Employee spotlight: Dwayne Lacanaria

This month, we had a chance to catch up with Dwayne Lacanaria, Vice President of Global Client Services. Dwayne’s journey from shop apprentice to account decision-maker inspires us — and is a great example of what makes EWI such a unique place to build a career. In the conversation, he discussed the importance of client service, a “normal” day in his life (he gets up at 2am every morning!) and what it’s like to be part of our team.

How long have you been with EWI?

I’ve been with EWI since 1991. I started in the shop as an apprentice, then a journeyman, and eventually became the paint department foreman.

How did you make the jump into the client service side of the business?

When they asked me to move out of the shop and into the office, my first thought was, “Why? Go hire someone else.”

But they explained that the department I was running was doing pretty well. We were doing good work, and no matter who estimated the job, my team was always coming in under the estimate.

So they asked me to bring the ideas of efficiency and quality into estimating and project management. That was in 2000, and I’ve been in client services ever since. First as a project manager, then as an account manager, and now as VP of Global Client Services.

So how have those principles — quality and efficiency — carried into what you’re doing now?

The idea of quality is pretty self-explanatory. We create auto show environments and experiences that let audiences connect with our clients’ brands. That means when a client goes to an auto show, everything about their presence has to be perfect — the messaging, the design, the fabrication, all of it. The experience has to shine.

And quality also means that we build things to last. Whether it’s the first show of the season or the twentieth, auto show kits need to stand up to audience traffic over time.

As for efficiency, that requires a little bit more explanation. At EWI, we are experts at auto shows — from design to fabrication to trooping and trucking to set up and tear down. You name it.

We have decades of experience with nearly every single aspect of auto shows. We know how to design properties so they can be efficiently loaded or deployed. We understand how much it costs to move properties versus warehousing them. We can help track exactly how visitors move through an auto show environment — and can help clients optimize their space.

So we see how the puzzle pieces all fit together — and we know where and how we can make our clients’ dollars go further. My job depends on maintaining the client’s trust no matter what — so they’ll take our recommendations. Because when we can save them time, money, and headaches without compromising quality, they’ll be more successful.

You’re based in Hawaii, but our office is here in Detroit. Can you describe a typical day in your life?

Oh, I say that I reside in Hawaii, but I live on Eastern Time.

Depending on the time of year, I’m five or six hours behind. Typically, I wake up at 2AM Hawaii time, have some coffee and start my day.

My days are spent talking to clients and working with members of our team. I’d be remiss not to shout out our phenomenal team here. I would not be able to do my job without Jamie [Foster] and Rob [Gutierrez]. Between the three of us — with the support of everyone else at EWI — we always know how we are going to build properties, how much they will cost, how we’ll get them made, how we’ll get them shipped and assembled. The trust that exists between the three of us, in my opinion, is what differentiates us from others.

Then when the workday in Detroit ends, it’s only two or three o’clock for me. That helps me stretch out the workday and maximize how much can be accomplished. I get urgent emails at 8:00pm Eastern Time — and responding to them isn’t a big deal since it’s the middle of the afternoon for me. When they wake up the next morning, they already have a response in their inbox.

So even though my work situation might not sound conventional, it has turned out to be a blessing.

If it’s not the time difference, what’s the most challenging thing about your job?

Well, auto shows present all kinds of challenges, so it’s tough to give only one answer. But especially at big companies, people move around and change roles every few years.

I might be biased, because I haven’t had to move from job to job over the course of my career. But from my perspective, that kind of turnover can be disruptive. It tends to feel like you’re starting from scratch. You have to build trust all over again.

Fortunately, it’s something that we’ve been able to do over and over as people come and go. Once clients can see what we are capable of and understand our level of expertise, they tend to work with us for a long time.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

That’s easy. The people. And the relationships I’ve built with them.

These are people I grew up with in my career while raising my kids. Those who know my kids’ first names and have shown up to their sporting events. I could probably go out and find another job but would never find these kinds of relationships easily or quickly.