Made In Oconee - ITT Inc.’s Rob Hartman
As part of our Made In Oconee campaign, we talked to ITT Inc.’s Rob Hartman.
What does ITT Inc. make?
ITT Inc. is a manufacturer of highly-engineered products for critical end-markets, such as transportation, energy and industrial manufacturing. At our site in Westminster, we have two main production categories: regulators for natural gas vehicles and pneumatic actuators for factory automation.
What is your role at ITT Inc.?
I am the Site Leader for ITT Inc.’s Westminster location - this means I have responsibility for all activities at the site. This includes product development, production, product management and customer service.
What is ITT Inc.’s culture like?
ITT Inc. strives to have a healthy, high-performing culture. We are very results oriented and therefore, people are expected to work hard. With this hard work comes accomplishment and with accomplishment comes recognition and, generally, reward.
What is your typical workday like?
We have a number of regulator management meetings that help us run the daily business but, beyond that no two days are the same. I may work with the leadership team on strategy, our engineering team on new products, travel to meet with customers, work with employees on improvement projects or talk with employees about concerns. Most days, I am trying to balance multiple priorities.
What does “Made In Oconee” mean to you?
For me, “Made In Oconee” conjures an image of excellent quality products made by highly skilled workers. We recently started attaching a small tag to the products we ship to our customers that includes a picture of our facility and our workers, along with a short story about our Westminster facility. We think our workforce, as well as our location, gives us a competitive advantage and we make sure to promote this advantage.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to run, bike, play guitar, landscape and, especially, root for the University of Wisconsin Badger football and basketball teams.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a mechanic or an engineer. I took a lot stuff apart when I was young.
What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?
I recently read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Albert Einstein, Einstein: His Life and Universe, and it was very good. Even beyond the science, he had an incredibly interesting life: he lived through two world wars and was a Jewish man in Germany during World War II. I definitely recommend it!
What was the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Listen a lot more than you speak.
To learn more about the Made In Oconee campaign, visit www.MadeInOconee.com or go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1xhNmC4EKk to watch the first video in the series.