Joe Cattadoris Jr.
President / Owner
Metal Solutions President Joe Cattadoris Jr. has worked in the business since the age of 16. Joe attended Utica College’s Engineering program, but gained the majority of his vast technical knowledge through hands-on experience and training under company founder, Joseph Cattadoris Sr.
After Joe Sr.’s death in 1998, Joe grew and managed the business on his own until 2003, when Cathy Thiaville joined the company. Since then he has continued to serve as President, be the technical visionary of the company and lead the company’s sales team. Joe has a natural gift for working with metal and is widely sought out by customers and company personnel for his innovative ideas, and his expertise and insight into fabrication and technical problem-solving.
Because of his passion for working with metal, Joe spends his spare time mentoring small businesses and helping them with product development. He helped develop several businesses in the Central New York area that have grown from small startup operations to companies that have a large manufacturing presence in the area.
Kristen Sheppard
Business Manager / Owner
Kristen completed her Bachelor's degree in Accounting at the State University of New York College at Utica. She has over 20 years of experience in various accounting, controller and business manager positions in manufacturing. She has been the Business Manager at Metal Solutions since 2000. Kristen is also a minority owner of Metal Solutions.
Codey Baker-Durst
Programming Manager
Codey has been in the manufacturing field since 2011 with extensive experience in metal fabrication. He has been a programmer at Metal Solutions since 2015 and assumed the role of Programming Manager in 2019. He has an Associate’s Degree in Computer Aided Drafting and Design.
Paul Behr
Continuous Improvement Leader
Paul has been at Metal Solutions since 2002. He has a vast knowledge of the fabricated metal manufacturing process and has been an integral part of all aspects of MSI’s manufacturing operations. Paul has also been involved with training in all departments as well as setting standard processes through continuous improvements and lean manufacturing.
Jason Bunce
Senior Estimator
Jason has been working in manufacturing since 1992. He started his career at Metal Solutions in 2000 as a welder. He also spent 10 years as a purchasing manager prior to assuming his role as Senior Estimator in 2012.
Michael Burke
Business Development Manager
Michael has been the Business Development Manager at Metal Solutions since 2017. He has over 25 years in various sales positions.
Chet Chase
Quality Manager
Chet joined Metal Solutions with 15 years of various quality management experience. His quality management career has been solely in manufacturing with an emphasis on HMLV production. He is an ASQ certified quality engineer with a lean six sigma black belt background.
Bryan Cirelli
Scheduling Manager
Bryan has been in manufacturing since 1985– many of those years in the mass transit and automotive industries as material management, inventory control analyst and production/material planning. He has been the scheduling manager at Metal Solutions since 2010 and is certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).
Rick Garrett
Production Manager
Rick has been working in the manufacturing industry since 1986. He has worked as the Production Manager at Metal Solutions since 2000. Rick is a Certified Lean Champion and ISO Quality Management Representative.
Bill Heron
Strategic Projects Manager
Bill has worked in manufacturing since 1978 with the majority of his time spent in the aerospace industry as an Industrial Engineering Mgr. and Facilities Management. Upon leaving his manufacturing career in 1998, Bill worked for the MEP/NIST system, consulting with manufactures in Lean Enterprise, Continuous Improvement (CI), due diligent assessments and operations site management in a host of industries from metals, plastic, food and fiber optics to name a few. He has been a Senior Special Projects Manager with Metal Solutions since 2015.
Mike Kessler
Shipping Manager
Mike has been working in manufacturing since 1982 with most of those years as the warehouse manager for the mass transit industry at Daimler Buses North America (formally Orion Bus). He has been the Shipping Manager at MSI since 2014.
Kirt Kohl
1st Shift Supervisor
Kirt joined the team at Metal Solutions in 2019. He has 30 years’ experience in manufacturing with the majority of that time spent in the copper wire industry. He has held various positions in manufacturing including the last 10 in management roles.
Mike Kraeger
Process Engineer
Mike has been working with metal since 1988. He has welding, metal fabrication, and mechanical experience and a Bachelors degree Mechanical Engineering. Mike has worked as the Programming Manager at Metal Solutions since 2004 and in 2019, he assumed the role of Process Engineer.
Heidi Larsen
Human Resources Manager
Heidi has 9 years experience as Human Resources Manager at different manufacturing companies. She earned her Bachelor degree in Business with concentration in Human Resources from Utica College. Heidi has been the Human Resources Manager at Metal Solutions since 2015.
Dawn Lazovik
1st Shift Supervisor
Dawn has been in manufacturing since 1982 with the majority of those years in the mass transit industry at Daimler Buses North America (formally Orion Bus) where she managed both production and Quality departments. She has been a Shift Supervisor at Metal Solutions since 2017. Dawn holds certifications in Lean and Six Sigma.
Brian McCann
2nd Shift Supervisor
Brian has been in Logistic and Transportation Management for over 20 years. Prior to Metal Solutions, Brian was the Regional Manager at the Cedar Bus Company and previously the Assistant Director at Bernie Bus, Inc. He started with the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in 1994 working in various roles in the operations and transportation aspect of the business. His years of experience in Logistic and Transportation Management will be an asset to Metal Solutions.
EJ Prunckno
Maintenance Manager
EJ has 18 years experience servicing commercial and industrial equipment. He has been the Maintenance Manager at Metal Solutions since 2012.
Mike Rossi
Operations Manager
Mike has worked in manufacturing since 1988 with the majority of his time spent in the Mass transit industry at Daimler Buses North America (formally Orion Bus), He held various operational management positions including 5 years as Superintendent of Production. Mike served in the United States Marine Corps. He has been the Operations Manager at Metal Solutions since 2018.
Stacy Sheppard
Project Manager
Stacy is a seasoned project manager with over 20 years of project management experience. He has knowledge of both residential and commercial construction management and more recently manufacturing project management. He is excited to learn and grow in a new industry while bringing his capabilities and diverse experience to Metal Solutions. He is a creative problem solver who has consistently completed projects on time and on budget, with efficiency and continuous improvement in mind.
Steve Treadway
Purchasing Manager
Steve has worked in purchasing in manufacturing since 1984 with the majority of his time spent in the Mass transit industry at Daimler Buses North America (formally Orion Bus). He has been the Purchasing Manager at Metal Solutions since 2017.
Joe Underwood
Senior Estimator
Joe has many years of manufacturing experience. He started at Metal Solutions in 2002 as a Brake operator prior to assuming the role of Estimator in 2009.
Harry
Metal Solutions Mascot
Harry is a Catahoula Leopard Hound from Texas. He is a rescue dog and joined Metal Solutions in 2019. He likes coming to the shop and visiting all his human friends. He also loves treats.