Greg Diny
Head distiller, Central Standard Craft Distillery
Age: 34 | Years with the company: 10
BizTimes: What is your educational background?
“I studied supply chain and operations management in the Lubar School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I graduated in 2015.”
What roles have you held prior to head distiller?
“I started working with Central Standard as an intern directly after I graduated college. We started with just me on the production team and now there are six of us, and it will get even bigger when we move to our new facility. All employees helped out across departments in the beginning, but as we grew, my role became clear as the leader of the distilling part of the company.”
Describe your responsibilities.
“I wear a lot of hats. I formulate new product releases, handle R&D (research and development) and oversee daily quality control, day-to-day operations, shipping and receiving, warehousing, maintenance, administration and more.”
What’s been surprising about your job?
“(Co-owners) Pat McQuillan and Evan Hughes give a me lot of freedom to do my job, but also to take a lot of responsibility. There are a lot of moving parts in this business, beyond just distilling the products that go in the bottle. This includes all the logistics of where we source our grains, when to get the grain delivered, how much to get, how many bottles to order and where to store everything. The main part of the job – distilling the product – is art and science, which takes a lot of time. This role has touched nearly every part of the company, which has allowed me to build a well-rounded understanding of how things work. Being around other parts of the company have made me a better distiller, and that has been great.”
What advice would you have for someone considering entering the industry?
“Be ready for the unexpected. This industry demands flexibility, and a willingness to learn (and work) by doing.”
Will Sanchez
Client relations manager, Reader Precision
Age: 26 | Years with the company: 8
BizTimes: What is your educational background?
“I graduated from Elkhorn Area High School and entered the workforce right away through the youth apprenticeship opportunity with Reader Precision Solutions. After getting hands-on experience and building a strong foundation in the industry, I then attended college but quickly realized that my real growth was happening on the job. I made the decision to dive back into the workforce full time, and I’ve continued learning
and developing ever since.”
What roles have you held prior to the one you have now?
“I started as a production employee, rotating through various departments on the shop floor. I did this throughout my junior and senior years of high school. Post graduation, I worked full time as a production employee. Eventually, I transitioned into an office role and became a project manager. When a position opened in our customer service department, I stepped into that role and began building my expertise in client relations. After a few years as a client service representative, I was promoted to strategic account support specialist. Today, I serve as the client relations manager working directly with our clients and leading a team dedicated to strengthening our partnerships and driving long-term growth.”
What’s been surprising about your job?
“One of the biggest surprises has been how fast paced and ever changing the world of manufacturing truly is, especially in a precision-focused environment like Reader Precision. There’s a longstanding misconception that machining is monotonous or outdated, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even when we’re running jobs for long-time clients, no two days are ever the same. What’s also surprised me is how much external events, from supply chain disruptions to global economic shifts, directly impact what we do here. Manufacturing is deeply tied to what’s happening in the world, and it requires a high level of agility. Balancing that adaptability with reliability has been one of the most eye-opening and rewarding aspects of my role.”
Karsten Jenkins
Human resource generalist, Generac Power Systems
Age: 27 | Years with the company: 4
BizTimes: What is your educational background?
“After graduating high school in 2016, I went to my local community college in Illinois called IVCC (Illinois Valley Community College). After graduating and receiving my associate’s degree in 2019, I got accepted into the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. At UWW, I spent three years earning my bachelor’s degree in human resources management and finally graduated in 2022.”
What roles have you held prior to the one you have now?
“I’ve been in many different roles and industries. In 2017, I worked three jobs at the same time: part-time DJ for weddings, homecoming dances and proms; meat and seafood clerk at Hy-Vee; and sales associate at RP Lumber, a local lumber yard. In 2018-19, I had one job, everyone’s dream job, a line lead at Cookie Kingdom, a cookie factory. Cookie Kingdom makes various name brand cookies, and it was easily, the best smelling job I’ve ever had.
“In spring of 2021, I got my first HR internship at Lavelle Industries corporate office in Burlington where my primary focus was recruiting. In the summer of 2021, I started at Generac Power Systems, first as an assembler on the manufacturing floor. Once school began, I applied for an HR internship at Generac and got the role. Shortly before graduating in May of 2022, I received an offer to be a full-time HR shared services coordinator. Finally, in March of 2024, I became an HR generalist for the engineering department at Generac.”
Describe your current responsibilities.
“In my role, I primarily am the HR support for our technicians in our research and development labs while also supporting engineers in our core engineering department in Wisconsin. I am also co-lead of Generac’s intern program.”
What advice would you have for someone considering entering HR in the manufacturing industry?
“To quote Ted Lasso and Walt Whitman, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’”