06/11/2012

Leadership Q&A: Hal Kemp, Vice President, Allen Orton LLC and President-Elect of FPDA

FPDA In Motion recently spoke with Hal Kemp, president-elect of FPDA and president of Georgia-based Allen Orton LLC, which was recently acquired by Louisiana-based Hydradyne, the largest fluid power, repair, service and distribution company in North America.

FPDA: How did you get your start in this industry? What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Hal Kemp: Out of college, I went to work for Parker Aerospace, which is a Stratoflex Products Division of Parker Hannifin. My career has spanned throughout the last 25 years both with Parker Hannifin and in distribution with Allen Orton. Now I’m managing a region for Hydradyne on the Allen Orton side of our business. I think more than anything else the people side of the business interests me. What I really enjoy is the relationship with suppliers — internally and with personnel — and also watching the young people grow into outstanding players in our business.

FPDA: What products and services does Hydradyne provide?

Kemp: Hydradyne is Parker Hannifin Corporation’s largest distributor in North America. We are a full service motion and control company that produces products needed in control, pneumatics, hydraulics and electromechanics. Hydradyne is a company with 30 locations in the Southwest and Southeast. Our growth is going to continue to come from the oil patch, energy sector, the medical sector and packaging. We separate our organization into three distinct groups: distribution, service and repair, and system design and fabrication.

FPDA: Can you share more about Hydradyne’s recent acquisition of Allen Orton LLC?

Kemp: Hydradyne has grown into a technology-driven organization. With the acquisition and merger of Allen Orton into the business, we represent 37 different disciplines and divisions of Parker Hannifin. It’s going to help Hydradyne to understand the controls, pneumatics, electromechanical and fluid connector side of the business. That’s a new and exciting sector.

FPDA: How was the last fiscal year for Hydradyne?

Kemp: We operate on a calendar year. From 2010-2011, it went from a $130 million company to a $210 million company — almost a 60 percent growth year to year. A lot of that is attributed to the diversity of the technology that Hydradyne is bringing to the marketplace.

FPDA: What lies ahead in the future for Hydradyne?

Kemp: The future of the company looks good. Certainly, we want to increase our footprint in the Southwest and Southeast and that’s via acquisition and merger. We’re looking for opportunities on the repair side of our business. Especially for our employees, it presents all kinds of opportunities for growth. Becoming a larger corporation has created opportunities for employees and it has captured new technologies for our customers we didn’t have before the acquisition.

FPDA: You were recently named president-elect of FPDA. What will you do in your role as president?

Kemp: I’ve been affiliated with FPDA for the last 15 years, and I’ve been on the board of directors for at least five years in a position to help lead, direct and guide the changes within FPDA. I’ve also been engaging more manufacturers and suppliers and trying to increase membership while creating an education and training value for our distribution member salespeople. I’m looking forward to being president. I want to continue the tradition of past presidents. We want to grow our organization and we want to continue to bring in new membership from different industries including automation, controls and electromechanical.

FPDA: What role do you think FPDA plays in this industry and how does it benefit the companies that belong?

Kemp: I can’t stress enough the educational piece of the association and how we help integrate younger people into the organization. FPDA also trains and educates our companies for long-term growth.

FPDA: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Kemp: I can’t stress enough the importance of FPDA and how it relates to growth in our industry. I encourage people to continue to wave the FPDA banner to those people who aren’t members and encourage them to come to our meeting. Let’s encourage current membership to put their hand out and continue to bring in new members so our industry will continue to grow and prosper.