Vice President of Bullen Ultrasonics
From Controls Engineer to Manufacturing Leader: How John’s Career Was Built on Grit, Growth, and Learning from the Hard Stuff
Not every career path is straight—and John will be the first to tell you that’s a good thing.
John started out like many of us—trying to pay for college, working a co-op job at DuPont while earning his Electrical Engineering degree from The Ohio State University. That early hustle taught him the value of persistence and the reality that no one hands you success—you have to work for it, often through long hours and hard-earned lessons.
After graduation, he landed a Controls R&D position with The Timken Company, and later moved into a plant-based Controls Engineering role to be closer to family. Over time, he rotated through project, process, and industrial engineering roles—building a rock-solid technical foundation.
But here’s where John’s story gets interesting.
Even though he loved the technical work, a new challenge emerged: leading people.
Moving from managing engineering projects to managing people, John became a Maintenance Manager, then Engineering Manager, then Operations Manager, and finally Plant Manager over two facilities.
It wasn’t always easy.
“There were times I didn’t get the job I thought I deserved,” John admits. “I felt like I had earned it—put in the time, learned the systems. But someone else was chosen. That stung.”
One of those moments especially stood out. The person selected had less technical experience and didn’t know the facility as well. At first, it didn’t make sense—until John realized that the individual brought something he hadn’t focused enough on yet: people skills. The ability to boost morale, navigate tension, and connect with the team. Over time, John learned from that leader and grew from the experience.
That mindset—what the book, Black Box Thinking, calls learning from failure—became a turning point. Success doesn’t come from avoiding disappointments—it comes from learning from it. John examined his own limitations not with discouragement, but with curiosity.
“I started asking myself, ‘What did they see in that person that I need to build in myself?’”
This wasn’t just about technical skills anymore. It was about influence. Leadership. Empathy. And those don’t come with a degree—they come with intentional development.
Angela Duckworth’s book, Grit, describes success as a combination of passion and perseverance.
“Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you’re willing to stay loyal to it… It’s doing what you love, but not just falling in love—staying in love.”
– Angela Duckworth
That’s John to a tee.
He’s deeply motivated—but also self-aware enough to know that motivation needs to be pointed in the right direction. That courage to say yes — to stretch beyond your current skill set—is something Duckworth would call “deliberate practice”: pushing outside your comfort zone to grow.
After 29 years at Timken/TimkenSteel, John brought that same mindset to Bullen Ultrasonics. His decades of technical knowledge have been a huge asset to our team – but more importantly, he has also brought the humility to keep learning and the wisdom to pass that mindset on.
If he could go back in time, John says he would tell his younger self two things:
“Get your Master’s degree—and start working on your people skills early. No matter how technical your role, relationships will shape your career more than anything else.”
Today, John leads with the same grit Angela Duckworth describes in her book: a blend of passion and perseverance. He stays motivated by aligning his time with the goals that matter most — breaking up the dull stuff into manageable chunks and protecting time for the work he loves. That focus and balance are part of what’s helped him succeed for decades.
What makes John effective isn’t just what he knows—it’s how he shows up. Every Monday, John starts his week reviewing his goals and making sure his to-do list matches them. He believes in being present — whether that’s at work or at home. He carves out quiet time in his day to focus. Most importantly, he is always listening, always learning.
John has moved from Senior R&D Manager to Director of Engineering since joining Bullen 4 years ago.
Now, we’re proud to announce him as our Vice President.
He didn’t set out to be a people leader. But because he stayed open to growth, listened to mentors, and put in the effort to evolve, he ended up building a career beyond what he imagined.
His advice for anyone early in their journey?
“Do the best job you can right where you are. The doors you don’t see yet may open if you’re ready – and if you’re willing to grow when they do.
We’re proud to have John on our team—not just for what he brings technically, but for the culture he’s helping shape. He’s a reminder that leadership isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about never stopping learning!
