A resourceful management, operations and engineering expert, William Beible recently made a successful transition from a manufacturing company that was downsizing to a newly-created position at a growing business in the same industry.  We spoke with Mr. Beible early in his tenure as the new Senior Vice President of Operations at Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc.

KA:  What brought Kelleher Associates to your attention originally, and why did you decide to work with them in your recent career transition?

WB:  I had learned about Ed Kelleher from a colleague years ago and he was described to me as someone who was very well connected in the Greater Philadelphia region.  After I returned to Philadelphia, I finally met him briefly at an ExecuNet meeting a few years ago.  This past October, my employer, Carpenter Technology in Reading, went through a reduction in the leadership team and a general restructuring, and my position as vice president of integrated information systems was one of the positions affected.  I immediately thought of Ed.

KA:  When you came to Kelleher Associates, what types of exercises did you go through?

WB:  My primary experience is in general management and operations, but working together with Ed we wanted to sort out what it was I really wanted to do.  We went through a number of exercises and discussions.  We started with my career background, and my personality, and we did some assessment exercises.

We focused on accomplishments in my career that I was most proud of, and what my interests were for the future, which dramatically improved my resume.  There was a lot of individual coaching.  Most of our discussions revolved around what industry and what roles would work best for me.  It became pretty clear to Ed where my passions were – he saw my face light up when I discussed certain experiences in general management and line leadership roles I had in the past, areas where I had the most impact or made the most gains.

Ed’s advice was to focus on those areas, and not compromise, to do what came naturally to me.  He reviewed some possibilities for me, and then opened the door for me with several recruiters and executive search firms.

KA:  How did you find your new position with Universal Stainless?

WB:  By networking.  I had worked with Dennis Oates, their new President and CEO, at a previous company.  Denny had started working with Universal around the same time I left Carpenter.  He brought me in for a few months as a consultant; then they created a new position for me with the firm.  It encompasses a great many of the responsibilities and activities I found through working with Ed that appealed to me.  It’s the type of business I enjoy, working with high temperature and aerospace alloys.  I started here on February 11th.

KA:  What are your responsibilities in your new role with Universal Stainless?

WB:  I manage our manufacturing operations in three locations (Bridgeville, PA, Titusville, PA and Dunkirk, NY) with emphasis on production planning, inventory, engineering, budgeting capital, capital development.  I’ve always been involved in materials and engineering on the specialty side.  I’ve always enjoyed being in the field, I like the hands-on nature of this job, it’s much more than administration here.

KA:  What would you tell a senior executive who might be considering Kelleher Associates in the future?

WB:  There are a lot of reasons to go with Ed Kelleher and Kelleher Associates.  When you are at a senior level, you truly appreciate the very personalized and individualized service that they offer at Kelleher Associates.  They recognize that each individual is different, and has different situations to deal with, but they also recognize common threads and techniques that can work for each individual.  Ed and his colleagues work with you to crystallize in your mind what you should be doing, and why.  The individualized attention provides not only encouragement but also reinforcement.  They are not afraid to provide a critical challenge where one is needed.

That whole one-on-one approach is what made the experience so valuable to me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with Ed; it was a very pleasant, professional and supportive process.