ALUMNI: SPOTLIGHT JOSEPH KNECHT ’80 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
A LEADER OF STEEL The career move that allowed Joseph Knecht to put a stake in the ground—somewhat literally—began with a patch of bare earth. graduate of Indiana Tech with a bachelor’s A 1980 degree in electrical engineering, Knecht was
“It was baptism by fire,” Knecht said. “I was a young engineer right out of school and thrown into supervising 40- and 50-year-old electricians. I learned a lot about leadership, about how to get things done.”
“A headhunter contacted me and talked about this company out near Philadelphia. I flew out for an interview, and there were four stakes in the ground and cows,” Knecht said. “I thought it would be pretty interesting to really grow up with and build a new plant, so I decided to pick up and move.”
It’s a path, he says, that requires the engineering foundation he learned at Indiana Tech, as well as crucial soft skills that he acquired through years of ongoing education and an innate ability to inspire.
working at Joslyn Stainless Steel, later Slater Steel, in Fort Wayne for about three years when he got the call.
This kind of bold willingness to say yes to opportunities became a hallmark of Knecht’s career, taking him farther from a potential role in his father’s electrical contracting business and his hometown of Fort Wayne than he ever imagined. Ultimately, Knecht served as vice president, Advanced Manufacturing, for VSMPO-Tirus U.S., the U.S. division of the world’s largest titanium producer. He has secured patents, been published and traveled the world. And very quickly, he discovered a talent for managing people, starting with that first job. 26
“There’s no magic button,” Knecht said. Listening is one of the greatest tools a young person considering— or being placed in — a managerial role can employ. “First, you’ve got to earn their respect. I did that by demonstrating that I was competent and that I could help them. You really have to listen and act on their advice, if it makes sense. I took some of those ideas and ran with them, and we made some really dramatic improvements. It taught me a bit about leadership— about not just having your way, but listening and then making good decisions based on the input from others.” That led to those four stakes in the ground, which became Axel Johnson Metals and then Titanium Hearth Technologies. There he and his team installed an electron beam furnace—relatively new technology at