Scott Technology Group President/CEO Giles Scott followed a long, crooked road to get where he is today. The Baltimore, Maryland, native tells the story: “I attended Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. for two years (during which I changed my major four times), from 1964 to 1966, before my number was pulled for the draft. So I showed them and joined the Navy for four years.
“I got out of the Navy in March 1970 and, after several false starts (including selling—or, I should say, attempting to sell, because I sold none—swamp land in Florida), I wound up as a technician with Xerox. After a move to California and 25 years servicing equipment and managing service technicians, I started repairing copiers at home and selling copiers I rebuilt in my garage. A year after that, I hired my first employee and moved into a separate location. Twelve-and-a-half years later, here we are.”
Do you have a junk drawer?
I have a junk basket at home and two junk drawers at work. In the basket, I have a traffic ticket I need to deal with, a little calculator, a wrist bandage, my eye glasses prescription, a couple of old golf magazines with tips I want to take to the practice range some day (but probably never will), a Momentus “Power-hitter” CD I bought from a golf infomercial one day while I was home sick, three lip balms, an old wallet, a church directory, a Cuisinart coffee pot warranty (not sent in), a watch, a key bob, glasses from three prescriptions ago, picture of the grandkids, our United Plus Mileage card (we never use it), Budget Fast-break card (never use this either), my dental plan card (I use the plan too much), a rubber band, a National Geographic “Expeditions” travel catalog, an empty Garmin GPS box and a couple of cheap pens.
Do you write down your goals?
Only when my wife tells me what ours are.
What animals scare you the most?
Mosquitoes. They suck blood and leave itchy skin.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A mortician (jokingly). My marketing program was to read: “Don’t let your body rot; send it to Scott.” I figured I couldn’t lose, what with everyone dying and all. When I was in junior high school, I wanted to be an architect. I took a drafting class and enjoyed the heck out of it. But when I found out how much math was involved, I opted out. Turns out later, I really got to love math.
If you were given a racehorse, what would you name it?
I’d name it Judy after my wife. She’ll probably kill me for saying that, but she’s always been a real blessing to me. If I owned a racehorse, I’d expect no less. And if she owned a racehorse, I’d expect it to be names “Giles.”
What skill would you like to learn in the next year?
How to play golf with a handicap of less than 20.
What was your last argument about?
About the diet my wife has me on. I wanted pizza and a Cabernet; she wanted to feed me chicken salad, water and Metamucil.
What’s something you should throw away, but can’t?
Old eyeglasses. Even though the prescription is expired, I paid lots of money for those things, and I can’t bring myself to part with ’em.
What’s the secret to a happy marriage?
Our “Happy Wife Fund.” When we were younger and living on the cheap (the “living-on-the-cheap” part wasn’t that long ago, by the way), we took the “non-bill” portion of my paycheck, converted it to cash and divided it up into envelopes. One was labeled “Happy Wife Fund” for our weekly date night. This lasted for at least 20 years. The last eight years, it hasn’t been too needed, because our four kids have grown up and abandoned us (thankfully).
What’s the wackiest belief you held as a child or young adult?
I kept a huge crescent wrench under my pillow at night. In case a burglar came in, I could “bop” him one. I also combed my hair —in case the burglar was a lady.
Where would your dream vacation be?
Playing all the golf courses around the town of St. Andrews in Scotland, starting with the Royal and Ancient Golf Course. Also, I’d love to tour all the Scotch whiskey single-malt distilleries.
What’s your strongest skill as a manager?
As a manager, I’m an idiot-savant—the savant side is customer service and operations; the idiot side is sales.
What’s your weak point or challenge as a manager?
Managing salespeople. They baffle me.
