Prosperity benefits seller of industrial equipment
The Vector Controls and Automation Group was founded in Houston five years ago when six small companies were combined with financial backing from the large Swiss instrumentation maker Endress and Hauser. Since then, Vector has more than doubled its employment, from 40 people to nearly 90, and is adding about 10 new positions each year. During the same time, annual sales have quadrupled from $40 million to about $160 million. That growth coupled with employee satisfaction has made Vector the third-ranked company in the Chronicle’s Top Workplaces list for small companies. The La Porte company sells instrumentation and other industrial equipment to the oil and gas, petrochemical, and food and beverage industries. That includes testing equipment for everything from moisture analysis at natural gas wells to the amount of Febreeze air freshener in each Glad trash bag. Jared Boudreaux was a vice president of sales for Endress and Hauser and took over as president of Vector when the company was formed. “We’re still young and growing,” Boudreaux said. “I believe we have a great work environment. We hire great people and have great products.” He touted competitive salaries and benefits, as well as commission bonuses that aren’t capped. Employees can earn as much as they can sell, he said. During the oil bust in 2015 and 2016, Vector avoided layoffs, and that decision kept the company poised for growth when the sector started rebounding last year. While it’s easy to peg Vector as an industrial equipment sales company, Vector is involved in equipment engineering, employee training and life-cycle equipment servicing, Boudreaux said. The next big step is to build a large technology campus in the Houston area that will include separate buildings for Vector and Endress and Hauser. They’re partners, and about half of what Vector sells is Endress and Hauser equipment. Vector isn’t a subsidiary of the larger company. The companies are still finalizing the exact location and timeline. But more growth is coming, Boudreaux said.