Corner Office to Corner Café: Jeff Umlor
January 29, 2025Comments
Editor’s Note: For this segment of Corner Office to Corner Café, I chatted with Jeff Umlor, who recently transitioned to president of Walker Tool & Die, Grand Rapids, MI, a second-generation, family-owned business started by Gordon Hendricks in 1964 and now owned by his son Dave Hendricks. Housed in a 100,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility at the same location as its founding, Walker Tool designs, builds and manufactures metal stamping dies for the appliance, automotive and heavy-truck industries.
Q: How long have you been company president?
Jeff: I took on this new role this past September 30. I’ve been with Walker for almost 35 yr., starting in high school part-time sweeping floors. Then I finished my apprenticeship as a journeyman die maker. From there, I went into our CAD-CAM department where I did a lot of 3D surfacing and CNC programming. Then in 2009 I moved into different management positions, in operations, engineering, business development, and advanced to my current role.
Q: Can you recommend resources that you have found helpful, especially in making your move to president?
Jeff: There are a lot of great books out there for sure; some of them I’ve even reread. Toughness by Jay Bilas; Great Game of Business; Tradition Meets Transformation, written by Laurie Harbour and Scott Walton; The Toyota Way. I think that sports and business can tie in together very well. Also, I’ve been fortunate throughout my career at Walker to have worked with a lot of great managers and leaders who have mentored me. And, we’ve been PMA members since 2016. I’ve met a lot of great people through networking with PMA; having those resources to bounce ideas off is invaluable.
Q: What are some of the credos that guide your management approach?
Jeff: Lead with honesty, integrity and empathy. I base my decisions on what’s best for Walker Tool. I like to be very approachable, very hands-on. I started having meetings every other month with non-managers from every department to encourage open communication, and to listen to them. What roadblocks are they seeing in their departments? Because those are the people who are making it happen every day.
Q: What are some of the greatest challenges you face, and how do you resolve them?
Jeff: Hiring young people. It’s a common struggle in manufacturing right now. Some of the ways I’ve tried to tackle that is getting involved with the local schools, offering shop tours, job shadows … those type of opportunities. That includes teachers, because they’re the ones who can direct those kids. During tours, we show visitors some parts from design to the shop floor coming out of the press. They can see the whole process and really understand what it takes to build that tool.
