Management Team of VIP, Inc.
During high school and college, Kurt began learning the machining and precision sheet metal trade from his father who started VIP back in 1956. He continued working with his parents during the next 13 years as VIP continued to grow. He quickly became proficient in all aspects of the trade, and in 1985 he assumed the duties of President of Vista Industrial Products, Inc., and still serves in that position to this day.
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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 and accuracy were apparent as he was quickly given the responsibilities of Quality Inspector and 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 VIP staff in 1995 as an Estimator and Purchasing Agent. He brought with him 25 years of sheet metal fabrication experience including 13 years as a 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 VIP staff in 2005 bringing with him 12 years of 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 to on-time delivery of parts. Chris has also taken on the responsibility of our Document Control Manager.
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John Seeger
Manufacturing Engineering Manager
John started working part time with VIP in 1986 as a Machine Operator in the Machine Department while attending college full time. As his skills progressed, he began doing design setups and also creating jigs and tooling fixtures. In 1990, he began learning all areas of the shop and assisted the foreman to learn managerial skills. In 1995, he moved to 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 later promoted to Manufacturing Engineering Manager in 2003.
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Sanda Hopkins
Administrative Director
Sanda was first employed with VIP 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 Henika
Customer Relationship Manager / Subcontracts
Sandy started with VIP 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 VIP 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 and internal audit skills, she now serves as Customer Relationship and Program Manager where she works closely with our customers to ensure that all their needs are met for both standard orders and sub-contract items.
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Steve Katje
Lead C.N.C. Programmer
Steve started at VIP in 1994 as a CNC Programmer, bringing with him three 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 VIP 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, to managing government research, to assisting in the facility’s layout and set-up for turnkey projects, as well as coordinate VIP’s 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 Bachelor’s 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 Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an 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, Inc.. In the summer of 2011, he also started a new entity under Vista Industrial Products, Inc. called VIP-Effect which is a marketing and web development company. For more information, please visit www.VIP-Effect.com.
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