Q&A with Steve Sherman
Ska Fabricating jumps into 2023 by welcoming their new CEO
After a nationwide search, Ska Fabricating’s Board of Directors has selected Steve Sherman to lead the company as its Chief Executive Officer. Most recently, Mr. Sherman served as Global VP of Operations for Spectralink Corporation.
Mr. Sherman has over twenty years of CEO and COO experience serving private, equity, venture capital, and public companies. Before accepting his new role at Ska Fabricating, Mr. Sherman acted as Global VP of Operations at Spectralink Corporation, Head of Global Operations at Mini-Circuits, and Vice President of Alcatel-Lucent, among others.
We took a moment to catch up with Steve and hear a bit more about the path that led him to Ska Fabricating and what excites him about this next chapter of the company.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to choose Ska Fab.
I started my career as an automation engineer designing and building robotic systems for high- speed manufacturing lines. I then moved into leading manufacturing, supply chain, and business operations around the world for some great technology companies including IBM, AT&T, and Nokia. I’ve spent the last 10+ years focused on my true passion – building and growing mid-size companies – launching new products, expanding into new markets, and building new partnerships. Ska Fab is a bit “coming home” for me in terms of getting back to my roots in taking on automation engineering challenges to solve customer problems.
When I look for a leadership role, I focus on smaller, fast moving, customer-focused companies with a strategy and track record of growth and service. And most importantly for me – great people who want to build something great and long-lasting. We spend so much time at work, that I want to work with people where I build lifelong friendships. Ska Fab is all of that.
Great companies like Ska Fab develop innovative products that solve real world problems for our customers. And we are relentless about customer focus and service. We have multiple manufacturing sites that allow us to directly control our quality and delivery. And we have a diverse team of people, full of energy and purpose, who are incredibly dedicated to further growing this business. It was really an easy decision to jump into this leadership role and be a part of this team.
While my wife and family are originally from the East Coast, we have been in Colorado for the past 8+ years. We love hiking and biking – so having our headquarters in beautiful Durango was simply an added bonus.
What is exciting to you as you consider Ska’s future?
Our history and continued trajectory of growth. Building from a leadership role in craft brewing, we are now helping transform the can decorating industry. And our Grand Rapids team has expanded our portfolio to cover all major container types including plastic, steel, fiberboard, and glass. We get new challenges from new customers every day which is incredibly exciting.
Our culture has incredible agility and speed, with a laser focus on customer service. Every person I met at Ska Fab wants to be here and is committed to expanding our reach and impact.
We have an important purpose and play a critical role in the global supply chain for packaged goods. We are a key part in packaging all the items in your kitchen, in your garage, in your medicine cabinet. We enable our customers to get that job done profitably, safely, with the highest quality. And we see the outcome of our work every day, on every store shelf, and in every home.
What about Ska’s product offerings sets Ska apart from the rest of the field?
Our products are purpose-built by talented people directly from the industry. These are not generic pieces of steel and motors and electronics that anyone can put together. They are thoughtful designs and solutions built to allow our customers to succeed; they enable higher quality packaging operations with lower costs and increased output and revenue.
Our products are flexible and scalable. We appreciate that some operators are just starting out. They need lower throughput from flexible and reliable equipment to help them launch innovative products. Other Ska Fab customers are much larger and need much higher throughput and engineering support for an end-to-end solution. Regardless of business size, package type, or product segment – if you are building or improving your packaging line – we are committed to being your partner of choice.
Lastly – we are a humble company. We do not limit our customers’ design of their process, or choices of key packaging equipment by requiring every piece to come from Ska Fab. We know that some of our customers need equipment from other companies to optimize their operations. We embrace that. And we constantly look for the best of the best partners to build out a complete solution. We are always open to integrating a blend of Ska Fab equipment and other high quality third party equipment, with Ska Fab’s engineering and service ability so our customers get the best end to end integrated solution that serves their needs.
Read more about Steve Sherman and the announcement of his role as CEO of Ska Fabricating on The Metal Packager, CanTech International, and Packaging World.