Marv Filas Retires from Great Lakes Pump & Supply

‘Mr. Sparkles’ will be missed

Great Lakes Pump Sales Engineer Marv Filas retired in March, wrapping up a 40-year career in the pump industry.

Marv started out in shipping and receiving at Giant Pumps before moving into pump repair and testing. His sparkling personality and knowledge of the pumps soon caught the attention of the company president, who tapped him for a role in Inside Sales. His dedication earned him a promotion to Outside Sales, which brought him the opportunity to travel the country for Giant.

After Giant, he worked for several other Ohio pump distributors, including Wagner Smith and Tomlin Equipment, before landing at Great Lakes Pump & Supply Co. in 2014.

One of his most memorable sales was a Wilden AODP pump on a skid sold to a local automotive plant. It was intended to pump excess water and solids out of the plant’s sumps but when it was started it up, it failed to deliver any liquid. Marv was called out to troubleshoot. After checking multiple possible issues and coming up blank, he finally discovered that the pump had been installed without removing the shipping caps covering the suction and discharge ports. Marv recalls they all had a good laugh once the pump was correctly installed and operating as intended.

During his 10 years at Great Lakes, Marv left an unforgettable impression on his coworkers and colleagues across Ruthman Companies, as recorded below.

Mike Jones-GM, Great Lakes Pump
“Marv has been a great colleague with steady results–and he didn’t get thrown out of any plants in his 10 years here-that I appreciate!
Working outside of the home office no doubt posed challenges. But it didn’t keep Marv from developing solid relationships. Everyone here has said over and over what a great guy he is. There is no doubt his sparkling personality served him well while on the road tdoing business the old fashioned way, meeting people.
The relationships Marv built overcame the inevitable challenges of pump sales–delivery issues, mid-project changes and the like. Marv’s customers stuck with him, and by extension Great Lakes. Companies only do that when they trust their guy and like him. They’ll suffer a little if you are worth it. Clearly Marv was. Most notably, Marv’s knowledge, perseverance and personality won National Lime & Stone’s ongoing turbine business, bringing in nearly $2million in sales during his time here.
Congratulations on your retirement, Mr. Sparkles. Thank you for your service to Great Lakes Pump and to all the Ruthman Companies. We wish you health, more great years with your wife Anita, and a cure for the occasional yips on the golf course!”

Ed Adams-Great Lakes Pump
“When Marv was hired in to Great Lakes he was given a territory in Ohio and hit the streets running. It is never easy to take a sales position with limited product training, but Marv did a fantastic job and adapted very well with Great Lakes and all of us employees. Marv attended a lot of manufacturer training courses and figured it out without much help. Additionally Marv is just a class act and will be missed by all of us. I wish Marv the best in this new chapter. Hit ‘em straight, Marv. Enjoy, my friend.”

Scott Boone-Great Lakes Pump
“Marv was once told he had a sparkling personality so we would often call him Mr. Sparkles. He didn’t mind the nickname, “if only it would translate into POs!” Marv was our unofficial psychologist. Being in the pump biz there is a constant sense of urgency. When pumps go down, equipment goes down, and production goes down. So the customer panic is real. Marv was famous for his occasional 4PM phone call just to help with a little decompression. We’d find things to laugh about while acknowledging the headaches of the day. Those calls were great stress relief and good learning moments too. We’d share stories of trouble installations and learn from each other.”

Dan Csomos-National Sales Director, Ruthman Companies
“Though we went to the same high school a couple years apart, Marv and I didn’t connect until he worked at Giant, where we became close. Marv is a sports fan, especially baseball and football. He knows pumps and systems well and excels at gaining customer trust and loyalty.
Marv is a gentle giant with a calming spirit. He can find a way to make light of nearly any situation. He’s loyal and trustworthy as well as a hard worker. All in all, he’s a great teammate and I am honored to call him a friend for over 40 years. His absence in our workplace will be deeply felt and we wish great adventure to him and his wife Anita.”

Scott Mezuk-GM, Process Systems Inc. (and former Great Lakes coworker)
“I really have to say that Marv Filas is one of the real good humans out there in the world. Always made my life easy when I was in Inside Sales at Great Lakes. His paperwork was complete, accurate, and easy to follow for order entry. He was a quick study when I would go out in the field with Marv to show him and his customers how to install or startup new or rebuilt pumps. Lastly, when I transitioned over to Process Systems, he was by far the best Deming VTP sales guy that Great Lakes Pump had for pushing and selling our Deming VTP products. We will miss his hustle and loyalty!”

Ryan Miller-Great Lakes Pump
“When Marv first started he and I went to Tranter together for some training. It felt like we got to live part of one of the classic films “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”!! We had a great time, ate too much food, laughed a lot, learned enough to be dangerous, and started a great friendship.

I would just like to say that Marv is not only a class act as a coworker but an even better person and friend. He is organized, responsive, helpful, knowledgeable, and can hold an awesome conversation. Some of the lessons he taught me over the years go beyond sales and blend into everyday life. I will always stay in touch with Marv. Friends for life. Going to miss the big fella.”