Favorite Quote: “It is better to try something and fail than to try nothing and succeed.” — Soren Kierkegaard
Jerry Leeds has been in manufacturing his entire career and operated his own Company for over 30 years. Currently, he is President of American Guard Co., Inc. aka, Technical Engineered Products, a manufacturer of accessories for power tools. He has experience in all phases of business, including marketing, engineering, accounting, and production along with extensive experience in resolving business disputes within his Company and as an independent mediator for third parties.
He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati. Upon graduating he went to work at Hy-Ko Products and eventually was promoted to plant manager. In 1980 he started his own company specializing in sales of production tooling.
Selling production tooling provided him the opportunity to start a manufacturing company specializing in manufacturing reflective visors for Don’t Walk signals. One of his biggest contracts was with the City of New York through a primary manufacturer of traffic signals and controls.
In 1988 the opportunity to purchase the assets of the guard division of Morrison Products was presented to him and his business partner James Paul. After due diligence, they purchased the division and started American Guard Co., Inc aka Technical Engineered Products to service the power tool industry with safety guards for handheld grinders.
Jerry has been involved with the American National Standards Institute (Chairman of ANSI B7.1) and Underwriters Laboratories Industry Advisory Committee and Standard Technical Panel for power tools, since 1990. These committees write the industry standards for the manufacturing and testing of power tools and accessories. He also currently serves on the nonprofit boards of Lakewood University and the Mediation Association of Northeast Ohio (MANO). In 1990 he trained as a mediator and started mediating for the Akron Better Business Bureau in conjunction with the Juvenile Court for first-time offenders. He also has mediated business and domestic disputes independently and for The Legal Aid Society.