By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Future Leaders Network (FLN) has named Crue Blakeley, director of engineering at American Expedition Vehicles, as the network's newest spotlight member.
Get to know Blakeley in his interview with SEMA News below.
SEMA News: What is the best advice you have ever received?
Crue Blakeley: "Fail Faster." During the early stages of my career, I was fortunate to have some incredible mentors. Their approach was straightforward: test your product early, gain insights from those tests and make iterative improvements leading up to the launch. Often, this meant experiencing quick failures, but each setback provided valuable lessons that helped refine the product into something better.
SN: What keeps you in the industry?
CB: I'm a gearhead, plain and simple.
SN: Where can you be found on a Saturday?
CB: Typically golfing. If not, I'm lucky enough to get to travel and camp at some incredible places thanks to AEV.
SN: How do you prepare for an important meeting?
CB: I try to learn as much about the subject as possible. I'm definitely an over-preparer, so having more information than not is my goal.
SN: If you could go to lunch with one industry leader, living or dead, who would it be?
CB: Chip Foose. I grew up watching and learning and to me he was the face of this industry for a long time.
Fill out an FLN member spotlight form to be eligible to be featured on FLN's social media, SEMA News and FLN member updates.
