FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. — Bob Matthews, regional sales manager for mechanical and electronic payment systems manufacturer ESD—and a 53-year veteran of the self-service laundry industry—is retiring, the company reports.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Matthews graduated from Saint Catherine’s of Sienna Elementary School and Power Memorial High School, two old-time schools in New York that each boast a long list of distinguished alumni.
He attended classes at CCNY until joining the U.S. Navy, where he served a portion of his tour on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea in the Mediterranean. Once back home, his first job out of the military was with Remington Rand, which is where he met his wife-to-be, Rose. The couple has been married 52 years and have three children and seven grandchildren.
Matthews entered the vended laundry industry when he accepted a job at Greenwald Industries. He later worked for Pyramid Manufacturing, Jonathan Lock Co. and ABT Lock before landing at ESD, and developed a reputation for being an expert in the mechanical payment system and security field.
Matthews invested in another well-known industry company, Vend-Rite Manufacturing, but he remained fond of the mechanical hardware business, money boxes, locks and keys, and coin slides. In 1980, he returned to ESD, where he has worked until his retirement.
As ESD grew into new products and markets, Matthews grew with it. Working out of his home base in Chicago, he logged an average of 45,000 to 50,000 miles a year in his car, calling on accounts and helping to build the ESD brand, the company says.
When asked about the highlight of his career, Matthews says it was being able to participate in the transition from mechanical payment systems to electronic systems.
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