{"id":107430,"date":"2025-03-10T08:39:53","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T13:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/?p=107430"},"modified":"2025-03-10T14:47:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T19:47:41","slug":"bob-heideman-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/bob-heideman-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"An alum\u2019s path to innovation and industry leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How Bob Heideman\u2019s persistence in education led to well-rounded success<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Bob Heideman started his undergrad at UW-Madison in 1984, things looked a little different. Back then, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering was referred to as the Department of Metallurgical and Mineral Engineering.

It\u2019s safe to say some things have changed over the last 40 years, both for Heideman and the department. For example, Heideman no longer plays the tuba in UW-Madison\u2019s marching band. He no longer attends as many football games in Camp Randall as he once did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some things have remained the same, like the camaraderie undergraduates find within the department or how Heideman tackles challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kumar Sridharan was pursuing his PhD in the department when Heideman was an undergraduate. A Teaching Assistant for a two-sequence lab course, Professor Sridharan recalls that Heideman was one of his very first students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBob was very engaged in asking questions. He really tried to learn the material,\u201d Professor Sridharan says. \u201cThat is what I look for in students still \u2014 those things never change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eagerness Heideman showed as a young undergraduate has not faltered. His story of perseverance showcases how higher education can open doors \u2013 even if the path to earning a degree is not linear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discipline driving degrees<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Attending a large, public university taught Heideman the importance of advocating for himself and seeking out resources if needed. Such resourcefulness served him well, long after graduating from UW-Madison with his BS in Metallurgical Engineering in 1988.

In 1988, he moved to Kokomo, Indiana for a job as a semiconductor process engineer with Delco Electronics (an automotive electronics and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors<\/a>). While working, he was able to go to school part time at Purdue University, where he earned his MS in Metallurgical Engineering in 1992. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1994, he moved to Milwaukee and began working as a metallurgical engineer at A. O. Smith<\/a> (AOS) \u2013 a move he never would have guessed as an undergraduate. AOS specializes in hot water solutions, designing and distributing commercial and residential water heaters, boilers and storage tanks. The company has a market capitalization today around $10 billion.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t wake up one day and say \u2018I am going to work in the water heater industry,’\u201d Heideman says. \u201cBut working at A. O. Smith has been a really great career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heideman has worked with AOS for the last 30 years, currently holding the title of Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Office. His leadership has drastically changed the company\u2019s new product development process, according to his colleague Becky Tallon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like he didn\u2019t wake up one day and decide to work in the water heater industry, he didn\u2019t wake up one day with a leadership position. This took time, effort and another degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inciting innovation<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

While working for AOS, Heideman felt compelled to go back to school. So in 2005 he returned to his alma mater part-time and began pursuing his PhD virtually in Materials Engineering at UW-Madison. Juggling coursework and research on top of his full-time role as AOS\u2019s Director of Engineering was quite the challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, 25 years after earning his Bachelor\u2019s and 10 years after starting his PhD, he defended his thesis on \u201cFriction Stir Spot Welding of Al to Cu.\u201d Remembering Bob from when he first started teaching, Professor Sridharan was happy to serve on his PhD committee.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since receiving his PhD in 2015, Heideman says he continues learning on the job every day. AOS\u2019s Director of Water and Treatment Materials, Becky Tallon says his commitment to improving processes makes him a great boss worth working for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBob is a great technology leader,\u201d Tallon says. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t let the process get in the way of innovative new ideas.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caring for community<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Beyond his work at AOS, Heideman regularly gives back to the community. Before starting at AOS, Tallon met Heideman when they served on an industry advisory board together for the Water Equipment and Policy Industry\/University Collaborative Research Center. The center connected local water industry partners with UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tallon says Heideman was very active in recruiting new members and developing relationships with the universities. Heideman handed his board position to Tallon a few years ago, when AOS was limited to one member on the board. Still, he looks back on his time with the board fondly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Heideman serves on UW-Madison\u2019s Department of Materials Science and Engineering\u2019s External Advisory Board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of higher education, Heideman is also an active member of his church community at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Kewaskum, Wisconsin. He currently serves as a parish trustee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what motivates him to give back, he credits his Catholic upbringing and faith. He also says, \u201cWhen I was at UW, clearly there were people contributing to the university that helped me progress. I\u2019ve been very fortunate to have been employed for over 30 years in very good jobs, and I feel it is my obligation to give back.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if someone would have told Bob as an undergraduate, tuba in hand, that this is where he\u2019d be, that this is what he\u2019d be doing, he probably would not have believed it. Afterall, so much has changed since then. Yet, through all the fluctuations, Heideman\u2019s grit, determination and commitment to innovation never faded away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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