Winndeavor, a precision manufacturer of aerospace, medical, and defense parts, is proud to welcome Seth Ellinger as their new Plant Manager. Ellinger, an Indiana native and US Army veteran, has brought his military leadership experience to bear in the manufacturing industry.
Seth’s first job was in manufacturing. “I started working at a machine shop when I was 15 years old,” Ellinger says, “My grandfather worked there, and my father worked there, I started cleaning up around the shop and as I got older I was able to work on the machines and learn how to be a set-up machinist from my father.”
After nearly 6 years at the organization, Ellinger felt a call to service, joining the Army. He served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he deployed on three combat tours and attained the rank of Staff Sergent.
“I got a ton of experience working with all kinds of people. When you earn a promotion in the Army, you get moved out of the team that you’re comfortable with and you have to lead a whole new group of people. It is a great team building experience when you must start over with another group of guys.”
After Seth’s wife gave birth to twins, he decided it was time to continue his service in a part-time capacity with the Indiana National Guard and return to the world of manufacturing. He now holds the rank of Sergent First Class and has served for 14 years.
“When I got back into manufacturing, I went on to lead a department. They said, ‘you did a great job with your department, we want you to replicate what you did across every department in the shop,’ so I started moving from department to department. And it brought me back to my team building experience in the military. After a while, I was promoted to plant manager.”
When asked what key skills he learned with the Army and how he’s applied those skills in his civilian job, Ellinger says “You don’t always get to choose who is on your team. So, you have a team of guys from all walks of life, levels of motivation, and levels of proficiency. Your life is going to depend on these guys one day. You find a way to uncover how each person adds value to the team. Every person on the team can add value, often in different ways, it is the leader’s responsibility to foster a culture that bring the best out of people.”
But Ellinger sought the opportunity to settle down and work with one team. And he knew when the right opportunity came along.
When looking for a Plant Manager, Damon Gasaway, Owner at Winndeavor, says “I was looking for someone who aligned with our core values (respect, take initiative, responsiveness, integrity, and community). Probably 5 minutes into the conversation, I knew Seth was the right person. Just his demeanor and the different answers were spot-on.”
“Damon was definitely the right person,” Seth says, “He’s super open. I can ask him anything. He’s very honest, transparent, and humble. Willing to look at a different way of doing things and that really attracted me.”
“Seth is very good at growing leaders,” Damon says, “and that is something that definitely will help us grow. I tell myself ‘You know? You can’t do it all by yourself anymore.’ And with Seth here, the team is already raising the bar a little bit and taking their job a bit more serious.”
“My goal is to work myself out of a job,” Ellinger says, “I want to teach individuals who have the ability and the desire, so they can be more successful than me. My goal is to replace myself—raise people up, so they don’t need me as time goes on. The secret? Helping them understand the balance between being humble, hungry, and smart.”
The Winndeavor team is excited to welcome Seth Ellinger as our new Plant Manager, and even more excited to see what the future holds for both him and our organization at large!
