Management Team of VIP, Inc.
During High School and college Kurt began learning the machining and precision sheet metal trade from his father. He continued working with his parents during the next 13 years as V.I.P. continued to grow, becoming proficient in all aspects of the trade. In 1985 he assumed the duties of company president, and still serves in that position. |
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Keith joined the VIP team in 1990. During his many years with VIP, Keith has built a wealth of manufacturing knowledge. He began his career on the production floor learning the various processes, techniques, and procedures required of a world class manufacturer. Keith’s attention to detail & accuracy were apparent as he was quickly given the responsibilities of quality inspector & NC Programmer. In 1995 Keith was promoted to our Quality Manager position where he continued to excel and develop our quality system. In 2002 Keith was promoted to the position of Operations Manager. By 2004 VIP achieved ISO certification in which Keith was instrumental in its implementation.
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Don Cravens
Production Manager
Don joined the V.I.P. staff in 1995 as an estimator and purchasing agent. He brought with him 25 years of sheet metal fabrication experience including 13 years as shop foreman, based upon his experience and management skills he was promoted to production manager to best serve our employees and customers.
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Christopher King
Customer Service and Document Control Manager
Chris joined the V.I.P. staff in 2005 bringing with him 12 years experience in Customer Service, Billing and Portfolio Management. Chris uses his extensive experience and positive demeanor to motivate our Customer Service team to provide the highest quality service to our customers. He is responsible for maintaining client relationships by ensuring customer requests are processed accurately from the RFQ stage through to on time delivery of parts. Chris has also taken on the responsibility of our ISO Document Control Manager.
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John Seeger
Manufacturing Engineering Manager
John started working part time with V.I.P. in 1986 as a machine operator in the mill department while attending college full time. As his skills progressed he began doing design setups, creating jigs and tooling fixtures. In 1990 he began learning all areas of the shop and assisted the foreman learning supervisor skills. In 1995 he was moved into the programming department and began learning CNC programming and tool design. He excelled in this area and advanced to Manufacturing Engineer in 2002 and was promoted to Manager in 2003.
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Sanda Hopkins
Administrative Director
Sanda was first employed with V.I.P. as a one person shipping department in 1977. She rapidly progressed to running the office and purchasing while still supervising shipping. Showing an unusual level of commitment she was promoted in 1988. She is now serving as Administrative Director, with Accounting, I.T., Human Resources and Safety Management added to her areas of supervision.
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Bob Collard
Estimating Manager
Bob joined the VIP team in 1998, bringing with him 17 years of manufacturing experience, including Production Management. During his employment he has served in multiple capacities from hands on production fabrication, equipment maintenance mechanic, manufacturing engineer, and document writing for ISO certification. His years of experience, along with his expertise in VIP’s ERP Software System, has made him an ideal candidate for our Estimating Manager.
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Sandy Bird
Customer Relationship Manager
Sandy started with V.I.P. in 1979 doing hardware installation and operating manual punches. She moved into Shipping and Receiving where she ran the department and provided customer service. As V.I.P. grew she took over the Customer Service Department as well as becoming our Document Control Manager when we obtained our ISO Certification. Using her excellent customer service skills, she now serves as Customer Relationship Manager where she works closely with our customers to ensure that all their needs are met.
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Steve Katje
Lead C.N.C. Programmer
Steve started at V.I.P. in 1994 as a CNC programmer, bringing with him 3 years of CAD training. He quickly learned various CAD CAM sheet metal programs and acquired the principles of precision sheet metal manufacturing. Steve’s close attention to detail has advanced him as lead CNC programmer for V.I.P. since 1997.
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Sue Marra
Human Resources/Benefits Manager
Sue started with VIP in 1995, bringing with her 20 years of experience in personnel management and benefits administration. Her focus remains in these areas, as well as recruitment, affirmative action, and has taken on the additional responsibility of maintaining the various aspects of our safety program.
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Frank Gardea
Program Manager
Frank joined the VIP team in 2002 assisting the Plant Foreman. Frank brought with him 25 years of experience in all areas of the manufacturing field such as industrial engineering, production management, sheet metal programming, mechanical design, quality control, purchasing and training personnel. Among his various work achievements he was a major participant in the establishment of manufacturing operations in Tijuana, Mexico for a leading producer of traffic control systems. Since joining the VIP team he has served in multiple capacities from Estimating Manager, Managed Government Research, facilities layout and set-up for turnkey projects, coordinates the VIP ISO Audit program. He currently serves as a Program Manager; assigned to specific customers and is responsible for the development, management and coordination of either customer or project based programs.
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Dan Arbuckle
Program Manager
Dan originally joined VIP in 1993 working directly on the manufacturing floor in various areas of the sheet metal fabrication process. Subsequently he left to attend the University of Utah where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business Management. During the next six years he worked for various Fortune 500 companies where he held management positions in Customer Service and Sales. In 2007 Dan returned to VIP as a Project Manager for key accounts. He is vertically integrated into the entire sales and manufacturing cycle at VIP providing oversight of key projects. As a Project Manager he is responsible for managing customer relationships and working directly with customers on all aspects of a project, ranging from finding cost reductions in a project to ensuring the product ships on time. When Dan is assigned to a customer his involvement with the various projects starts at conception and is only finished when the project is complete.
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Joshua Borja
Business Development Manager
Joshua Borja joined the VIP Team in July of 2007 after graduating from CSU San Marcos with a BS in Business Administration and emphasis in High-Tech Management. With his management experience from the US Navy and entrepreneurial drive, he has developed Armadillo Mailbox into a national brand name as the world's greatest security mailbox with a zero marketing budget. He is currently working on doing the same with the Sales and Marketing for Vista Industrial Products.