VP/GM - WAF - Crookston

Vice President & General Manager

WAF-Crookston | Crookston, Minnesota | On-site

WAF-Crookston has been part of Crookston, Minnesota since 1971, when the business started in a garage. Today it employs about 80 people and is one of the community's anchor employers. For most of that history, our Vice President & General Manager has been at the center of it. He joined as a college intern in 1992, left briefly in 1998, and came back eight months later. In 2010, he and two partners bought the company.

Under their ownership, the business earned a reputation for quality, dependable delivery, and straight talk with customers and employees alike. In 2022, the owners chose Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry as the next home for the business, in large part because WAF shares their commitment to people. This past June, the operation completed its transition to the WAF-Crookston name, with the same leadership in place.

Now we are looking for the next leader of WAF-Crookston.

Our VP/GM plans to retire in April 2027, and has committed to a meaningful transition period with his successor. The person we hire will learn the business, the customers, and the team directly from the leader who built them.

We want someone who will earn the trust of the people who built this operation, respect what they have built, and bring the direction and accountability to lead it well into its next phase.

The Opportunity

As VP & General Manager, you will be the senior leader of the Crookston operation and a member of WAF's Executive Leadership Team. You will have full operational and P&L responsibility for the facility, leading Operations, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and the broader plant leadership team. The numbers are only part of the job. You will also be responsible for the culture, the people, the customer relationships, and ultimately the future of WAF-Crookston. Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry is a family-owned manufacturer headquartered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, with roughly 1,000 employees across seven plants in the Midwest.

What You'll Lead

• Full P&L ownership including revenue, cost, margin, and capital performance
• Day-to-day manufacturing operations, with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, and cost
• Annual operating budgets and capital planning
• Capacity expansion, capital investment, and productivity initiatives
• A high-performing plant leadership team
• Lean, Six Sigma, and operational excellence initiatives
• Customer, supplier, and community relationships

What We're Looking For

• A bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field
• At least 8 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience
• At least 3 years as a Plant Manager, General Manager, or VP with direct P&L responsibility
• A track record of improving safety, quality, productivity, and cost
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies
• Strong financial and operational acumen

Experience in metal casting, foundry operations, or broader metal manufacturing is preferred, as is an engineering background.

The Kind of Leader We Want

Beyond the resume, we want a leader who:

• Spends time on the floor and knows the names of the people doing the work
• Makes hard financial decisions and understands what they mean for someone who has worked here for 20 years
• Holds people accountable without losing their trust
• Respects the company's history without being bound by it

What You'll Inherit

• A strong manufacturing operation and an experienced team
• A respected place in the Crookston community
• A company with a history stretching back more than five decades
• The chance to put your own mark on it

If this sounds like you, we would like to hear from you.

Apply Now