Three generations of electrical engineers
Profound dedication to service at a higher level
Allen Patterson
Chief Operating Officer
Allen Patterson, chief operating officer of FLANDERS since 2004, has been with the company for two decades. He joined FLANDERS after earning an electrical engineering degree from the University of Evansville in 1997.
Helping cast the vision for the future while staying true to our history, Allen is working to transition FLANDERS into a more nimble, quick-to-react business in order to better serve our clients and seize new market opportunities.
His other roles at FLANDERS include leading business development, developing and maintaining strategic partnerships, nurturing company culture, and empowering employees with the tools, training, and trust needed to do the best work possible for clients.
Representing the third generation of Patterson leadership at FLANDERS, Allen is the son of company president Dave Patterson and the grandson of FLANDERS co-founder Roy Patterson.
“I learned at a very young age that customer service, quality work, doing the right thing, and genuinely caring for people have been and always will be the foundation of our success at FLANDERS.”
David Patterson
President
FLANDERS president since 2008, Dave Patterson has been with the company for over 45 years.
Under his leadership, FLANDERS has made three major facility expansions, opened four new Regional Service Centers, and expanded internationally. In 1976, just a few years after joining FLANDERS, Dave was instrumental in launching second and third work shifts to meet growing demand for FLANDERS services and around the clock availability for clients. He also played an integral role in establishing the FLANDERS Engineering Division in 1991, in support of industrial power system and control system R&D, custom solutions, and custom manufacturing.
Dave began learning about electricity and electric motors at a young age while spending time at the shop doing odd jobs under the guidance of his father, FLANDERS co-founder, Roy Patterson. In high school, Dave’s passion for cars and his talent for auto mechanics grew into the desire to study electrical engineering.
He graduated from the University of Evansville with a degree in electrical engineering in 1972. He then joined FLANDERS full-time, gaining hands-on experience in many areas of the business.
“When you come right down to it, I’ve always been a machines guy. I do really enjoy improving machines, upgrading motors, rebuilding motors to new specifications, and designing power and control systems for new applications.
FLANDERS has grown to do that for some of the largest heavy industrial operations in the world. Having been here for 45+ years, I’ve been fortunate to see the lifetime value of machine renewal and innovation work we’ve done for our clients’ operations. And it’s really satisfying to see that pay off.”
Our company history
Roy Patterson (1926 – 2015)
FLANDERS Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus
The patriarch of the family business, Roy spent his entire career in the electrical apparatus industry, beginning with mechanical training in high school. Upon joining the Navy, Roy was sent to Purdue University where he focused on electrical engineering. He then served several years during World War II as chief electrician on a repair ship in the South Pacific.
Upon returning home to Evansville, Indiana, he joined FLANDERS (then Flanders Electric Motor Service) in the late 1940s, bringing considerable experience in DC and AC electric motor repair, DC and AC rewinding, welding, machining, and troubleshooting. He and a partner, Bud Havens, eventually purchased the company from Frank Flanders in 1962, retaining the original name.
Roy and Bud knew that downtime on an industrial machine under repair could cost FLANDERS customers tens of thousands of dollars, so they created a straightforward business plan: “Do the best job humanly possible in the least amount of time; give customers excellent service around the clock; and never give up on solving a customer’s problem.”
To meet that pledge, Roy, Bud, and their one-man crew answered service calls around the clock, building strong customer relationships and growing rapidly through word of mouth. They also began developing better motors and power systems to increase productivity and improve safety in mining, metals, and other heavy industries.
FLANDERS continued to grow over the course of six decades, and in 2008, Roy transitioned to the role of chairman as his son, Dave Patterson, became president of FLANDERS. In the same year, Roy was awarded an Exceptional Achievement Award by the Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA), of which he was a proud long-time member.
Lauded by peers and clients alike for his leadership, technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and work ethic, Roy worked at FLANDERS until the age of 89 when he passed away, leaving a legacy that we honor and carry forward.
He was known for his unwavering desire to do the right thing always and his guiding principles of loving others and treating them as you would want to be treated. These remain at the heart of FLANDERS today.
