Hadrian Rori is Vice President of Engineering for PureForge. Using proprietary and patented technology called Atomic-Forged® process, PureForge supplies it’s treated rotors to the various fleets and law enforcement vehicles across North America. In the following Q&A, Hadrian shares with us his valuable insights on the topics of leadership and success.
TBR: What is your current role and area of responsibility?
HR: I am currently the Vice President of Engineering for PureForge, a leader in surface nano-technology. PureForge manufactures surface-treated brake rotors for commercial, law enforcement and government fleets. Our aftermarket rotors produce less wear and dust while providing more robust braking. My role is to lead applications and supplier development for the company.
TBR: What do you like most about working at PureForge?
HR: I’ve been working with chassis components for over 30 years and the PureForge technology is a real game-changer. It’s been exciting to apply the technology to help our customers. The company has a young family culture, which I enjoy, yet it’s been able to perfect the rotor surface treatment technology over a long period of time, starting with stainless steel motorcycle rotors over ten years ago.
TBR: How would you describe your leadership style and why has it worked so well for you?
HR: My leadership style is fairly straightforward. I desire to hire the most capable and diverse people, set clear vision, direction and goals, empower them to get the job done and mentor and coach them as they achieve success. I strive to create a high energy work environment that inspires people to succeed in their jobs and have fun while doing it.
[bctt tweet=”I strive to create a high energy work environment that inspires people to succeed in their jobs and have fun while doing it.” username=”TheBrakeReport”]
TBR: What do you see as your biggest challenge right now?
HR: I think its brand recognition for PureForge. We have a great product but we are still a relatively unknown small fish in a big pond. All our fleet customers are extremely satisfied with our product and I am confident that we can grow significantly as the value of our treated rotors gets better known with more market adoption. I encourage anyone in the industry to contact me if they’d like to learn more.
TBR: What do you look for when evaluating top talent?
HR: Passion and enthusiasm! I can help teach the technical and managerial aspects of a job to a new employee but passion and enthusiasm are not easily taught and almost entirely has to come from within.
TBR: What was your first job in Industry?
HR: I started at Chrysler right after my graduation from Carnegie-Mellon University. My first assignment was a Brake Dyno Engineer working for one of the experts in the industry, Paul Gritt. This was my first experience working on brakes. Prior to that, my goal was to make things go faster but I soon appreciated how much more important it was to make things stop.
TBR: What is the best career advice you have been given?
HR: One of my most admired mentors was Jack Broomall at Chrysler. Jack is an awesome engineer, inspirational leader and friend. I asked him once what I should do to advance my career and he gave me a very simple but insightful answer. “Don’t worry about your next promotion. Do everything you can to do the best job possible in your current assignment. If you truly do this, success will come find you.” After 34 years in the industry, I haven’t seen an instance where this heartfelt advice wasn’t spot on.
TBR: Name your favorite / recent book(s) you have read:
HR: I recently read the book The Martian by Andy Weir. I had seen the movie but wanted to see if the book was much different. It was much better than the movie (which I also liked). The book is more detailed and filled with “geek-speak” which I can really appreciate.
TBR: What is your favorite quote and why?
“Never give up. Never slow down. Never grow old. Never die young” by James Taylor. I have this quote in a small frame sitting on my desk and I try to live by it as often as I can. It helps remind me that our time on earth is very short and I need to live this life to its fullest.
[bctt tweet=”“Never give up. Never slow down. Never grow old. Never die young” – James Taylor” username=”TheBrakeReport”]
TBR: How do you see PureForge changing the brake industry over the next 5-10 years and do you have any bold predictions for us?
HR: The technology that PureForge has perfected takes a commodity product like a cast iron brake rotor and transforms it into a premium product that improves wear and particulate emissions. Other folks have started to work on similar treatments but PureForge has been doing it for over 12 years and has 17 patents with another 10 patents pending to protect the process. The technology can dramatically improve customer satisfaction for the future.
[bctt tweet=”The technology that PureForge has perfected takes a commodity product like a cast iron brake rotor and transforms it into a premium product that improves wear and particulate emissions.” username=”TheBrakeReport”]
TBR: Tell us something that most people might not know about yourself as well as PureForge.
HR: Over the past couple of years, I have been trying to learn some of the Italian cooking skills of my Mom who grew up in Roseto, Italy. She passed onto me a book of all her favorite recipes and I’ve been doing my best to duplicate them. I even learned how to make all my own “fatta in casa” pasta. However, I’m still trying to figure out what she means by a “pinch” of something. I try hard but my dishes still don’t taste quite like Mom’s!
As far as PureForge is concerned, most folks don’t know that our President and CTO, Nathan Meckel, first developed the surface treatment technology on knives and medical scalpels. These tools and instruments never wore out! Now under Nathan’s leadership, the PureForge technology is helping to make brake rotors do the same.
