May 2022 Volume 4

INDUSTRY NEWS

I was drawn to the family culture of ELLWOOD; people really try to get to know you both inside and outside of work. Most people within the company, regardless of department, are more than willing to help with a project or share a resource on a topic I’m not as familiar with. There are incentives to meet goals and develop as an employee. However, there is also a focus on continual learning and understanding exactly what you’re doing and why to make sure we always produce quality products. I appreciate ELLWOOD’s willingness to invest in equipment and training employees with a focus on safety and learning well, not only on meeting the bottom line. I really enjoy working at ELLWOOD; I get to do something a little different each day and no two days are ever the same.There are many knowledgeable metallurgists and employees in other departments to look up to and learn from their many years of experience. I feel there is still much room to grow as a metallurgist and a lot yet to learn from this company and this industry. Kim Weingartner – Vice President Team Member Initiatives, ELLWOODGroup Inc.; New Castle, PA I have worked at ELLWOOD for 32 years. I graduated from Grove City College with a BA in Math and hold an MBA from Duquesne University. My career started with ELLWOOD as the Manager of Quality for the ELLWOOD City Forge Division. I held the position for 10 years. I was then promoted to General Manager of ELLWOOD Mill Products, a division of ELLWOOD City Forge and held that position for 21 years. I recently joined ELLWOOD Group’s Human Resource Department as the VP, TeamMember Initiatives and have held that position for nearly one year. My roles throughout the years have involved understanding the quality aspects of the forging process as well as building a team and managing the aspects of a company with 100 employees. My current role involves developing training programs for all employees. ELLWOOD provides a secure workplace for its employees. I was never laid off during some of the economic downturns of the steel industry during the last 32 years. I previously worked for a large unionized company and was laid off during the union strike which eventually led to the closing of the company. The family owners get to know their employees, their families, and their interests as well as the communities where they live. They care about their employees and I feel we are treated like family. ELLWOOD’s owners have the commitment to stay in business and make the company successful for the long term. In the 32 years I have been here, I have watched some Business Units grow from 6 people to over 100 people and I have also watched new Business Units added in different market segments. The family has a long term vision and will change directions and make new investments as the market and the overall industry changes. I chose ELLWOOD since it was a stable and progressive company in my hometown. The company had survived many of the economic downturns when other larger companies in the area were forced to close.

ELLWOOD has given me the opportunity to grow as a Manager and lead an organization of over 100 men and women starting back in 2001 when there were not many women in the steel industry. They have given me the opportunity to have a very good standard of living and provide for my family. Due to the smaller managerial structure of the business, I was able to be part of long- term strategic planning and important decisions related to the business and capital investments. The forging industry may still be predominantly male, but offers a wide variety of careers for women. It’s really not different than working in any other industry except that you need to have confidence in yourself and your abilities so that you can feel you are standing on equal ground. You need to be able to communicate and have a teammindset and the opportunities will be there for you. Lauren Homack – Metallurgical Engineer, ELLWOODAluminum; Hubbard, OH

I’m a Metallurgical Engineer at ELLWOOD Aluminum in Hubbard OH. I’ve worked for ELLWOOD for 2 ½ years-- since graduating college with my bachelors in Materials Science and Engineering-- starting in their Metallurgical Engineering Development Program. After rotating through business units in casting, forging, heat treating, and machining, I found employment at ELWOOD Aluminum’s new casthouse. Here, I’m working as a Metallurgical Engineer in the quality department developing our quality management system and running the instruments in the quality lab. I’ve been here for one year now, and it’s been so rewarding to see the challenges we’ve overcome and how much this start-up business unit has grown! Because ELLWOOD is family-owned and privately held, they maintain their long-term vision and always treat employees well- - even when the markets we serve hit bumps in the road. This creates stability and belonging that demonstrates the family’s personal interest in employees’ well-being. When hiring, I think ELLWOOD is motivated to not only find a candidate with the best credentials and experience, but they emphasize finding a person with interests and values that will work best with their team. I also like that the owning family is very grounded; the Chairman can often be found on the floor talking to employees.

FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2022 63