Employee Spotlight August: Sue Nordman

Employee spotlight interview with Sue Nordman and Emily Kite.

Introduce yourself:

Hi, I am Sue Nordman, and I am the President of Obsidian Manufacturing!

If you could choose one superpower, what would you choose?

Ability to tell when someone is not truthful. I value honesty an awful lot.

What is something on your bucket list?

The National Parks are on my bucket list. If I had the opportunity to plan an international trip, I'd be going to Scotland and Ireland.

How did you get started in the manufacturing field?

My father and husband both have many years of experience in manufacturing. My first serious job was at an accounting firm, and many of my clients were manufacturing companies. Working in the manufacturing industry doesn't always mean working on the shop floor running machines. There are numerous opportunities in the industry beyond the shop floor.

Think back about 5 years ago, what did ObsidianMFG look like? Was it called Obsidian? What brands did you own then? Five years ago, Obsidian Manufacturing Industries, Inc.'s name was Magna-Lock USA, Inc. We were in a different location, didn't own the Arter Precision Grinding Machines brand, and we didn't do surface grinding. We were much smaller and certainly not as diverse. Also, we weren't woman-owned either.

In one word, how would you describe Obsidian MFG? Diversified

What are some goals set for the next 5 years of business for ObsidianMFG? Make some major improvements to our building, ISO certification, and keep growing

What is one thing you want new readers to know about ObsidianMFG? We care about our customers' problems. We are here to help them find solutions.

What is your favorite thing about coming to work?

Well, it's a double-edged sword. Being a small business owner, I wear many hats each day. Some days it is overwhelming, and other days it's manageable, but every day it is a different story. I'm never doing the same thing every day. So I love the variety of my position, but some days, it's overwhelming.

This blog was originally written by Emily Kite, former Marketing Assistant at Obsidian Manufacturing Industries, Inc.

Obsidian Manufacturing Industries, Inc. is a Rockford, Ill., manufacturing company and is the OEM for Magna-Lock USA workholding, MagnaLift & Power-Grip lift magnets, and Arter Precision Grinding Machines, as well as providing surface grinding services. They are located at 5015 28th Ave. in Rockford, Ill., with a phone number of 815-962-8700. Check out more at obsidianmfg.com/brands