year. We connected with Bruce to learn more about his career, hear a few stories from the early days and discuss the future.

I understand you started your career at LaBounty. What was it like working there, and what made you take the next step to found Genesis Equipment & Manufacturing?

My LaBounty years were a great learning experience. Working directly with Roy and Ken LaBounty was a meaningful time in my life. I still consider Roy LaBounty a mentor, and what I learned from him was this: 1) continue to innovate, and 2) the customer always comes first. Those were Roy’s mantras. I can say that, at that time at LaBounty (which was a privately owned company at the time), the product development was fast and furious with a lot of successes and a lot of failures. The rotating shear, concrete pulverizer and universal processor were all in various stages of development and launch.

After the company was sold, those processes slowed considerably and a more disciplined corporate philosophy was put in place. Nothing wrong with that. It just didn’t “fit” for a few of us. Frankly, some of us missed the “old way” — Roy’s way — and we determined that another company could and should compete in this growing global market.

We knew that someone, somewhere, was going to enter the market and that no company could maintain the market domination that LaBounty had enjoyed. We decided that someone should be us: Kevin Bakke, Curt Frahm, Ken LaBounty and myself.

We determined that we would go back to the old way of taking risks and drive innovation and put the customer on the top of the priority list. That is exactly what we did at Genesis, with innovations such as a higher strength steel imported from Sweden, hydraulic regeneration, more power in each weight class, the bolt of piercing tip, a more easily adjusted guide system, the sophisticated LXP product and many other innovative products. Yes, we made mistakes, but with each generation in those early days, products were improved, and we carried on the tradition of “customer first.”

The company was sold in 2004 for a variety of reasons, and I stayed on through the beginning of 2009. But, as is normal practice, the company became more of a corporate animal, and I determined that it was time for me to go and begin again. I must say that I still care deeply about Genesis and many of the people there today who I once worked with and likely hired. Great people, great company. I’m still proud of it.

After your time at Genesis, you founded a new company, Exodus Global. Tell me about that.

Exodus Machines was launched with the goal of competing with the German manufacturers of material handlers with the same philosophies of taking risks in innovation. Frankly, I did not recognize the gargantuan task of designing and manufacturing a complex machine like a material handler. What a monumental challenge and yet, we did just that, albeit with several engineering challenges and other unforeseen issues like the market crash at the end of 2008 and banking regulatory and financial hardships due to the collapse. Yet, the product was successful enough that a major industrial equipment company came calling, and we negotiated an agreement. As we went down that path, it became apparent over time that the key market performance metrics were not being met. I understood that if the agreement ended, Exodus would be out of business. I/we never intended to get into the attachment business, but faced with the reality of a highly probable change, I knew we had the following choice to make: change direction or face a shutdown. At the time, that affected 90 families of good people.

We entered the attachment business with rapidly developing divisions of BladeCore, ShearCore (Fortress), OilQuick USA and Connect Work Tools. In the end, the premonition came true; the agreement was ended and, fortunately, we had made the adjustments needed to survive and thrive. That is the company you see today at Exodus Global.

Are there any early stories from the history of Genesis or Exodus Global that you’d like to share?

One particular story at Genesis tells of the customer commitment (and early product issues). We had a demolition customer in Illinois that had bought a Magnum 700R shear. He was on a job with a tight timeline. He was having problems with some hydraulic components — like, all of the hydraulic components. We did not know exactly what was wrong or what parts were failing. All we knew was that we had a customer down who was desperate. This is what we did: Curt Frahm, co-founder; Kenny Horgan, a service man; and myself chartered a plane, loaded every part we could think of on it and all the tools we thought we might need and flew to Illinois. It would have taken too long to ship parts and tools, and this was an emergency! We landed, met Curt and went to the site. We diagnosed the issue and got the shear running, and he completed the job on time. There is a lot more to the story, but the point is, no one does that, right? But we did. It made all the difference. There were many stories like that early at Genesis.

I’ve gotta throw a couple more stories in. I’m asked to meet a demo company in Louisiana on a big bridge removal job — environmental challenges, big steel bridge. So, I go, meet the contractor for the first time — we were going to discuss equipment they would need (I thought). Now, bear in mind, they had already secured this big project. I meet the guys, we shake hands and the job super says, “How do you recommend we do this job.” I said “What?” “How do you think we should do this job?” I thought, “Wow, this is scary. I don’t think that sort of thing happens anymore. Does it?”

Last one: I was asked by a major aluminum foundry to come look at a complete plant complex removal in Arkansas. I did that, and the manager asked me to provide him with a list of the five largest demo contractors in the country. I did that, except, I said, I’ll give you the top four, and I’m adding a smaller family-owned business where you would deal directly with the owners. I know them, they are good people. He said, “OK, I’ll let them bid.” The “small” guys got the job: Leonard, Rick and John Cherry. I believe it was a $10 million project. It changed the landscape for them. That was back in my LaBounty days with Waukesha Pearce, Rusty May and Steve Robinson. Crazy what one innocent conversation can do when you are trying to do the right thing.

An Exodus story I like to tell is the story of Murray Cohen at IMI, Denver. They had been an early Genesis customer. Murray and I talked on the phone, and I flew out to Denver. We talked for a bit about this “theoretical” Exodus material handler. We wrote up a deal on a piece of notebook paper, and Murray gave me a deposit check for Exodus MH447 serial #1. I think we delivered it about nine months later. Here is what is interesting: Murray also bought MX447 serial #10, #101 and MX337 #1. Amazing.

The one thing I always say is that the gift of trust is one of the greatest gifts a man or woman can give. That gift has to be honored and treated with respect. That has held true so many times in the demolition and the recycling industries. So much of what happens is based on trust, reputation and just doing what you said you would.

What are the biggest ways the industry has changed since the early 1990s?

Certainly the industry has changed a great deal over the years. Equipment becoming more reliable and efficient. I haven’t seen a wrecking ball in a while now! Safety is paramount. Employee education, training and retention is at the top of everyone’s list. But some things haven’t changed. It is still a people and relationship industry. That is still the driver in successful long-term relationships. You could see and feel that at this year’s live convention in San Diego. People connecting with people. Old relationships being renewed, new ones being formed. I guess someone said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

What would you say has been the key to your success over the years?

I guess my keys to success are simple: 1) Hire great people and let them spread their wings; 2) Try to be fair and put yourself in the customer’s shoes; and 3) If you fail; admit it. Then fix it.

What role has NDA played in the history of your companies and career?

The demolition industry is full of self-made people. They took risks, made mistakes, sweated, cried and worked their butts off to build something that did not previously exist — oftentimes from nothing. Others took over family businesses and modernized and grew them into companies that their fathers and mothers are proud of. I relate to that. To know and feel what it takes to build and grow and sweat it out is a common theme. I think that is where the bond and the trust comes from.

You earn your stripes in this industry but, once earned, those relationships can last a lifetime. I continue to see things change, even while many traditions remain in place. I see products like OilQuick addressing safety, environmental and labor challenges being adopted.

I see NDA and other European, British and Australian demolition associations interacting more, sharing ideas and experiences. I see a renewal of engagement in these associations and the families and ties that form a common bond. I need to say that many of the advancements that have occurred in equipment design and performance came directly from NDA members. They said “We need this to do that,” and it paid off to listen. You can see that in the products that are being used today. It pays to listen to people who are experts in their field.

I understand you are transitioning into retirement. What will that look like for you?

It was really hard for me to be at what was called my “last” NDA convention in San Diego. So many friends, customers, competitors and memories. But also, a wonderful experience. I’m not really retiring. I’m off on a new venture that may be the highest risk of all that I have tried. I’m not ready to stop working. God willing, I’ll be busy for several more years. And one thing I have definitely learned is this: You never know what life will throw at you. So, who knows, I may be back around someday. Never say never.