Dec. 12, 2024
Educating future leaders
Mizzou Engineering faculty member Michael Poehlman teaches a class on leadership in engineering, featuring guest speakers to share advice with students.
Oct. 3, 2023
Highly decorated Engineering alumnus shares story, leadership lessons
At Mizzou Engineering, learning happens in the classroom, in the field and in conversations with alumni and other professional engineers. Last week, Colonel John Clark, B.S. ME ’62, M.B.A. ‘75, visited Mizzou Engineering to speak with students in the Engineering Leadership class, taught by Michael Poehlman.
Sep. 30, 2022
150 Years of Leadership: Joe Hoffmann
Call it fate, happenstance, coincidence or destiny, Joe Hoffmann, BS ME ’13, knows he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be. As General Manager at Hoffmann Brothers in St. Louis, he oversees operations of five divisions: residential and commercial heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical and appliance. Since he started in 2016, he’s helped grow company revenue from $10 million to $80 million. That’s a 30% increase year-over-year. “Every year as we’re budgeting, we say ‘There’s no way we can do it again,’” said Hoffmann, the youngest son of founder Robert Hoffmann. “But we build a budget from the ground up,…
Sep. 14, 2022
150 Years of Leadership: Steve Pelch
Many successful companies in today’s economy depend not only on outstanding service and best-in-class technology, but also rely upon creativity, unique business models and go-to market strategies, pervasive marketing outreach, authenticity or a global perspective that embraces aspects of both science and art. Steve Pelch, BS ME ’87, understands this. That’s why billion-dollar companies hire him to help them navigate ever-evolving industries. Pelch is owner of SJP Value Creation, a boutique advisory firm where he assists CEOs and C-suite executives on strategy, leadership, talent management, operations and acquisitions. His clients range from a $15 million privately held specialty chemical…
July 12, 2022
150 Years of Leadership: Wade Foster
Wade Foster, IE '09, MBA '10, is co-founder and CEO of Zapier, a global company that connects thousands of applications.
June 15, 2022
150 Years of Leadership: Michael Melton
Michael Melton, Esquire, is often asked whether he ever uses his bachelor’s degree in engineering. After all, he’s had an extraordinary career as a businessman, having started his own company after working for years as a patent attorney. Melton (BS EE ’81, JD ’84) is Founder and President of MEM Enterprises Group which owns, operates and manages Taco Bell and Five Guys Burgers restaurants and commercial real estate. The portfolio of Taco Bell restaurants is the largest owned by an exclusively African American group. The Five Guys portfolio includes the two highest-grossing locations in the United States. Before that,…
May 6, 2022
150 Years of Leadership: Jeanie Knuth
Jeanie Knuth, BS ChE '98, has changed the way we think about engineering "like a girl."
April 18, 2022
150 Years of Leadership: Jim Fitterling
How do you run a $55 billion company, find innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions worldwide, advocate for LGBTQ rights, combat racial injustice and help Ukraine — all while helping ensure the next generation of engineers are prepared for the workforce? We don’t know, but Jim Fitterling is doing it.
Feb. 24, 2022
Smithey shares lessons in leadership at Mizzou Engineering
Be the leader other people want to follow. Have a vision while being approachable. And remember that leadership and management aren’t always the same things. Those were some key take-aways Sheri Smithey, PhD, AgE ’93, shared with Mizzou Engineers earlier this week.