Vice President of Operations Will Retire Effective June 1

(Waupaca, WI) May 13, 2021—Waupaca Foundry, Inc., today announced that Rick Sutton, the supplier’s Vice President of Operations, will retire effective June 1, 2021. 

Sutton served in his current role since May 2016 leading manufacturing operations for Waupaca Foundry’s six iron foundries and two machining plants. During Sutton’s tenure, he played a critical role in the deployment of lean manufacturing strategies and business plan deployment. In the process, he served as a champion for progressing the manufacturing production management system and contributed significantly to our culture of continuous improvement.

“Rick has contributed 40 years of experience to Waupaca Foundry,” said Mike Nikolai, President, COO and CEO of Waupaca Foundry. “Rick has been a mentor to many, and his influence has made an impact on foundry and manufacturing professionals beyond Waupaca. I want to thank Rick for all he’s done to advance process development and lean principles at Waupaca Foundry.”  Sutton has championed plans to achieve company-wide business priorities while managing change throughout the foundry and machining plants.

Prior to joining Waupaca Foundry in 2016, Sutton served in a variety of leadership roles at General Motors. He started his career as a metallurgical engineer with GM. By 2005, Rick was managing engine manufacturing and served as plant manager for the GM engine plant located in Defiance, Ohio.  

In 2015, Sutton received the William Grede Award from the American Foundry Society for major contributions in the field of management and education resulting in the expanding the effective use of metal castings.

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