Meet The Disruptors: Arthur Sams Of Polar Power On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

To limit competition, do not increase the complexity of the invention. Simplify it instead and make the business model more complex by adding additional services.

As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Arthur Sams.

Arthur Sams is the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Polar Power, Inc. Under his leadership, the company has grown to be a leading brand name in the design and manufacturing of direct current (DC) power systems for the telecommunications, defense, automotive, marine, and industrial markets. During his early career, he gained vast industry experience while working as a machinist, engineer, project manager, chief technical officer and consultant for various Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

My fascinations, from earliest memory, have been with biology for pre-med and engineering for inventing. My life’s goal is to apply technology to benefit mankind and the environment, and I felt that I had the talent to pull it off. My partners and I launched Polar in 1979 with a solar-powered vaccine refrigerator we developed to support cold chain in rural and remote areas. Imagine one installed solar refrigerator saving hundreds of lives each year. Through this I learned the hard way about the barriers of bringing beneficial and disruptive technology into the market. I learned that it takes a larger presence to launch beneficial technology, so we applied our skills and pursued very challenging military programs to earn capital and further our technologies.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

We are applying DC generator and control technology to solar and non-solar applications to reduce the cost of generating electric power while also reducing pollution and greenhouse gases (GHG). This will disrupt the use of diesel fuel and alternating current (AC) generators for producing electricity. Applications are extensive and the most notable markets include: nano-grids, robotics for military, marine, and agriculture, telecommunications, EV charging, and off-grid and bad-grid power.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I have a great sense of humor and humor eases the stress of business. I analyze and learn from my mistakes, but I do not remember any of them as funny. One important lesson is that common-sense is not aways a reality.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

My father was my first and foremost mentor, he was a true hard-working scientist. At different stages, he was a cardiologist, math professor, physicist, and mechanic and driver on battlefield tanks during WW2. I learned how to explore technology, travel the world, and work hard.

My junior and high school shop teachers gave me the confidence to work with my hands and solve problems in a practical manner. This aided my studies in engineering and helped me produce my inventions. This was a strong foundation for my engineering skills.

My projects over the many decades have attracted the attention of other engineers who lent their assistance and through this process, I had many mentors. The secret is to learn on the mentors’ terms, not yours.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

If the disrupting technology or business model offers no long-term benefits or sustainability, it becomes a distraction impeding real progress. Lack of sustainability also applies to risk.

Diesel fuel and engines for generating electricity have shown the test of time. However, as more and more have come into place, due to a lack of electric utility grid or a degrading utility grid, a need has emerged to change to cleaner fuels.

I would say that traditional banks and currency have shown the test of time and the disrupting bitcoin seem to offer no real benefits outside of dark “money” transactions.

Can you please share 5 ideas one needs to shake up their industry?

1 . Do not take a technology and search for an application. Focus on the application and find the best technology. I have seen too often good technology placed into inappropriate applications.

2 . To limit competition, do not increase the complexity of the invention. Simplify it instead and make the business model more complex by adding additional services.

3 . Minimize the number / levels of outsourcing. Outsourcing means you have more partners sharing the profit. Outsourcing can be very convenient, but it’s becoming harder to pass on the extra costs onto the customer.

4 . There are certain tasks that are best outsourced at a lower cost than performing inhouse. Have the ability to make accurate “make or buy” decisions. And if it can be produced elsewhere at a lower cost investigate why.

5 . Diversity of product, markets, and applications, and of the workforce is an important advantage in a world of increasing competition.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I have a long-range plan to continue the direction of market and application diversification. The next step in disruption of AC generators is a further reduction in sale prices.

Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?

Nothing to speak of, as I am presently busy with multitasking. I do listen to KCRW’s Left, Right & Center podcast.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Do not let your perceptions of reality confuse or mask the opportunities at hand. I read the books and attended conferences on government contracting, which shaped my perception about the opportunities I had access to. Eventually experience showed a completely different reality.

Common sense is not always an accurate guide.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Root Cause Analysis on deeper levels or Cause and Effect to the highest level. Over simplifying problems and their solutions is a persistent challenge I see. There is a process in place to analyze problems and solutions, but sometimes people only go a few layers. For example, the proposed solution to reduce GHG and global warming is to convert stoves/ovens, heating furnaces, and transportation to electric. However, important questions are not being asked such as where the electric utility gets its fuel/energy from (typically large percentages of coal, fuel oil, diesel, natural gas) or how will the electric utility will scale up its ability to deliver against the increased electric demand. And what will happen with rate increases with an increasing energy monopoly?

I see this single layer problem-solving effort preventing solutions on the following: homeless, energy, transportation, and immigration.

How can our readers follow you online?

They can follow what we are doing on Polar Power’s website and on our LinkedIn page.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!