In April 2004, Ms. Schier became the vice president and general manager of the Commercial Motor division of AMETEK, Inc. (Kent, OH, U.S.) and quickly began building relationships with the division’s customers. “I have spent a lot of time with customers, listening to their input regarding our potential growth opportunities,” Ms. Schier tells APPLIANCE.

Ms. Schier graduated cum laude from Boston University (Boston, MA, U.S.) in 1981 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Following graduation, she entered the Manufacturing Management Program of General Electric (GE) and then proceeded to earn multiple promotions in its Aircraft Instruments department. Those promotions gave her experience in production control, quality assurance, and operations. At the same time, Ms. Schier attended graduate school at Northeastern University (Boston, MA, U.S.), earning her MBA degree in 1987.

After graduate school, Ms. Schier went on to work in the Aerospace and Power Instruments division of AMETEK, Inc. in Wilmington, MA, U.S. as manager of Operations. In 2000, she was promoted to vice president of Sensors & Monitoring Systems. While in that position, AMETEK Aerospace was awarded a large contract to develop sensors for the GP7200 aircraft engine that powers the Airbus A380, the largest commercial airplane ever designed. “Winning this business and then working with the customer and multi-functional development teams to successfully design and manufacture these products was a challenging and an extremely rewarding experience,” notes Ms. Schier.

In her new role in the AMETEK Commercial Motor division, Ms. Schier plans to use a participative style of management that encourages contributions from others in the organization. “I believe that surrounding yourself with highly motivated, capable, and trained people who are attuned to the needs of our customers can make a tremendous difference in successfully growing our business,” she explains. In order to adjust to the change, Ms. Schier immerses herself in the business, draws upon the experience of her co-workers and customers, and collaborates with them to develop “win-win” strategies.

Attention to the customer is the common ground that Ms. Schier finds in the vastly different industries of aerospace and floor care. The common thread through these two industries is that customers value differentiated, cost-effective technology. “The more that you are connected to your customers and hear their voice, the easier it is for your company to deliver what is desired,” comments Ms. Schier.

Away from the office, Ms. Schier and her family enjoy the outdoors. “We love hiking, bicycling, camping, canoeing, and skiing,” she says. “We have really enjoyed exploring the natural beauty that Ohio has to offer.”