February 2022 Volume 4

MEMBERS SPEAK

Looking back, some of my earliest childhood memories are going to the Modern Forge employee summer picnics with my father and brother. The plant was quiet, and it felt like a maze of impossibly huge equipment. My grandfather would proudly take me through the plant, introducing me to anyone who would listen. I remember shaking hands with a hammerman that looked like a giant. He was so kind, but I was terrified watching his enormous hand swallow mine. My first job at the old Blue Island plant was as a summer utility man. This is a euphemism for ‘rag and garbage pick-up guy.’ As a teenager, it was unfathomable to me that people could get up every day at four in the morning to go to work. I eventually got used to the early mornings and became fascinated with the movement of the factory. It felt like its own small city, with people, steel, and equipment in constant motion but all coordinated. I befriended people across the plant and learned their stories. Many had worked at the plant their whole life. Others worked alongside their parents and siblings. You felt the pride that many had in what they did every day. In time I was promoted from rags, to grinding, and eventually to quality. Throughout my summers at the factory, I gained an appreciation for the combination of art and science that makes forging unique. A true craft that so many have dedicated their lives to. Like many headstrong young adults, I wanted to do something vastly different than what I was brought up in for my first ‘real’ job, so after college I went to work in finance for a large bank. While there were no rag pick-up responsibilities, I did get to see how a wide variety of businesses operated. What worked and what did not. I had the opportunity to work with business leaders that I truly admired and respected, and others that showed me what I did not want to become. After about 15 years at the bank and having just started a family, I started to plan to come back to work at Modern. I remember one of the last things I did at the bank was interview a 26-year-old young man who was graduating from business school. He was very bright and ambitious, but ultimately turned down the offer for more money. Less than two weeks later I was at Modern meeting with an employee who was having a problem. He was also a 26-year-old bright and ambitious man in our maintenance department, and he needed a $1,500 loan so he and his kids would not be evicted from their home. It was a great feeling to help that family, but it put in very real terms how similar people can end up in vastly different circumstances and what we can do to help. Now that is it is my turn to be a leader at Modern, I try to draw on my past experiences in growing our business. Focusing on attracting and supporting dedicated and talented employees is critical, now more than ever. That is why I’ve been actively engaged in the Forging Foundation (FIERF) for the past several years. FIERF is an organization that is full of remarkable people that share my values. It focuses on driving the forging industry forward, both with investments in research and in the young people we need to make Members Speak

it happen. With the support the foundation provides students, we can give meaningful opportunities to those bright and ambitious young people that otherwise may have passed us by. If you feel the same way about our industry, I ask that you consider supporting the Forging Foundation (FIERF) or one of its scholarship programs with a donation. You can donate online at www.fierf.org. Gregory J. Heim Modern Forge Indiana, LLC President Board of Trustees President, FIERF Phone: 708- 489-4243 Email: gregj@modernforge.com

Eagle Tavern - Greenfield Village Dearborn, MI Women in Forging Luncheon March 30, 2022

Network and connect with other women in the forging industry. Funds raised from this event will go to the Forging Foundation (FIERF).

Register online at www.forging.org

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2022 87