erick tron

After the fourth annual nomination for Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 came to a close, Bethany Leone, editor at Heat Treat Today, shared what type of leaders would be recognized in the September 2021 Trade Show magazine. Check out pages 32-55 for the full list of rising young leaders in the North American heat treat market.

Where did you come from? I mean, before you got into heat treating. And how did you become the heat treater that your colleagues know you to be today?

If you are like most people, heat treating was something that you fell into. You didn’t plan to go into the family business, but you did; your other opportunity at your dream job fell through and someone offered you this position; you were waiting for the chance of a lifetime and decided to pursue heat treat instead. . . .

The stories go on. Mundane, perhaps more often than not, but very much our stories.

Among the ordinariness of moving from point A to point B and making the small decisions to take on a new customer or take on a new cleaning or processing technology, we find rising young leaders of the heat treat market. The general manager at a small plant who continues to impress his colleagues and employer, or the young female operations handler whose capable, can-do attitude has driven her to vice president are the constantly felt, though not often recognized, leaders in our sphere.

Determining what is a leader is the first step to recognize these invaluable figures in our ordinary lives, hidden behind their families, books-of-the-month, and job transitions. But how to talk about a good leader? How do you put into words what is felt and not spoken? It’s a difficult question, but the best answer I can give you: tell a story.

These stories show hard work and initiative from one step to the next. . .

"Erick developed successful bilingual/bicultural work instructions and created a seamless process to develop new equipment using local resources, all during demanding project schedules and in the middle of the COVID crisis."

Leadership stories highlight cultivated talent on display. . .

"Lindsey’s communications background has helped Advanced Heat Treat Corp’s growth in technical material content for customers [. . .] Lindsey’s marketing expertise has increased AHT’s website traffic year-after-year, with a 45% increase since the pandemic."

A good story moves people with cutting edge reality and humanity of a leader. . .

"With [Matthew’s] newly acquired purchase of his first home, he is honing his abilities as a handyman from rough carpentry to finish work. Applying his perfectionist personality to every job, it’s truly hard to tell if it was done by him or a professional."

As you peel through these pages to look for the next technical article or skim for an advertiser who will meet your needs, pause for a moment with fresh eyes on the incredible narratives that make up Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2021.