As a native of northern Wisconsin, Mark Cuddeback was an avid hunter. After college, he realized he needed a means to determine where deer were living so he developed an electronic device that would detect animals and record a picture of the animal. With the production of what is now known as a trail camera, Cuddeback launched Non Typical Engineering where he is now the CEO.
Non Typical, Inc. is a manufacturer of electronic trail cameras sold to hunters. The company sells cameras through national retailers, independent dealers, internet sellers and direct to consumers, including professional biologists throughout the world using the cameras for animal research.
The trail cameras from Non Typical are one of the few brands that designs their cameras in the United States. The company has also been granted more than 20 patents since its inception.
“As the CEO, my main focus is to ensure the brand and products will remain relevant to the customer in the coming years,” said Cuddeback. “We do not want to be the company that sells products based on the lowest price; we want to be the company that caters to the customers that want better products.”
In addition, Cuddeback said that managing the staff is an important part of his daily duties. “I learned to guide them rather than control them,” he said. “Let the staff learn their job, but steer them away from costly mistakes. Listen to them, yet correct them if they are wrong.”
This method has advanced the staff to the point where they need very little guidance, said Cuddeback. “Our mission is simple. Make decisions that are right for the company and the company will be able to take care of our customers, our employees and our shareholders,” he said.
After 35 years in business, Cuddeback said staying engaged can be difficult. “I focus on the future and developing products that no one else is doing,” he said. That includes developing the CuddeLink – technology that never existed before. “Our mesh network system, which we brand as CuddeLink, took five years to develop at a cost of over $1 million,” said Cuddeback. These efforts have resulted in sales that have doubled in the past three years and profits that have tripled.
Running a company is not text book, said Cuddeback. “Find what works best and don’t be afraid of the competition,” he said. “So many times I thought I was doing something wrong, when in fact, I was making good decisions.”
For his commitment to providing products that are respected by his staff, retailers, customers and competitors, Cuddeback has been named a titan.
