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OSG USA, Inc. promotes Andrew Matt to Vice President of Human Resources

St. Charles, IL- September 1, 2023

Andrew Matt, the former Director of Human Resources, will be responsible for leading the development and execution of Human Resources strategies for OSG USA, Inc.  

“I am very excited to support OSG USA, Inc. in my new role by continuing to evolve the role of human resources within the organization.  I’m committed to ensuring that HR becomes the collaborative partner to support our journey of innovation and excellence.”

Andrew started his career at OSG in 2020 as Regional Human Resources Manager, and prior to his career with OSG, Matt was an Executive Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development with BathWraps (RHT, Inc.) and originally began his Human Resources career with United Stationers (Essendant) as their Manager of Performance Improvement and Training in 2000.

Andrew earned his Masters in Business Administration from Marquette University in 1994 after earning Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and Marketing from Marquette University.  Andrew is a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) since 2020.  He is a longtime Chicago area native growing up in Riverside and residing in Westmont with his wife and three children. 

OSG USA, INC. was recently named as one of the 2018 Best Places to Work in Illinois. The awards program began in 2006 and is promoted by The Daily Herald Business Ledger in partnership with the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC), the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, MRA-The Management Association, the Small Business Advocacy Council and Best Companies Group.

This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Illinois, benefiting the state's economy, workforce and businesses. The 2018 Best Places to Work in Illinois list is made up of 30 companies in the small employer category (15-99 U.S. employees), 24 companies in the medium employer category (100-499 U.S. employees), and 21 companies in the large employer category (500 or more U.S. employees). OSG USA, INC. has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Illinois in the mid-sized category.

To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

• Have at least 15 employees working in Illinois;

• Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity;

• Be a publicly or privately held business;

• Have a facility in the state of Illinois; and

• Be in business a minimum of one year.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Places to Work in Illinois. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Illinois and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings.

OSG USA, INC. was recognized and honored at the Best Places to Work in Illinois awards ceremony coordinated by The Daily Herald Business Ledger on May 17, 2018 and will be profiled in a special publication on June 18, 2018. The final rankings were announced at the event and will be announced on the Business Ledger website (www.dhbusinessledger.com).

For more information on the Best Places to Work in Illinois program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkinIL.com.

Paul Garcia, a sophomore at Fenton High School, hurries off to his internship as soon as the final school bell of the day rings. His friends wonder where he is rushing off to.

“Are you going to McDonald’s or something?” they asked.

“No, I have to clock in at 4pm at my internship at OSG,” Garcia replied, and then ran to meet his mother in the school parking lot.

Garcia works as a Jr. Manual Operator intern at OSG. He comes in on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4pm to 8pm. He works on the manual grinding machines to acquire hands on experience. He also job- shadows OSG CNC operators.

When he is not at OSG, he is a straight- A student and a basketball player at Fenton High School.  He participates in PLTW (Project Lead The Way) program where he learns the basics of engineering principles. He is also enrolled in the accelerated classes which have more challenging content and a greater amount of homework than the traditional classes. 

“It is challenging to juggle my internship, school work and sports,” said Garcia. “After I get home from OSG around 8:15pm, I sit down at the kitchen table for dinner with my mom, work on my homework and then I finally I go to bed.”

You are probably wondering what is pushing him to do all of this. Paul has a dream, a dream  to be a mechanical engineer. He believes that this internship at OSG is a great opportunity to gain manufacturing experience before he pursues his career in engineering.'

In November 2015, Garcia attended the annual Manufacturing Expo hosted by College of DuPage. He met OSG’s HR Generalist, Paul Wilhelm, where he learned about the internship opportunity.

“I thought this was a big opportunity as soon as I heard about it,” said Garcia. “I had to take it before anyone else takes it. It is not every day that I come across this type of opportunity.”

Garcia and his parents are aware of the stigmas the society has toward manufacturing. Garcia himself used to think that manufacturing jobs were tiring and dirty. However, his negative perception was debunked when he learned how much technology OSG uses in the factory and how clean the factory floor is. His family also supports his decision to work in a factory setting.  

“My parents are very proud of me,” said Garcia. “I went through the entire hiring process by myself from contacting Mr. Wilhelm to going on my first interview.”

Garcia’s next step is to go attend college and study engineering. He is already thinking about pursuing a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Watching a student like Garcia strive for his dream makes us at OSG hopeful and excited for the future of manufacturing. We are committed to helping students acquire additional experiences and skills outside of school and prepare them for their manufacturing careers.

Featured Employee: John Taylor

Title: Pacific Northwest District Manager

Tenure with OSG: 3 years

John Taylor was named OSG’s 2015 Salesman of the Year. He is a rookie with just 3 years of experience in sales at OSG. You are probably wondering if he really has what it takes to be the top salesman. What makes him different is that he utilizes various people to further his knowledge. When he wasn’t making calls and customer visits, he listened and asked questions. Yes, it is that simple.

For John, a coffee break with a colleague can turn into a training session. “One time I spent 3 hours at Starbucks with an indexable expert from OSG to learn milling techniques, trouble shooting and calculations without realizing how many hours have passed,” said John.  He believes that’s how he gets better at selling even if it requires tremendous time and effort. “I pushed myself out of the comfort zone to grow through failures and successes,” said John.

This top salesman doesn’t stop pushing himself further. He is already on a mission to achieve his next goal. “I would like to become an expert in indexable tooling,” said John. “Its versatility and complexity of the industry excites me.”  

Featured employee: Herb Vazquez
Title: Engineering/Production Control/Inspection Manager
Tenure with OSG: 25 years

For Herb Vazquez, Engineering Manager at the OSG Parma Facility, his career hasn’t been on one straight trajectory. It has been more like a jungle gym where you can climb up to the next level using different paths to get where you want to go. Herb has held 5 different positions in his 25 years at OSG. He served as a production control coordinator, Engineer Assistant, Jr. Designer, Customer Service Coordinator and Systems Engineering Manager prior to his current position.

“Change is good,” Herb said smiling. “Having been exposed to different facets of our company has helped me understand our business from different perspectives,” he added. With his diverse knowledge and experience, he is able to lead and assist not only his engineering department, but also other departments to make OSG a stronger team.

In his personal life, Herb also has experienced a positive change a few years ago when he became a father. “The entire experience of becoming a parent for the first time has been the greatest occurrence in my life,” said Herb. “Even during the most hectic days, I try to take time out to do something that recharges my family battery.” Herb and his family enjoy traveling to see the different parts of the world. “Stepping outside of your comfort zone by going to unfamiliar destinations is a liberating experience unlike any other,” said Herb. “Our new goal is to learn and explore new cultures.”

OSG’s Applications Engineer, Tim Holmer, better known as Tooling Tim, comes to work every day looking for a new adventure. “I like that I get to do many things and wear many hats,” said Tim smiling. “I help customers trouble shoot machining problems, train people on OSG products and industry trends and help make new flyers to just name a few.” Tim enjoys that his position challenges him with new tasks every day.

His greatest challenge in his career at OSG was to learn all of the specific geometries and features of the products. He has overcome this challenge by going over them again and again and eventually teaching them to other people. “I am a big believer that you don’t truly know something until you can teach it to others,” said Tim.

Tim takes care of various tasks at OSG, but he also wears many hats in his personal life. He is a soccer player, an avid traveler and a motorcycle lover! He keeps his life in balance by having a “work hard, play hard” mentality. “When I work hard playing soccer, I help my team win games and when I work hard at OSG, it reflects in my career and OSG’s success,” said Tim.

There is another exciting thing happening for Tim at OSG. Last month he started appearing as Tooling Tim on a video posted on OSG social media sites and hosting Q&A sessions one Tuesday a month! This is a chance for all of you to ask Tooling Tim any questions you have about OSG, his career as an engineer or OSG products. Like Tooling Tim on Facebook and follow @ToolingTimOSG on Twitter to learn when the next Q&A session will be held!

Featured employee: Cheryl Pross
Title: Customer Service Manager
Tenure with OSG: 20 years

After working 20 years at the OSG Illinois Office, Cheryl Pross decided to go out of her comfort zone. She jumped on the opportunity to further develop her career in Atlanta, GA. Moving over 700 miles away from home, Cheryl has been working as the Customer Service Manager at the OSG GA Regional Office for 6 months and is loving her new Southern OSG family.

You are probably wondering what makes Cheryl so adaptable to new people, work and life in the south. It comes from her philosophy to give respect to anyone. “Always respect your friends, co-workers, company and customers, and you will be rewarded with respect in return,” said Cheryl. Her philosophy was passed down from her hero, her mother, who taught her to not only work hard, but also enjoy life and love the people around her.

Her love of life and taking on new challenges extends to her personal life. Cheryl keeps her personal life busy with friends, running and traveling, but recently, her interest is to be 100% organic with skin care products and the food she eats. “It is nearly an impossible task, but I enjoy finding something I love that won’t harm me or the environment,” said Cheryl.

Cheryl’s new adventure in Atlanta just began in November, and she is certain that she will develop herself professionally and personally. “I had 1 month to pack up and leave everything I have known in Illinois and moved to Georgia by myself. It was the craziest yet the most exciting things I have done, and I don’t regret it for a moment.”

Featured Employee: Katie Oswald

Title: Inventory Control Specialist

Tenure with OSG: 5 years

For Katie Oswald, family is her number one priority. She always makes sure that she spends as much time as she can with her husband of nine years, three and a half year old son, and puppy. To keep up in her never-ending race, she lives by the rule, “a minute wasted is a minute lost,” so she uses her time at work and at home efficiently.

Her love of family also extends to her teammates at OSG. As an Inventory Control Specialist at the Parma office, Katie looks to her coworkers to help get the job done right. “Teamwork is what makes the world go round. Together, we can accomplish great things!”

To add to her race, Katie is also working on her cooking skills, recently creating her own version of Ina Garten’s French Chicken Pot Pie. She also is an avid photographer. “Whether the subject is my son or nature, I love capturing every moment.”

Featured Employee: Kevin McPherson

Title: Regrind Lead

Tenure with OSG: 3 years

Regrind Lead with OSG for three years, Kevin McPherson is always working to improve the quality of his department. Before coming to OSG, Kevin got his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Valdosta State University and worked in CNC. At OSG, he enjoys working with his team to find the best solutions to keep up with customers.

Away from work, Kevin is a family man who likes to keep moving, either by running, riding his motorcycle, or traveling to go see his daughter. He also believes in the importance of disconnecting from phones and computers as much as possible to spend quality time with his wife on the weekends.

Kevin learned his best habits from his father, who he calls his hero. “He taught me the importance of a good work ethic and honesty.”