Name: Jay Parker
Position: Daktronics VP/Live Events & Spectacular
Age: 51
Where I'm from: Pierre, S.D.
Where I call home: Brookings, S.D.
Focusing on right now: This is our planning time of the year right now getting ready and trying to understand what we are capable of doing from an order and manufacturing perspective and what we think we're going to be doing for numbers for the year.
Best advice: (Daktronics co-Founder & Chair) AL KURTENBACH preaches humbleness, honesty and helpfulness. That gives you an idea of the culture, because those values still hold true today.
A must for a new hire: Work ethic is probably number one. That's a key in this day and age. We can teach them about our business, but we need to have a hard-working person that is very aggressive and that is not going to take no for an answer.
Person I admire most: Kurtenbach -- he was an entrepreneur that started something from nothing. Through hard work and effort, he found a niche market to get into. The other one is JOHN WOODEN, who did things right his entire life.
First thing in the morning: I'm not a morning person, so I really need that first cup of coffee in the morning. Through my career as a salesperson, I'm more of an evening person than morning person.
Talking tech: In our industry, the new technology is called ultra-high resolution video displays. It's exciting because it's taking LED products to places other than big venues. You can put this high-resolution product in concourses. This certain application can replace flat-screen TVs and certain applications, so that's very exciting.
Must-have music: I am a country music fan. At the top of my list is GARTH BROOKS, KENNY CHESNEY and ERIC CHURCH. I recently saw JAKE OWENS and DIERKS BENTLEY in concert.
Food for thought: Beef is the choice of food in our part of the world. My favorite food -- and I'm a connoisseur -- is cheeseburgers. So I get the opportunity when I travel to try many different cheeseburgers in many different locations.
How I unwind: I enjoy playing golf and watersports, I just don't have a lot of time. I have taken on a harder exercise program. I'm not competing for anything, but in the very fast-paced environment we live in today, we have to take care of ourselves, so I exercise probably 5-6 days a week and try and stay in shape.
Day in the life: Technology is wonderful. You get moving in the morning and you're checking the emails that you received over night. I try the day before put together a plan for what I’m going to do the next day. I'm also on the phone a lot, because I'm one that still believes business is done over the telephone.
