Meet Danny Villegas, Service Manager

Danny joined the Energenecs team last spring as our Service Manager, and he’s been instrumental in keeping things running smoothly. He leads our team of field technicians, coordinates service schedules, and ensures our customers receive expert support. We recently caught up with him to learn more about his background and role.

Where did you go to college?

I did my undergrad at the University of Detroit, a small private school. Then in 2019, I received my MBA from the University of Dayton — while working full-time and raising a family. I’m actually the community leader for Dayton’s alumni committee here in Milwaukee.

It’s a great way to support each other’s growth. Our service events include things like volunteering at community gardens or organizing dinners at homeless shelters, especially around the holidays. One of my favorite events is the “Christmas Off Campus” dinner we host for the homeless in Milwaukee—it’s such a fulfilling experience. Once a year, the university even flies me back to campus to meet with the president and stay connected. I truly enjoy everything we do— it’s all about building community.

Are you originally from Wisconsin?

No, I’ve kind of been a transplant. I started in Southern California — the area where the fires often are — then moved to Michigan for college at 17. I stayed there about 10 years after graduating. After that, I moved to Colorado for about five years, then to Alabama for around two years. Eventually, I got picked up and brought to Wisconsin. With each move, I was being promoted or picked up by bigger companies. I ended up working for the second-largest automotive aftermarket company in the country, and that role brought me to Wisconsin. I’ve been here ever since. I really like Wisconsin. The people are good — easy to talk to and very genuine. Of all the places I’ve lived, this is one of my favorites — aside from the winter weather!

What were you doing before you joined Energenecs?

Before I came over to Energenecs, I ran my own company, a small business focused on research and data analytics. Prior to that, I did a bit in the automotive industry. I traveled a lot globally, building sales teams in places like China, Australia, Europe, and Central America — really, all over the world. I did a lot of sales, mostly team-building. Some domestic, but it was primarily overseas.

What attracts you to this type of work?

The biggest thing for me is the interaction — both internal and external. Getting to know people on a personal level and talking about all the “waste” is really rewarding.

What’s a typical day at Energenecs for you?

One thing I really enjoy is staying in close contact with the service team, and the parts team. Building that cohesiveness is something I really value. I try to foster an environment where people feel comfortable, open, and trusted. That kind of unity and trust is a big deal to me, and I put a lot of focus on that. Overall, the business has been growing — especially in parts and service. But we’re also exploring alternative ways to grow — different approaches, sales strategies, and opportunities that aren’t commonly tapped into but still align with what we do. For example, if we sell someone a pump and go to install it, I’ll ask the customer for a tour. That tour becomes a chance to spot other opportunities — things we should be doing or could be doing that we’re not. It’s about identifying real needs. That’s really my approach: identify the true need. Sometimes that means saying, “You don’t actually need that — here’s a better solution.” It’s part sales, part service, and also about finding new opportunities the customer might not realize they need yet.

So it’s more proactive than reactive?

Exactly — it’s proactive, exploratory sales. Sometimes we discover new services we could offer, or even just find new angles on things we already do.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I love spending time with my kids — they’re 11 and 9, and they’re into club soccer. I enjoy watching them play and just talking to them about it. I also really enjoy reading — especially old texts. I’ll go into digital archives at places like Liberty University and read writings from the 1700s, old articles, even thesis papers. I like digging into obscure historical writings. It started with my research background. When I got my MBA, I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to do deep dives into that kind of material. It really opened up that side of me.