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Forrest Secosky is the Commercial Marketing Manager for the Critical Power Systems (CPS) division of Eaton, an intelligent power management company with a comprehensive portfolio of solutions for the data center industry. With 17 years of experience in the electrical industry, his role shapes how the division realizes their strategic objectives through effective channel management, hosting conferences and trade shows, and generating thought leadership content reflective of the latest market trends and challenges. Forrest enjoys the dynamic nature of this role as it gives him the opportunity to network with a variety of people with diverse perspectives in the data center industry.
Background
Forrest started his career with Eaton through their Leadership Development Program after graduating from NC State University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. After one year, he was offered the opportunity to lead the construction market sales territory in Northwest Ohio, where in a matter of four years, he tripled Eaton’s market share. He then transitioned to manufacturing operations and concurrently obtained his Executive MBA from Kenan-Flagler business school at the University of North Carolina. While in operations, his exposure to the trends and needs of the data center market began. His earliest projects involved designing custom switchboards for data centers while also finding ways to optimize the manufacturing process to guarantee consistent quality and lead times. The last stop before his current role was building and marketing the capabilities of Eaton’s Modular Solutions business with solutions such as: modular data centers, power assemblies, and integrated transportable substations.
Evident in his career path, a blend of commercial and technical strengths guide how he seeks new ways to make an impact. As changes in the industry occur, he’s thinking with an entrepreneurial mindset of how to effectively channel and market the value of what we can offer. From a technical angle, he’s considering how to improve performance while also balancing the input costs. This continuous improvement activity applies today as our colleagues in the data center industry are facing big challenges around the transformation of data centers in areas such as: rack density, cooling, and power availability.
Involvement in 7×24 Exchange
Forrest seeks opportunities to support the development of others in the electrical industry through leadership opportunities such as the marketing committee for 7×24 Exchange and as a fifth-year mentor in Eaton’s Global Mentorship program. He’s been part of the annual fall and spring 7×24 International events for the past few years, often hosting Exchange tables and networking with other attendees such as college students interested to learn more about the data center industry. Forrest also supports the industry by getting involved with 7×24’s International Data Center Day. The event promotes data center industry awareness and career path options through a variety of activities, speeches, giveaways, and educational content.
Additional Activities
Calling North Carolina home, Forrest lives in Raleigh, NC where there’s never a dull moment with his family of five. The youngest is fast on her feet and in the water, the middle is practicing his basketball shots, and the oldest is pursuing his first-degree black belt in Taekwondo. Beyond the moments he’s trying to keep up with the kids, he’s found immersed in another project around the house or spending time on the NC coast with family.
In his community, he’s involved with The Summit Church, Habitat for Humanity, YMCA Y-Guides, and other organizations such as Hope Renovations, which provides an apprenticeship program for women desiring to get into the trades, and critical home improvement services to seniors living at home.
