Today we’d like to introduce you to Gordon Yang.
Gordon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story is really part of my family’s story, as I come from a line of people with great entrepreneurial spirit. My grandfather owned a furniture manufacturing business in Taiwan, and both of my parents were the first of their family to immigrate to America. In 1980, they left behind respected careers and everyone they knew in Taiwan, arriving in Chicago with only two suitcases to create a new life and business together.
My parents settled in Bridgeport and they still live here. While attending graduate school, my father began an importing business. He was inspired to bring the high quality products he saw in Taiwan to serve the needs of the American foodservice industry. In 1994, he made several major changes, re-incorporating his company and investing in new manufacturing capabilities. Taking the risks paid off, and the American Eagle Food Machinery trademark and brand was born!
My father taught me to “always be learning,” something he would say when I watched him work. As a child, I was exposed to all the parts of our company–from daily operations to how our equipment was assembled and repaired. I’m sure this was the root of my later interest in engineering. That, and geeking out on Star Trek TNG episodes with my father and siblings.
As an adolescent, my parents encouraged me to take “wise risks” and start a business that would draw knowledge from personal interests. Without realizing it, they advised me right into starting my first gig! I was, and still am, obsessed with technology and fancy gadgets. It wasn’t long before I started an eBay business in high school selling used and new electronics. As long as my academics didn’t suffer, my parents were happy to support my business. I went on to study Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana (U of I), so my grades must have been good enough! Post undergrad, I worked as an IT Consultant, then as an IT Manager. While working full-time, I later went on to complete U of I’s MBA program.
About a year after grad school, my father gave me a tour of his manufacturing facility. I was moved by a great sense of pride when I saw the progress he had made since starting the company. I saw the potential yet to be realized, and knew I needed be part of where the business would be going. Shortly after, I moved back to Chicago to be closer to my immediate family, and committed my full energy to American Eagle Food Machinery and seeking new startup ideas.
Working with my father to learn about manufacturing in the foodservice industry has been an eye-opening experience. Since 2014, I have served many roles at our company, starting at front-line sales and customer service, then performing product support, to now being primarily responsible for all of our marketing and sales initiatives. The unexpected challenges along the way have made me more passionate to keep doing business.
This is just the beginning! It’s been great working with my father, and I’m excited to see where I can help lead the company next. God-willing, our company will continue to experience success, increased sales, and growth of job opportunities. Ultimately, we want to contribute to our community in meaningful ways.
Has it been a smooth road?
No lasting legacy is created overnight. American Eagle Food Machinery has undergone major changes in the three years since I started. We’ve expanded into a larger office and warehouse, modernized all of our marketing videos and photos, rebuilt all of our internal business and management processes to increase efficiency and customer support. We’ve traveled more to promote our brand, and we’ve hired more people. With every decision we’ve made, we want to create a better company to work for and buy from.
The biggest struggle so far has been implementing changes to grow our company while sustaining the quality of our brand. I remain optimistic that each day, everyone here gets better at serving our customers, which gives our company the best possible chance for future success.
The patience to persevere and remain positive through each difficulty, delay, and defeat comes from my faith that God is always good. I can have confidence whether I succeed or fail, because God loves me, and everyone, deeply and unconditionally. This gives me the hope and inspiration to care for people around me the best that I can.
I feel as though I’ve been preparing my whole life for the work I’m now doing and each new challenge I face every day only strengthens and prepares me for whatever lies ahead. When I’m at work, I’m certain I’m meant to be there. I know not everyone has that kind of feeling going to work every day, so I’m thankful for that.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the American Eagle Food Machinery, Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
Our company is a family-operated manufacturer and wholesaler of commercial restaurant and bakery equipment. Great quality at a good price is value, and we’re known in the foodservice industry as a value oriented brand. Affordability and reliability are important whether you are a start up with a limited budget, or a large national chain.
We innovate ceaselessly, a company norm we are proud of. Although we are smaller than many competing manufacturers, our meat grinders feature unmatched versatility by offering swappable attachments. One motor can power five attachments: a meat grinder, meat cutter, meat tenderizer, jerky slicer, and vegetable slicer. For the counter space of one machine, simply purchase additional attachments to get up to five functions without buying more costly machines. And, yes! We are already thinking about a new attachment based on feedback from customers.
Earlier this year, our latest meat cutter attachment was recognized as an industry innovation for its ability to cut and dice meat quickly, and showcased in the “What’s Hot What’s Cool” gallery at the NAFEM tradeshow. The meat grinder motor itself has always been compact, and over the years our design has been copied by many other brands. We were one of the first manufacturers to offer a rifled meat grinder chamber, which reduces meat processing waste.
Our spiral mixers have a dual motor system which distributes the workload, putting less stress on the machine. This translates to a more reliable machine that lasts longer. The primary body is made with cast iron formed out of a single mold, much like how antique cast iron stoves are built. That means with proper maintenance, our mixer can hold up to a lifetime of use. You might expect a machine built with quality materials and designed for endurance to be pricey, but our spiral mixers’ MSRP is 25-50% less than many of our competitors!
We released a new 30 quart planetary mixer this year, the most compact mixer of its capacity I’ve seen. The lower height makes it small enough to use on a countertop, where most others have to go on the floor. Aluminum dough hooks and beaters are the industry norm for this type of mixer, but ours meets higher sanitation standards with stainless steel accessories.
Despite more limited resources compared to our larger competitors, we continually reimagine and redesign our machines to include competitive or unmatched features at affordable prices. As a smaller company, we can work closely with our resellers and customers, frequently using their feedback to improve products and support. Just a few examples of what sets us apart from others.
We have been in business for a long time, and will continue to stay open. We add value to the industry through our vision to give the best at the best price. Ultimately, our customers rely on our equipment to prepare delicious food in their establishments every single day.
What were you like growing up?
I can remember being inquisitive and curious as a child. Although I was shy, I often found myself in leadership positions because I listened to people, could identify the problems, and would always try to find a better solution. I always thought about the “whys” and “how’s.” I remember thinking about the world as an interconnected system. On family car trips, I would stare out the window and absorb the scenery. And even then, I would think about how a highway or bridge was built, how other cars were designed, how a plane flying overhead managed to stay in the air, or how a building we drove past was designed and built. I would always ask, how is everything I see related to each other?
Lectures often bored me, and I preferred learning by doing. Labs, project-based learning, or hands-on activities were what I excelled at. The toys I loved most were Legos and, K’nex sets; anything I could build with! I also read a lot, reading through our household encyclopedia back before the days of Wikipedia. I even had a subscription to an airplane encyclopedia! I read a lot of topics not taught in school. Tech magazines, for example, certainly not something in the public school curriculum of the 90s. My interests were broad and I was action oriented. My mind was always going 100 miles per hour, and that’s all still true today.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
I’ve had the blessing of being raised by parents who live like the future is now, and plan ahead. My family believes in purposeful living, a belief I bring to work.
Our growth as a brand and the ability to impact our industry and contribute to our community hinges on recruiting young people. While we’ve begun to transform the business into a more modern, dynamic place to work, there’s still more to do in order to attract younger people into the foodservice industry.
When I’ve spoken to other managers and executives in the industry, an overarching theme I’ve heard repeated is the difficulty to attract and retain younger employees who tend to be interested in high-tech, fast-paced companies. The next big thing for American Eagle Food Machinery is to bolster recruitment efforts, improve distribution methods, and upgrade manufacturing capabilities. I want to share the excitement I have experienced for the foodservice industry with my cohort of millennials.
Pricing:
- AE-G12N 1HP #12 Meat Grinder @ $878.00 MSRP vs. Hobart 4812 1/2 HP #12 Meat Grinder @ $2456.30 MSRP vs. Univex MG8912 1HP #12 Meat Grinder @ $2028.00 MSRP
- AE-300A 30 Quart Planetary Mixer @ $3,960.00 MSRP vs. Hobart HL300 30 Quart Planetary Mixer @ $12,455.00 MSRP vs. Univex SRM30 30 Quart Planetary Mixer @ $7,928.00 MSRP
Contact Info:
- Address: 3131 S. Canal St. Chicago, IL 60616
- Website: www.americaneaglemachine.com
- Phone: 773-376-0800
- Email: info@americaneaglemachine.com
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