SUPERB INDUSTRIES - Key Persons
Andrew joined SUPERB in 2011 with an extensive experience of 22 years in precision surface grinding. At SUPERB, Andrew works in the tool room's grinding area, finishing the grinding work on parts for the final fit into a die. He also sharpens tools for continual use.
He continues to share his knowledge as he teaches SUPERB Technical Institute courses. He enjoys working with his fellow team members because they are a "fun bunch of people to work with and are all good workers."
Andrew's hobbies are boating, fishing, and relaxing with his wife and children.
With nearly a decade of experience in the assembly manufacturing, Barbara Gerber joined the SUPERB team in 2014. Currently, she is an assembler in the SUPERB Assembly department working mostly on after-market automotive parts manufactured in the SUPERB Molding Department.
Barbara enjoys working with her friendly co-workers. When she's not at work and the Ohio weather is "nice," she loves to go canoeing. She enjoys family time and watching The Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns.
Job Titles:
- Production Support Specialist
Production Support Specialist Brittany Pfeister can be seen throughout the stamping area, as she provides help wherever it is needed. Whether in the tool room shaping steel bands to inspecting finished components, Brittany is there to offer assistance. Prior to coming to SUPERB in 2013, she worked in the health care manufacturing.
Brittany says it is the people and the opportunity to learn new things that continues to make her job worthwhile.
When she's not at SUPERB, she loves to spend time with her son. Her other hobbies include camping, hosting and planning parties, interior design, and music.
Job Titles:
- Human Resources and Safety Manager
As Human Resources and Safety Manager, Cathy Ewing joined the SUPERB team in 2014. Dividing her time among many different responsibilities, she is the go-to-person for policy management, benefits, staffing, safety, and compliance. Cathy has more than 14 years experience in human resources management.
As you may expect, Cathy enjoys working with the people at SUPERB and is always on the lookout to improve employee relations.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Operations
Daniel began working for SUPERB in 1997 and is currently the Information Technology Manager and a Project Engineer. He graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in which he achieved Summa Cum Laude. He also has obtained an Associate of Science in Computer Science. Daniel started programming at age five and has won numerous awards including TUV Management's Best Practice Award for designing and programming SUPERB's quality control database.
While at work, he enjoys facing the challenges that present themselves.
When Daniel is away from work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their toilet-trained Ragdoll cat named Bailey. He also loves to travel and continues to work on restoring his Mercedes.
Quality Manager Frank Gordon enjoys meeting the needs of customers, as he maintains the high SUPERB quality standards. Frank joined the SUPERB team in 1999 after working in the manufacturing industry in northeast Ohio.
Spending his time preserving and improving the SUPERB quality system by developing control and inspection plans, he also maintains the calibrations of gages, develops gages, and RAM programs for measuring parts. Frank is also a SUPERB Technical Institute instructor.
Outside of the quality lab, Frank enjoys watching science fiction movies and shows, especially Star Trek, football, and shooting.
As a graduate of the first SUPERB Technical Institute stamping press technician apprenticeship program, Heath works on multiple manufacturing machines, including Bihler and Bruderer presses. He credits learning how to operate new machines as one of the things he likes best about working at SUPERB. A press technician since joining the SUPERB team in 2011, Heath was a former grill cook and worked on a farm.
When not operating one of the manufacturing presses, Heath loves outdoor activities, including kayaking, rock climbing, hunting, fishing, and camping. He also enjoys cooking, spending time with his daughter, and taking an occasional photograph or two.
Jared joined the SUPERB team in 2006 as a tool & die maker apprentice and today is a tool & die journeyman working in the SUPERB tool room.
Working in all areas of the tool room, Jared's duties include machining, heat treating, grinding die components, die assembly, die troubleshooting, prototyping, and mechanical machine tool maintenance. In addition, Jared teaches SUPERB Technical Institute courses.
As you can imagine, even when he's not at work, Jared confesses to "tinkering on anything with an engine" as his favorite hobby.
John grew up in a typical Amish family nestled in the heartland of Ohio's Amish country. As he was surrounded by a family of craftsmen extending back nine generations, it is no surprise that John became one of the most sought-after artisans of the area, but his early life did not exactly follow the "traditional" path of his fellow Amish siblings. At the age of 24, John made the choice to leave the Amish lifestyle and spread his wings outside the Amish community. He studied engineering and pursued a career working design and manufacturing engineering positions with Simonds Cutting Tools, Chrysler Corporation, and Bihler of America, Inc.
After successful stints with other manufacturing companies, John founded SUPERB Industries, with his brother in a two-car garage. John was still employed with other manufacturing companies, but the desire to create SUPERB was powerful. The duo had a deeply-embedded vision to make a difference in the manufacturing arena. John recalls this time vividly because he was committed to the notion that creating a company that would solve real world problems better, deliver goods on time at an equitable price, and treat employees well, would make a superb difference in the manufacturing arena.
Growing up in the Amish culture, John's communication skills were underdeveloped and could have limited his opportunities. Instead of letting this define him, he realized the value of education. He took the opportunity to improve his skills and obtained a liberal arts degree with a heavy emphasis on public speaking and written communication. This combination was the perfect addition to his well-developed technical skills.
In 1993, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Ambassador University and took a management position with a related non-profit organization in Bonn, Germany, where he applied his newly acquired communications skills. BottomUp Management, as it was then called, was a focus of study during John's Masters of Arts in Organizational Management degree that he received from the University of Phoenix in 2006.
As a first-year apprentice in SUPERB Technical Institute's stamping press technician program, Lavern is learning on the job and continuing his education on-site. During his apprenticeship, he can be found throughout the shop in various areas from shadowing stamping press technicians to assisting with production support to working alongside toolmakers.
In addition to learning on the job, Lavern says everyday brings new challenges, and he enjoys seeing what lies ahead.
Prior to arriving at SUPERB in 2015, Lavern worked at a woodworking business. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, and working on tractors.
Tooling Manager Lee Heilman joined the SUPERB team in 2008 after spending more than 17 years at Oberg Industries as a tool and die maker. Operating SUPERB's tool room, Lee oversees and organizes workflow, services current production tooling, builds new tooling, and teaches SUPERB Technical Institute courses.
When asked what Lee enjoys most about SUPERB, he says, "SUPERB cares about their employees. SUPERB is a growing company that I can grow with. We do not focus on one kind of job. We are involved in many different job arenas."
Outside of work, Lee enjoys tractor pulling with his family, attending car and tractor shows, and watching Pittsburgh Steeler football games.
When asked what she enjoys most about working at SUPERB, Leslie replied, the teamwork and mutual respect her fellow team members have for each other. That kind of teamwork is very important, especially in the assembly department.
Since 2011, Leslie has worked assembling automotive after-market products and Sol-A-Ray components. She is an experienced assembler with more than 15 years working in the industry.
When not working, Leslie likes to spend time with her family and friends, attend movies and concerts, and watch golf and NASCAR. She is a "huge" Pittsburgh Steeler and Ohio State University fan too
As a press technician, Lucas works with the robotic welder, operating the weld line and inspecting finished components. After joining SUPERB in 2014, Lucas has enrolled in the SUPERB Technical Institute Stamping Press Technician program and is pursuing his journeyman's certificate.
Prior to working at SUPERB, Lucas detailed vehicles and worked at a lumberyard. He credits the environment, people, and flexibility of his schedule as three reasons why he likes working at SUPERB.
When not at SUPERB, Lucas enjoys working on vehicles, watching NASCAR, riding dirt bikes, fishing, and attending car shows, drag races, and tractor pulls.
SUPERB customers are in good hands with the Stamping Department's Buyer/Planner Michele Criswell. With more than 27 years experience in the manufacturing industry, Michele is a seasoned veteran in the areas of document control, inventory management, scheduling, and production purchasing, plus, she's a certified auditor.
Michele enjoys the working environment at SUPERB and the challenges and demands she faces daily. Typically, she is either on the shop floor or at her desk processing customer orders, scheduling production runs, or purchasing material.
When not at SUPERB, she can be found playing euchre and bowling, going camping, and spending time with her family and friends.
As a Bihler Press Technician, Mike Weaver focuses on the setup and operation of a high-speed Bihler manufacturing machine. The former HVAC installer began working at SUPERB in 2011 and is a graduate of the first SUPERB Technical Institute stamping press technician class. He is currently enrolled in the Bihler Stamping Press Technician program.
As a journeyman press tech, Mike enjoys working with the people, the clean work environment, and daily challenges of running a press.
When not at the Bihler press, Mike enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, and camping.
Quality is paramount at SUPERB. As the Quality Systems Director, Susan ensures procedures and job instructions are current and up-to-date, protecting customers and ensuring quality products. Since 1997, Susan has worked at SUPERB in the finance, human resources, and safety departments, but she has always been involved in quality control. She has been on the Quality Team since SUPERB first became certified in 1998. She also teaches SUPERB Technical Institute courses.
She enjoys working with everyone and appreciates their efforts to maintain and improve SUPERB's quality system.
She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and if there is any time left, she loves to dive into a good novel that will take her places that she could otherwise never visit.
SUPERB Technical Institute Stamping Press Technician graduate Todd Bickel came to SUPERB in 2011 after working in a variety of industries, including home health care and manufacturing. As a certified press technician journeyman, Todd operates a 75-ton high-speed Bruderer press including inspections and maintenance.
He enjoys working with his fellow team members and helping out wherever he is needed on the stamping room floor.
When not at work, Todd enjoys attending church, reading, camping, and spending time with his family.