Leadership
Maureen Steinwall
President
Education: PhD Business, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN; OPM Harvard Graduate School of Business, MBA Operations Management, University of Minnesota; BS Business Accounting, University of Minnesota
Experience: Steinwall, Inc. – Owner and President, 1983-Present; Micro Switch, Honeywell, Inc. 1981-1983, Freeport, IL; Self employed public accountant – 1975-1981, Spring Valley, WI
Certifications: APICS Certified (American Production and Inventory Control Society) 1981; Licensed Public Accountant – State of Minnesota 1980; Enrolled Agent – Internal Revenue Service, 1976
Board Memberships: National Board of the PLASTICS Industry Association, Executive Board Member: Mercy Unity Hospital Foundation, Board Vice Chair Fabri-Kal Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI: Corporate board member
Professor: University of Phoenix – Doctorate Management classes and Master Statistics Walden University – Doctorate Finance Capella University – Bachelor Accounting
Membership: Academy of Management
Direct: (763) 767-7067
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: msteinwall@steinwall.com
Tom Smolenski
VP of Operations
Education: MBA with concentrations in Operations Strategy and Human & Organizational Performance, Vanderbilt University; BS Business Management with a Minor in Psychology, Wake Forest University.
Experience: Since joining Steinwall in 2013 Tom has taken on numerous different roles: account management, production scheduling, purchasing and procurement, business analytics, and overall strategic decision making. Tom’s experience at Steinwall, coupled with his business education and coaching background, will help drive Steinwall towards Operational Excellence.
Direct: (763) 767-7080
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: tsmolenski@steinwall.com
Rich Norton
VP of Engineering
Education: MBA with concentration in supply management, Arizona State University; BS Accounting, Western Illinois University
Experience: A diverse work background and exceptional supply chain management, leadership, and organization skills have propelled Rich forward in his career. In addition to 20 years of manufacturing experience, he has negotiated and achieved significant cost savings for the supply chain and mentored on general business management practices.
Direct: (763) 767-7076
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: rnorton@steinwall.com
Business Development
Jeremy Dworshak
Director, Business Development
Education: MS Material Science, University of Minnesota; BS Mechanical Engineering, Emphasis: Coatings & Polymeric Materials, Minor: Chemistry, North Dakota State University.
Experience: Steinwall, Inc – Business Development, Engineering Manager, Sales Engineer, Materials Engineer, 2007-present; John Deere – Project Engineer, 2006-2007, Fargo, ND; Tecton Products – Engineering Team Leader, 2000-2006, Fargo, ND.
Board Memberships: National Board for the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE); Board of Directors for the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Direct: (763) 767-7096
Cell: (612) 804-0533
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: jdworshak@steinwall.com
Kevin Bienias
Sales Engineer
Education: MS Medical Device Innovation, University of Minnesota Twin-Cities; BA Manufacturing Management, University of Minnesota Crookston; AAS Manufacturing Engineering Technician, Alexandria Technical College
Experience: Kevin came to Steinwall with previous experience in the plastic injection molding industry in both operational and technical disciplines. Kevin has operated in a broad range of industries including the regulated environments of semi-conductors, class I, II and III medical devices and department of defense contracts.
Direct: (763) 767-7077
Cell: (612) 804-4627
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: kbienias@steinwall.com
Luke Thiele
Sales Engineer
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University
Experience: Beginning with an internship, Luke was able to gain valuable skills in the R&D department in which he has now spent two years. The experience in quoting, managing tool builds, contributing to tool and part design, writing technical articles and process improvements, have been immensely beneficial to our customers when they come to us with a challenge.
Board Memberships: Next Generation Advisory Board for the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
Direct: (763) 772-3571
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: lthiele@steinwall.com
Project Engineering Team
Shaun Meehan
Engineering Manager
Education: BS Manufacturing Management, University of Minnesota
AAS Mechanical Drafting and Design, Hennepin Technical College
Experience: Shaun has over 12 years of experience with original equipment manufacturers in the mechanical design and engineering field and an additional 10 years of project engineering and project management in the aviation industry. He brings a broad range of knowledge and an extensive customer service perspective to the Steinwall team.
Direct: (763) 767-7073
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: smeehan@steinwall.com
Jake Nelson
Project Engineer
Education: BS Engineering Technology, University of Wisconsin-Stout. Emphasis: Mechanical Design
Experience: Jake’s emphasis in college was mechanical design. He applies this learned knowledge to aide in completion of molded part design. Jake’s design background also helps to improve molded part quality from the onset of product launch.
Direct: (763) 767-7069
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: jwnelson@steinwall.com
Ben Jones
Project Engineer
Education: BS Materials Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota
Experience: Ben’s undergraduate research and work experiences have helped him manage technical and logistical aspects of projects. His education greatly influences his contributions to a project, e.g., seeking deeper understanding of a material’s chemistry or how processing influences behavior. Ben’s natural curiosity helps him to devise solutions to new challenges in order to help our customers!
Direct: (763) 767-7089
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: bjones@steinwall.com
Jonathan Kluge
Project Engineer
Education: BAS Applied Engineering, Bemidji State University; AAS Plastics Engineering Technology, Hennepin Technical College; AAS Mechanical Drafting & Design Technology, Anoka Technical College
Experience: Jonathan has 5 years of experience in the mechanical engineering field. Jonathan previously worked in the areas of design analysis, FEA (Finite Element Analysis), and lean methodologies (six sigma, 5S, Kaizen). He also has industrial experience in project management, DFM (Design for Manufacturing), DFA (Design for Assembly). Jonathan’s natural curiosity for figuring out the mechanics and making them more efficient drives him to help the company find solutions for customers.
Direct: (763) 767-7063
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: jkluge@steinwall.com
Quality Engineering Team
Heidi Allen
Quality Manager
Education: BS Manufacturing Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Minor: Business Administration
Certification: Manufacturing Technologist through the Society of Manufacturing Engineers ISO 9001:2015 Lead Internal Auditor
Experience: Heidi manages the quality team that consists of quality engineers, first article technicians and quality control auditors. She is also in charge of maintaining and continuously improving the quality management system. She has over 15 years of experience in the manufacturing industry mainly focusing on quality.
Direct: (763) 767-7070
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: hallen@steinwall.com
Tyler Willis
Quality Supervisor
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities
Experience: Some of Tyler’s most relevant education that complement his current position:
- Thermodynamics emphasis in complex fluid dynamics and advanced heat transfer case studies.
- Engineering statistical methods including DOE (Design of Experiments), Statistical Process Control and Reliability models.
- Engineering safety with an emphasis in ergonomic optimization and workstation layout.
Direct: (763) 767-7084
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: twillis@Steinwall.com
Jace Pink
Quality Engineer
Education: BS Composite Materials Engineering, Winona State University
Experience: Jace’s undergraduate education has a strong background in polymer science and processing, especially with fiber composite products such as glass-filled resins. Some of the useful skills that Jace brings to Steinwall is knowledge with thermal polymer characterization (TGA, TMA, DSC, DMA), optical microscopy, industrial design of experiments, and manufacturing systems analysis. Jace combines this knowledge with his communication and leadership experience as a technical support lead of Winona State University to strive for continuous improvement, active communication and delivering products that surpass quality expectations.
Direct: (763) 767-7092
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: jpink@Steinwall.com
Jacob Byron
Quality Engineer
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University
Experience: Jacob has experience in mechanical design through different internships in college, along with spending time doing computational fluid dynamics research. While at NDSU, Jacob took classes which focused on plastics engineering, plastics manufacturing and composite materials. Jacob has experience working with a wide variety of teams and settings which he uses to his advantage when working with the Steinwall team and with customers.
Direct: (763) 767-7086
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: jbyron@Steinwall.com
Account Management
Alicia Koenig
Scheduler
Education: BS Business Management at Rasmussen College
Experience: Working in the manufacturing industry, Alicia has gained experience in customer relations, purchasing, inventory control, EDI and scheduling. This experience along with her degree has allowed her to maintain relationships with her customers, schedule effectively and problem solve. She strives to meet every customer’s expectations, puts in effort daily to help her company achieve their goals as well as her own. Alicia is an active listener, multi-tasker, great communicator and a hard worker. She is a very determined individual and is always willing to take on challenges.
Direct: (763) 767-3570
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: akoenig@Steinwall.com
Mai Vang
Account Manager
Education: BS Business Management with emphasis in Human Resource, St Cloud State University
Experience: Mai has account management experience in the retail and manufacturing industries. With her experience, she understands the importance of meeting tight deadlines and launch dates to be able to have product ready for the final end users. Her experience as a liaison between internal cross functional teams and customers, ensures a timely and successful delivery of products and solutions according to customers’ needs. She is a great advocate for customers and strives to be a better business partner.
Direct: (763) 767-7060
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: mmvang@Steinwall.Com
Human Resources / Vendor Relations
Taylor Burns
Knowledge Management & HR
Education: College of Saint Benedict, B.A. Theology, Minor: Literary Studies
Experience: Taylor started working at Steinwall right out of college in the PIMM Production department. Since then, she has gained a breadth of experience in many departments including IT, AR, Auditing, and Customer Service. Taylor has now taken on the role of managing Steinwall’s training and Knowledge Management systems and is slowly transitioning into the Human Resources Department.
Direct: (763) 767-7099
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: tburns@steinwall.com
Christian Roach
Supply Chain Manager
Education: BBA in Information Technology Management, University of Notre Dame. MBA with concentration in Operations Strategy, Vanderbilt University.
Experience: Christian came to Steinwall in 2019 to help define and improve the supply chain and purchasing strategy and execution. He has worked with manufacturing and technology companies across the country as a consultant, including Caterpillar, Microsoft, and NASA.
Direct: (763) 772-3596
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: croach@steinwall.com
Audrey Saefke
Buyer
Experience:
Audrey’s work history at Steinwall has encompassed roles of engineering administrative assistant and account management. Since then, she has taken on roles as a buyer. Her main focus at Steinwall is on strategic procurement and improving the purchasing procedures.
Audrey ensures materials are ordered and on-hand so we are able to mold products on-time for our customers. She is a team player and a hard worker.
Direct: (763) 767-7093
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: asaefke@steinwall.com
Don Blue
Safety Manager
Education: Moldmaking, Vocational Tech; BS, Business Administration
Experience: Don has nearly 40 years in the plastics industry helping customers in several of our departments including mold building, design, engineering, sales, operations, and management. His wealth of knowledge in mold operation benefits new and existing customers with their projects.
Direct: (763) 767-7071
Fax: (763) 767-7061
Email: dblue@steinwall.com