April 2019 Member Spotlight - Joe Wendel

Title: Controller
 
Company: DT MedTech, LLC a medical device company specializing in ankle joint replacements.
 
Length of time you’ve been a FEI member: Officially since 2014, attended meetings off and on for years as Carl Kampel’s guest.  Carl along with Mitch Halbrich convinced me the value of the network and organization.
 
FEI leadership involvement: Co-Chaired Programs with Frank Giachini in 2015, then transitioned to Program Chair in 2017.
 
Work email: [email protected]      
 
Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
 
I’ve worked in a variety of manufacturing environments since graduating from University of Dayton, starting with Armco Steel in Middletown Ohio in the internal auditing department. After two years, I was transferred east to the Baltimore Plant. Subsequently, I worked in Defense Electronics, Pharmaceuticals, Dredge Building (Ellicott Dredges) and now Medical Devices. I received a Master of Science from The Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business, and am a CPA in the state of Ohio.
 
What is one piece of information you wish someone had told you when you first started your finance career?
 
Get a mentor. Growing up in rural farming community, I was the first generation in our family to attend college. There were no mentors nor business role models to ask questions or solicit advice.
 
What do you love most about working as a financial executive?
 
A good organization values the depth, input, perspective and the integrity that a finance executive brings to the table. It’s a true partnership. That’s why, in part, the Baltimore FEI chapter highlights the CEO-CFO speaker series in our monthly programs.
 
What personality traits and intangible qualities do you look for when recruiting new talent?

A willingness to learn, a work ethic, and someone who wants to develop their career and not just a job.
 
The shortest interview we had was for a cost accountant. The candidate was a recent college grad with a decent GPA and some relevant work experience. During the interview, they did not want a commute longer than 10 minutes unless they could work from home. They also made it clear they were not interested in working more than 40 hours a week, as they had a life. Needless to say, they were not a good fit for the position, and we subsequently improved our screening process!
 
What are some of your personal hobbies outside of finance?
 
We like cruising, we will be going on our 16^th cruise this spring to the Mexican Rivera. My favorite cruise was the Panama Canal, in part, as an Ellicott Dredge was used in original construction of the canal. Additionally, a dredge the Company delivered in 1942, was still in operation in 2016.