Leaders To Watch: Competing Every Day

Baseball enthusiast ascends to Rinnai's upper echelon.

Bobby L. Hickman

August 28, 2008

B aseball is a lot like business, according to Ervin Cash, who recently was promoted to corporate VP of global marketing and product management for Rinnai.

"In baseball you're not playing against the clock; you're playing against the skill and strategy of the other team," Cash says. "It's a team sport, but there are plenty of opportunities for individual excellence. Plus, I like that there are 162 games in a season. That's what most people do: you don't just play on Sundays, you have to get up and compete every day."

Cash, who is based at Rinnai's North American headquarters in Peachtree City, faces even more challenges these mornings. He has a new position reporting to corporate headquarters in Japan, plus he remains executive VP of Rinnai North America.

Rinnai's best-known product is the tankless water heater, a category Cash is credited for creating in North America. Rinnai's production has grown from 10,000 units in 2000 to more than 200,000 this year. Tankless water heaters  which heat water "on demand" ­ are up to 50 percent more energy efficient than conventional heaters. They also result in less water use, an important factor in areas like Georgia that face drought conditions.


Cash compares tank vs. tankless water heaters to recent "format wars" in technology, such as DVD vs. Blue Ray.  "The concept of heating water and storing it is being challenged by heating water when you need it," he says.

And the product is gaining acceptance from consumers, builders, even competitors. Large U.S. companies that traditionally made tank water heaters now offer tankless products, and Rinnai provides private label products to two of the three largest manufacturers. The culmination of Rinnai's efforts over the past several years is to open the U.S. markets to both tank and tankless water heaters.

With his new assignment, Cash has a broader focus: Rinnai's five major Western economies in the U.S., UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

"First, we want to help align all products we sell in existing markets. Second, we'll be working on the next generation of products, what we'll be selling over the next 10 to 20 years."

Each market has some type of expertise, Cash says. "Part of my assignment is to find out which of these technologies can be transferred to the other Rinnai companies. There's more you can do with water heaters than just heat water, such as tie them to an air generator for home heating."

Cash has been in the Atlanta area since 1999, previously working 10 years with a Japanese tool company in Cincinnati, plus working in the aerospace industry in Kansas City. He is interested both in the technical and personal aspects of business. "I have an appreciation for both sides; you make the best holistic decision that way."

Many of those skills came to bear as Rinnai built its brand in North America, which called for bringing a new technology and an unknown brand into a new market. The business model included training a network of distributors to install the product; providing products that solved consumer needs; and maintaining external consistency. Another part of the plan was radio advertising, including endorsements by such names as Paul Harvey.

Also, Rinnai has been an Atlanta Braves sponsor for the past five years, and Cash says, "I had a little hand in that." He is modest about his massive collection of memorabilia, which includes several rare Mickey Mantle items and signed baseball cards from every living Hall of Famer. "I've been fortunate to accumulate a nice collection. It's one of my hobbies."
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