Madison and Lexington avenues in New York City, are where you find the most prestigious law firms in the world. Mostly Ivy League law school graduates, former New York Southern District prosecutors -- in short, the brightest the legal industry offers and more. In one of those law firms, I was led by a young associate to a grand conference room, seating at least eighteen people around the oval table with a second row of chairs against the wall. I was led to my preassigned seat, next to the chairperson for the session. The wallpaper gave a vivid view of nature, a running creek, greenery, flowers here and there. As a first timer in that room, I was mesmerized by original paintings by Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and other famous artists. A group of attorneys assembled each specializing in a particular field such as litigation, prosecution, and jury selection. I was there to be grilled in a mock deposition/trial about an engineering report the law firm had commissioned me to prepare. Before the chair recognized the session, he turned towards me, on his right side and whispered if I know Rick Kaatz? I responded affirmatively. He dropped the subject and called my grilling session to order!
Rick Kaatz was born in Plymouth, Minnesota, a gravel community road with cow pastures and corn fields. Like many other places of the past, today Plymouth looks different. His dad was a computer programmer while Rick’s mother managed the household of five. He has an older sister and a younger brother, making him the middle child. The two brothers grew up playing baseball and hockey, snowmobiling and motorcycling, all from their backyard. In high school he landed a drafting and technician job in heating and ventilation systems. That sparked his interest in testing and engineering, leading to performance specification development.
Rick attended Gustavus Adolphus, Iowa State University, ISU, and Michigan University studying Mechanical Engineering. At first, he enjoyed Math, Chemistry, and Physics. With time, the concept became too complex to visualize. He found himself not as enthused about those complex variables, quantum physics, and organic chemistry. Mechanical Engineering seemed to be his natural calling.
Rick started as an Associate Engineer at the GM Proving Ground in the Brake System’s Group in 1985. He was exposed to various engineering and management tasks, all related to automotive brakes. He was once again faced with a complex nature of brake friction materials which he found fascinating. He became a believer that brake friction material is the most important part of the brake system, and the rest must be built around it.
His professional drive is to make things better through continuous improvement. Customer satisfaction is a simple, yet complicated concept and Rick thrives constantly towards that goal. When he faces challenges and setbacks, he finds changing direction maybe needed or endurance with constant pressure will prevail. Amongst the influential people in Rick’s life, he recalls his boss at ventilation company, Don Nelson, his high school math teacher, Dewey Nelson, professors at ISU, Dave Ebert, his first boss at GM, and ShinWan Kim, CEO of KBAutosys. He considers himself as having been fortunate to have worked with such a talented group of engineers at GM. Through networking and interacting with other professionals at SAE and Brake Colloquium, he had vastly improved his professional knowledge.
Professional-personal life balance is often a struggle to Rick. He remembers having overworked himself at GM ending up in an ambulance and four days of intensive care. GM management found a replacement for one of the three different roles he had at the time, leading to a better work-life balance. Although he has many hobbies, but it seems like they are more enjoyable after having committed sufficient time and energy to work-life. It’s like watching TV after having completed your homework! Fortunately for Rick, he lives close enough to his office to be able to spend quality time in the evening and weekends with his wife and daughters.
During his last seven years at GM, Rick was part of a team that lead GM to a Number One ranking in JD Powers IQS for brakes. The biggest challenge within GM, like any other large company, was the layers of management and politics that needed to be convinced before action is taken. GM’s bankruptcy and reorganization was an opportunity to clean out legacy, antiquated engineering strategies with a clean sheet approach.
After having worked 39 years in the industry that were mutually served well, Rick is content with his current life. He hopes to have a positive impact on people around him professionally, especially the young and upcoming in the industry. And he hopes to help get KBAutosys established as an effective global contributor to friction industry.
He thrives to be nice to others and not burn bridges for one never knows who your next boss, co-worker, or customer may be. His advice to newcomers is set your goals high and work hard over the long haul towards achieving them. Having families spread all over, Rick, his wife, and the dogs travel around to visit them. He likes outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking, and of course golfing. He feels this connection to nature together with his family and friends, brings him peace of mind.
Throughout the session in the New York law firm, I kept thinking why the chairman asked me if I knew Rick Kaatz. We worked through lunch so no opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. At the end of my day long Q and A filled often with legalese, I pulled the chairperson aside and inquired about how he knew Rick. He placed a hand on my shoulder, smiled and said: Oh, we asked Rick Kaatz to read your technical report. He paused to see my reaction. I was waiting for the rest, he sensed. “And Rick said your report was great.”
Editor's note: We are seeking to highlight the professional journeys of individuals who have made significant contributions to Brake Technology or Business. Referrals are encouraged.
Comments