Chief Financial Officer / Age 39
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry
Five years ago Joshua Guay, who previously worked at Samuel Pressure Vessel Group (SPVG), took a leap of faith transitioning between employers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was also the next logical step in my career, and I rejoined forces with the most influential leader in my professional life,” Guay says.
That leader is foundry CEO Sachin Shivaram, who had been president at SPVG. Guay describes him as “a people-centric leader” and admits that “prior to his leadership I viewed most decisions from a basic dollars/cents perspective.”
Guay encountered challenges maintaining the motivation of his team when some jobs were cut. “It was tanking morale and productivity suffered,” he says. “In overcoming this, communication was key.”
Communication is one leadership aspect that Guay says has been a weakness, but through a pivotal TLDG (Thayer Leader Development Group) course held at West Point, Guay learned from Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost “that it’s most important to communicate not so that you are understood, but that you cannot possibly be misunderstood.”
In the community, Guay serves as a volunteer firefighter and with local youth sports programs.
Be sure to visit Insight’s Portraits of Success: 40 Under 40 at The Art Garage in Green Bay from May 30–June 1 to see each honoree’s official 40 Under 40 portrait!
