Bluewater has developed a company culture that attracts the right people who are aligned with their strategic goals. Expectations are communicated, resources provided and accountability accepted, while creating an environment of trust and teamwork.
Jeff Hemmer
Chief Executive Officer, President and COO
Jeff joined Bluewater Thermal Solutions in June of 2008. He began his heat treating career in 1981 with Industrial Heat Treating and Metallurgical Company in Indianapolis. Jeff held positions of increasing responsibility including Heat Treating Supervisor, Facilities Manager, and General Manager. He joined Bodycote Thermal Processing in 2001 as a General Manager. Jeff brings to Bluewater a broad knowledge base through every aspect of the commercial heat treating business.
Eric Mannix
Eric joined Bluewater in 2010 as Director – Finance. Prior to joining Bluewater, Eric was employed at Robert Bosch Corporation, initially in their International Development Program in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and Stuttgart, Germany, and then progressing to Sr. Financial Analyst at their Anderson, South Carolina, plant. In that role, Eric was responsible for a variety of operational finance initiatives including labor shift modeling, customer quoting, forecasting/budgeting, and project calculations.
Eric has supplemented his deep knowledge of the financial workings of the Company by serving as General Manager of Bluewater's Coldwater, Michigan, facility. Eric received his B.B.A. degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and his MBA from Clemson University.
Clint Ooten
Director-Commercial and Director - Human Resources
Clint Ooten joined Bluewater Thermal Solutions in January of 2012 as the Director of Human Resources. Prior to Bluewater, Clint served as Sr. Vice President Human Resources and Administration for TOUSA, Inc., a publicly held homebuilding and financial services company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While at TOUSA Inc., Clint helped grow the company from one division and 100 employees to over 6,000 employees operating 28 divisions around the country. Prior to TOUSA Inc., Clint held a variety of human resources leadership roles at General Electric with his last position being Vice President of Human Resources for GE/Fuji and GE/Toshiba joint ventures. While at GE, Clint had responsibility for HR in both domestic and international locations with as many as 15,000 employees under his HR responsibility.
A native of Williamson, West Virginia, Clint graduated with BA and Master's degrees from West Virginia University in English. Clint is married and has three children.
Jim Hedman
Director-Engineering
Jim joined Bluewater Thermal Solutions in 2008. His experience base with engineered thermal solutions started in 1977 and includes two industrial furnace manufacturing companies and two commercial heat treating companies. Jim has held positions including Manufacturing Engineer, Service Manager, Contract Manager, and Senior Regional Engineer. Jim attended Kansas State University.
Craig Zimmerman
Director-Technical
Craig Zimmerman joined Bluewater Thermal Solutions in July 2010. Craig is a metallurgical engineer with over 20 years of heat treatment experience. Previous roles have included Regional Sales Manager, Plant Manager, Quality Manager, Chief Metallurgist and Lab Technician. Craig attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he earned both Bachelor's and Master's of Science degrees in Metallurgical Engineering. Craig has served on the Board of Directors at both the ASM Heat Treating Society (HTS) and Center for Heat Treating Excellence (CHTE) along with being a past chairman of the ASM Heat Treating Society's Research and Development Committee. Craig has authored and published several papers in heat treatment journals on a variety of topics and is recognized as a leading global expert in the field of boronizing.
Clifton Higdon
Director - Quality
Clif Higdon joined Bluewater Thermal Solutions in November 2013. Clif is a metallurgical engineer with over 20 years of quality, manufacturing, metallurgy, and R&D experience. Previous roles have included Director, Advanced Development, Materials Research and Engineering Specialist, Quality Manager, and Metallurgical Engineer. Clif attended Michigan Technological University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Lawrence Technological University, where he earned a Masters' of Engineering in Manufacturing. Clif is an active member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and has both Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Greenbelts. He has authored and published several papers in peer-reviewed technical journals and has multiple patents to his credit.
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