Summer 2007
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Summer 2007 |
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Career Achievement Awards DARIN MOODY Rose-Hulman English Professor Richard House couldn’t have been happier when Darin Moody (Ch.E., ’87) told House’s students that one of the most important skills they would need as engineers or scientists was the ability to be an effective communicator. “Poor decisions can result from poor communications,” Moody told students in House’s technical communications class. Whether it’s the need to communicate effectively to comply with government regulations or to teach employees complicated procedures for the production of pharmaceuticals, Moody’s message was clear — writing and speaking effectively is vital to having a successful career. Moody knows from experiences during his 20-year career with Eli Lilly and Co. that communications is an important characteristic of being a leader. “Today’s leader must be effective working and communicating in a team environment,” said Moody, who is executive director of Six Sigma, Global Manufacturing and Quality at Eli Lilly. “The pace of technical change is staggering. The ability to communicate change to others so they can adapt to it is critical,” he stated. Moody’s career began as a process engineer contributing to the design, construction and start-up of manufacturing facilities in Indianapolis, Clinton and Lafayette in Indiana. He moved to assignments in environmental controls, manager of bulk manufacturing in Indianapolis and biochemical manufacturing. Moody was promoted to general manager of the Lilly production facility in Liverpool, England in 1999. Two years later, he returned to Indianapolis in another site leadership role before becoming executive director of global process and maintenance engineering where he was responsible for engineeering and maintenance activities at Lilly’s facilities worldwide. He’s now communicating with over 11,000 employees worldwide in his responsibilities which are focused on implementing the Six Sigma approach to improving operational execution in the areas of manufacturing and quality. Lilly has honored Moody for being a successful coach and mentor to numerous individuals in the organization and for executing a key strategic initiative in the bulk insulin manufacturing division. Well-deserved recognition that illustrates his effectiveness as a communicator. GREG SMITH The Harley-Davidson brand is one of the best known in the world. Its customers are well known for their loyalty to Harley-Davidson products. So, how do you improve upon the products that have such a strong brand and market share? That’s one of the questions Greg Smith (E.E., ’87) ponders each day. As director of operations strategy for Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Smith is creating the strategies to guide future decisions about manufacturing, assembly and supply chain investments. Smith describes his work using the words cross functional, flexibility, corporate circles and vision. “The company must be adaptive and responsive to customer needs,” says the Illinois native, who was president of the student body during his undergraduate days and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. “We have to plan for operations flexibility,” he stated. “As an example, how flexible must our manufacturing be to meet customer demands?” Smith asks. Smith’s career has taken him from manufacturing management posts at GE Aerospace and GE Aircraft Engines to a return to the classroom when he earned master’s degrees from MIT in management and electrical engineering. After a three-year stint at Motorola, where he contributed to the launch of cell phone products in the European market, Smith was hired by Harley-Davidson in 1996 to provide leadership for supply/materials purchasing that amounted to $1.4 billion annually. A move to powertrain program director gave him the opportunity to impact product development. He led a cross-functional team that launched the 2006 and 2007 Big Twin powertrains, which included the Twin Cam 96TM engine with the Six-Speed Cruise DriveTM transmision. He managed the creation of new processes to introduce the product at considerable savings. It’s not easy trying to determine future corporate strategy. Smith advises to stay customer focused. “While developing strategy, you’ve got a lot of information to consider. But while doing that, you’ve got to keep close to the customer,” says Smith. MICHAEL RADOMSKY Michael Radomsky (Chem. Eng., ’87) has been at the forefront in the development and manufacturing of a wide range of new pharmaceutical and biotechnology products for large and small companies. It has been an exciting and rewarding ride. “Research and development may be a tedious process, but the discovery of how things work and interact is why I became an engineer. It still fascinates me,” he says. Since 2004, Radomsky has served as associate director of pharmaceutical sciences for Theravance, a 10 year-old pharmaceutical company based in South San Francisco that develops market-leading medicines. He currently focuses on the final stages of Federal Drug Administration product approval for telavancin, a novel treatment for resistant Gram-positive infections. He has had primary responsibilities for the preparation, review and editing of a range of regulatory documents. Radomsky’s technical expertise also includes the chemistry, manufacturing and controls for pharmaceutical products, along with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). His name is on four patents, and he has authored and co-authored several publications and made presentations at scientific conferences. After graduating from Rose-Hulman, Radomsky earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1991. He has worked for Syntex, Orquest, Epicyte Pharmaceutical and Arc Engineering –- all based in California – before joining Theravance. “Twenty years ago, I thought I would become a college professor. However, in graduate school, I fell in love with research. Right now, research and helping develop new pharmaceutical discoveries is where I can make a difference.” JOHN LUEKEN The famed Golden Arches aren’t added to McDonald’s restaurants across America before the involvement of John Lueken (Civil Eng., ’87), director of construction for the nation’s largest chain of quick-service restaurants. Since 2005, Lueken has led the U.S. Construction Department and helped establish profitability strategies for over 13,000 current locations, including assisting with the redesigning of restaurants for the introduction of the “Forever Young” brand — the first major redesign since the 1970s. He leads the development and implementation of construction technologies for 22 regional development teams including costing systems and web-based project management tools. He also assists in setting global procurement strategies in his leadership of the construction purchasing group; leads corporate Americans with Disabilities Act efforts; and serves as corporate counterpart for the Ronald McDonald House Charities initiative, Asian Business Vision and Hispanic Business Vision Place Teams. Lueken’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. He has earned six company awards in his 13 years with McDonald’s USA, including the “Circle of Excellence Award” in 2005 and the President’s Award and U.S. Regional Construction Manager of the Year, both in 2003. He worked as an area and regional construction manager for the Phoenix and Southern California regional offices before joining the corporate leadership team. Lueken’s engineering career started as Projects Department Manager for MasterBrand Cabinets, from 1987-1994. “I love to build things,” said Lueken, a native of Ferdinand, Ind. “I am thrilled to have seen so many projects start with a barren piece of real estate and experience the transformation into a functioning development.” |