February Industry Watch: People

(CLEVELAND, OH) . . .
promoted Tim Birky to Marketing Communications Manager, responsible for overseeing U.S. creative services, marketing communications, events and trade show teams. Phillip Wittke, the director of marketing in the U.S., made the announcement.

Birky joined Lincoln in 2006 as a member of its Sports Marketing Department, where he was responsible for managing sponsorship and marketing initiatives with the Indy Racing League and National Hot Rod Association. In 2008 he was promoted to Motorsports Marketing Specialist – NASCAR and supervised sponsorship, marketing and licensing agreements with NASCAR, as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and tracks. Birky holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and supervision and an associate degree in computer information technology, both from Purdue University. www.lincolnelectric.com

(WALKER, MI) . . .
reported that Structural and Applications Engineer Gerard Schoeb successfully passed the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate Certification. He shares his knowledge through presentations and articles to groups and publications associated with the USGBC, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). An engineer in the composites materials field for 18 years, Schoeb’s experience includes quality assurance, product development, manufacturing engineering, and structural engineering.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit and continues to pursue professional development opportunities, such as the LEED Green Associate Certification. The LEED Green Associate credential, introduced in 2009, demonstrates comprehensive knowledge in green building and the LEED building rating system. It distinguishes individuals who support, but may not directly participate in, green building in their regular professional work. This credential is also a prerequisite to pursue the next tier of accreditation, LEED Accredited Professional with Specialty. www.tubeliteinc.com

(PEORIA, IL) . . .
announced that Kimberly S. Hauer was appointed by the board of directors to Vice President, Human Services Division to replace Greg Folley, who earlier became the vice president of the Remanufacturing & Components Division.

“Kim is a consummate human resources professional with global experience and demonstrated deep expertise that position her to lead the on-going transformation of our Human Services Division (HSD),” said Ed Rapp, chief financial officer and group president with responsibility for corporate services. “As part of our updated strategy, we are focusing on developing the best team of people and building a world-class leadership development program for our global base of employees. Kim will be the first career HR professional to lead HSD for us, and based on her demonstrated leadership as we have realigned our global HR organization, I am certain she will continue to drive results in support of our global strategy.”

Hauer joined Caterpillar in 1997 as part of the company HR Professional Development Program. She advanced through numerous positions with increasing responsibilities in the areas of human resources, labor relations and succession planning, including a role as a compensation and benefits manager for the Caterpillar Logistics Division based in Belgium. She is currently a group and regional HR director for Caterpillar based in Geneva, Switzerland, where she leads a team of HR professionals with facilities and organizations spread throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. She has a bachelor’s degree in management, with emphasis in human resources, from Purdue University and has been certified as a human resources professional. www.caterpillar.com

(MIAMI, FL) . . .
named John L. Mendoza, a 36-year veteran of the welding industry, as its 2011 president and chairman of the board. “It’s an honor to serve as the new president of AWS and my goal is to challenge our sections and members to raise the issues that are important today by focusing on the image of welding in the future and this can only be done through education and certifications,” said Mendoza. “The most career-enhancing decisions I ever made were to keep advancing my education through achieving various certifications and it is certifications that serve to keep an individual employed even during tough economic climates.”

During his term, Mendoza will manage the affairs of the society and will preside at all board of directors and executive committee meetings, as well as the society’s annual meeting and any special meetings of its members. Mendoza will also represent AWS at many of its local section meetings, and other technical, national and international meetings. Upon graduating from the San Antonio Trade School with a certificate in welding technology in 1973, Mendoza began his career as a welder’s helper with CPS Energy, San Antonio’s gas and electric utility company.

After completing a three-year apprenticeship, he attained journeyman welder status in 1979. In 1992, he earned his AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) credentials and served as a weld inspector during construction of a 550 MW coal-fired plant.
In 1994, Mendoza was promoted to Technical Trainer, responsible for the training and performance of power plant workers. His proficiency in plant design was instrumental in the creation of the Skills Training Evaluation Program (STEP) used by CPS Energy for employee development. Mendoza pursued his interest in welder education and earned his AWS Certified Welding Educator credentials in 1996. That same year, he received craft instructor certification from the National Center for Construction Education and Research and was hired as an adjunct welding instructor for the Texas A&M University system. In 2001, he attained credentials as a Certified Training Manager by Langevin Learning Services.

In 2005, Mendoza was elected to the board of directors of the College/Postsecondary Division of Texas SkillsUSA. For several years he chaired the state-wide SkillsUSA welding competition. In addition, Mendoza is a past chair of the St. Philip’s College welding advisory committee and a 35-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 500. He is also a member of the International Institute of Welding (IIW), serving as a delegate to Commission XIV on Education & Training.

Mendoza has been an active member of AWS for more than 15 years. Throughout that time he has generated the newsletter for the San Antonio section, organized AWS district conferences, served as a test proctor for CWI exams, maintained the section website and obtained welding proclamations from city and state officials. Prior to being elected AWS national vice president in 2008, he served over six years as Director for District 18. After retiring in February 2010 after nearly 36 years of service from CPS Energy, Mendoza currently works as a consultant for Lone Star Welding.

He and his wife, Nora, have been married for 36 years and reside in San Antonio, TX. They have three children and three grandchildren. www.aws.org

(SOUTH BELOIT, IL) . . .
appointed RoseAnn Taphorn to Sales and Marketing Assistant to focus on brand building through planning, creation and maintenance of interactive social media strategies for North American Tool Corporation (South Beloit), Gaylee Saws (Sterling Heights, MI), Bitner Tooling Technologies (Sterling Heights, MI) and Allen Benjamin Inc. (Mesa, AZ). With a bachelor’s degree in public relations, she excels in enhancing community and business-to-business relationships and is also well versed in social media skills and online branding techniques.

Prior to joining Global Specialty Solutions, Taphorn served as sales and marketing consultant at Volcano Falls Adventure Park, a First Rockford Group company, and performed internships for a diverse range of companies and organizations. “We are pleased to welcome RoseAnn and look forward to adding her expertise to further augment our talented family,” stated Senior Vice President Bernie Bowersock. She will be based at the North American Tool sales, service and manufacturing facility in South Beloit. www.globalspecialtysolutions.com

(ATLANTA, GA) . . .
hired Tim Trefzer as the first sustainability coordinator of a unified sustainability strategy for the GWCCA campus, which includes the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), the Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park, to address energy and water conservation, recycling, promoting public transportation and staff and customer education. He is a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). In this position, Trefzer will. Before accepting this position, Trefzer worked as a LEED Project Manager for Sustainable Options, a green building consultant in Atlanta. At Sustainable Options, Trefzer gained experience with evaluating and documenting the feasibility of existing buildings seeking LEED certification for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EBOM).