Meet Rod Landrum, our District Sales Manager for our Southeast territory. Rod joined GWS in 2020, bringing with him 16 years of hands-on machine shop experience and 20 years of cutting tool sales expertise.

Rod began his career working in a machine shop, and over the years he was responsible for programming and running the machines, purchasing, and managing the shop schedule and staff. Rod was recommended to transition from production to sales by one of the distributor representatives Rod worked closely with at the time. Before joining GWS, Rod held roles in the sales departments of three different cutting tool manufacturers, ultimately serving as the Southeast Regional Manager for his previous company.

Being in the world of cutting tools, Rod had known about GWS Tool Group and the companies that make up our corporation for years. When a GWS recruiter approached him, Rod saw it as the perfect next step for his career. What stood out to him was GWS Tool Group’s unique approach to the industry and the investments being made to diversify and grow our product offerings.
Initially hired as an Application Specialist, Rod covered four states in the Southeast. After three years of dedicated service, he was promoted to Southeast District Sales Manager. In this role, Rod collaborates closely with the Southeast sales team, along with engineering, customer service, and marketing teams, contributing his deep industry knowledge. One of his favorite aspects of his role at GWS is mentoring younger salespeople, drawing from his extensive experience in both machine shop operations and sales. With nearly 40 years of cutting tool experience, Rod is a valuable resource for providing technical advice and helping solve customer challenges.

Rod takes pride in the trust he’s earned from his customers and distributors, who know they can rely on him to go above and beyond to solve their problems. He’s proud to represent GWS, a company that is a solutions provider, focused on custom tooling rather than just selling items out of a catalog or simply off the shelf. To Rod, it’s all about investing in the customer’s needs and challenges, not just making a sale.

LIFE OUTSIDE OF GWS

Born and raised in a small town in Michigan, Rod’s career eventually brought him to the Southeast, and he now resides just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. In his downtime, Rod enjoys spending time with his family, including his two children and three grandchildren—two granddaughters and a grandson. Whether he’s attending their sporting events or simply playing with them, he takes an active role in their lives.

Rod is a big sports fan, his favorite being football! A passionate Dallas Cowboys fan, Rod can be found watching a football game wherever he might be! He’s also an avid golfer, and once a year he takes a trip with a large group of his friends to golf in Northern Michigan.

Interested In A Career At GWS Tool Group?

If you enjoy working with dedicated people like Rod, consider applying to GWS Tool Group. We are always looking for talented and driven individuals to work at our facilities in Florida, California, Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Canada. Browse open jobs here.