Leadership

We believe that our leadership status is dependent upon our ability to be innovative in our approach, and in everything we do.  We are committed to providing the best quality products and services possible and that starts on the inside, with the people who work here. 

Heatron's executive team has decades of unmatched experience in total product development in the heating and solid state lighting industries.  

Michael W. Keenan - Chairman, CEO

Michael Keenan is CEO and Chairman of Heatron, Inc.  He has been with Heatron for 29 years, serving 18 years in the role of President.  His tenure includes previous positions as Controller and Vice President of Manufacturing.  Michael serves as President of VW Services and Lightwave Devices, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Heatron, Inc.

Dedicated to the concept of Employee Ownership, Michael is the Past President and one of the original founders of the Heart of America ESOP Chapter, affiliated with the National ESOP Association located in Washington DC.

Michael is the former Chairman of the Board for the Kansas City Manufacturing Network, a network that brings area manufacturers together to share experience and insight to build relationship and knowledge amongst its constituents. 

Awards, Distinctions and Involvement

• Advisory Board for the Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University
• Advisory Board for the School of Business for Park University
• Past member of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce
• Past member of the Industry Human Resources Committee
• 1998 Winner of Ernst & Young LLP Manufacturing Industrial "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award for Kansas/Western Missouri and participant in National Entrepreneur of the Year event in Palm Springs
• Member of Vistage International, the world's largest CEO membership organization, helping business leaders develop their skills and achieve better results in business and in their personal lives
• Active member of the Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa, Kansas
• Knights of Columbus
• Eucharistic Minister and Faith Sharing Leader
• Chair for the last two years of the annual Black Tie Gala for the SOS (Support Our Seminarians)

Michael is a graduate of Rockhurst University and is a life-long resident of the Kansas City area, currently residing in Lenexa, Kansas.

Michael is also a Veteran of the U.S. Navy/ U.S. Marine Corps serving with the Marines as a platoon Corpsman in Vietnam in 1969-70.

H.B. Turner - President

H.B. has served as Heatron's President since 2004.  He has been with the company since 1982, having previously served as Executive Vice President, Vice President of Sales and Marketing and National Sales Manager, respectively.  H.B. has successfully led Heatron's corporate growth and profitability, strategic planning and acquisitions.  Through his leadership and vision,  Heatron has grown from less than $1 million in sales revenues in 1982 and approximately 20 employees associates, to its' current size and revenues exceeding $35 million annually.  The company is a recognized leader in its industry, and H.B. continues to expand the company through innovative electric heating and solid state lighting solutions that impact their customers' business results. 

H.B. obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration & Economics, and a minor in Accounting, from Culver Stockton College, Cum Laude with Honors, in 1979. 

Awards, Distinctions and Involvement

• Patent holder USA Patent # 5,136,143 & Canadian patent "Coated cartridge heater", developed as a new product for Heatron in 1991
• 1998 Winner of Ernst & Young LLP Manufacturing Industrial "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award for Kansas/Western Missouri and participant in National Entrepreneur of the Year event in Palm Springs
• Member of Vistage International, the world's largest CEO membership organization, helping business leaders develop their skills and achieve better results in business and in their personal lives
• Culver Stockton College, Canton Missouri Board of Trustees; Trustee Member and Chairman of the Marketing Committee, and member of the Executive Committee, Facilities and Advancement committees.
• Member of Lambda Chi Alpha Housing Corporation Board of Directors, Culver Stockton College chapter, since 1980
• Certified Client Associate Trainer: Miller Heiman, Strategic Selling Program
• Completed Miller Heiman programs for Conceptual Selling, Large Account Management, and Managers Coaching (Miller Heiman programs are used to train Heatron Sales associates & agents)
• Involved in Church related activities with Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, including a member of the finance team
• Former three-term member of Riss Lake Homeowners Association Board of Directors, helped lead merger of two communities into one association

H.B. lives with his wife and three daughters in north Kansas City, Missouri.  When he's not working, he enjoys boating and has a love of sports, travel, and other family centered activities. 

Norman Beal - Vice President, Legal Counsel

Norman has been a partner in Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, and its predecessors, since 1973.  Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP is a full service business law firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.  The firm has offices in seven other cities.  Norman served as lead counsel during the acquisition and reorganization of Heatron in 1981, and has served as primary counsel for the business since that time.   Since January 1, 2009, Norman has served as in-house counsel for the company, and on Heatron's Board of Directors since 1986.

Norman earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Kansas University in 1965, and attended KU Law, obtaining a Juris Doctorate in 1968.

Awards, Distinctions and Involvement

• Member, Kansas and Missouri Bar Associations
• Martindale Hubbell AV Rating
• American Heart Association, Past Chairman Greater Midwest Division; Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Truman Medical Center Ethics Committee
• Instructor, Missouri Bar Association Continuing Education Programs

When Norman is not working, he enjoys building construction, wood working, ranching and golf. 

Robert H. Martter - Vice President, Erie Operations

Bob Martter joined the Heatron management team in May, 2002 following the Company's acquisition of ECA Electronics.  At the time of the acquisition, Martter was Executive Vice President, ECA Electronics, a division of American Trim, LLC, a $250 million dollar per year diversified manufacturer based in Lima, Ohio.

Martter is responsible for the Erie Operations as well as the LED Design Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois, which opened in 2005.   The Erie Operation specializes in the design and manufacturing of Thick Film Heaters and Resistor products as well as High Power LED assemblies.   The LED Design Center in Illinois provides additional strategic technical resources for the research and development of LED products for Heatron and Heatron's customers. 

Prior to joining Heatron, Martter spent 15 years with ECA Electronics and was the executive responsible for general operations for 12 of those years.  Before coming to ECA, Bob was a Product Manager, Pigments, for Ferro Corp, a billion dollar worldwide specialty chemicals company based in Cleveland, Ohio.  

Bob started his career in 1978 as a Project Engineer for DuPont at their chemical plant in Cleveland, Ohio.  He also served as a Production Manager of Sulfuric Acid there and eventually made the shift to Sales, selling chemicals and pigments to OEM and distribution accounts. 

Bob earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Magna Cum Laude, in 1978 from the University of Akron, and an MBA in Management, Magna Cum Laude, in 1980 from Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. 

Awards, Distinctions & Involvement

• Patents
  • US Patent 6,137,072 Electrical Control panel
  • US Patent 6,141,496 Electrically heated air fresheners
  • US Patent 6,289,176 Electrically heated air fresheners
  • US Patent 6,617,520 Circuit board
  • US Patent 6,720,784 Device for testing electronic devices
  • US Patent 6,856,157 Method and device for testing electronic devices
  • US Patent Application 115632270 Lighting device and method.
• Board of Advisors, Quintic Capital, LLC
• Gerson Lehrman Group Council Advisor
• Society of Automotive Engineers
• Manufacturers Association of Western Pennsylvania
• United Way of Erie County

Pat McKinzie - Vice President, Manufacturing

Pat is the Vice President of Manufacturing with chief responsibilities including quality systems, application, design, manufacturing engineering, and manufacturing for Flexible, Cartridge and Cast Heater business units, and is a member of Heatron Board of Directors and Executive Management Team.  Pat also serves as Secretary of VW Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Heatron. 

Pat joined Heatron in 1989, and has served a number of key positions, including:  Plant Engineer, Plant Manager, Cartridge Heater Product Manager and Vice President Special Products.  Prior to joining Heatron, Pat was a Supplier Product Engineer with Allied Signal, a manufacture of non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons, located in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Pat graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1982.   He obtained an MBA in Business Administration in 1988 from Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Awards, Distinctions and Involvement

• Active and involved in many family activities
• Committed and active member of Holy Trinity Church of Lenexa, Kansas
• American Society for Quality (ASQ) member
• Association for Manufacturing Excellence member
• Involved in promoting manufacturing excellence in the Kansas City Area

R. Bernard Rogers - Vice President, Human Resources

Bernie joined the Heatron executive team in January, 2007, and is responsible for providing leadership in developing and executing human resources strategy in support of the organization's business plan and strategic direction.  Bernie's in depth experience in talent management, performance management, training and development, compensation and benefits, and associate relations are vital to the organization.  His leadership and experience help to define the overall Human Resource needs and he is responsible for articulating the plans to the executive management team. Before joining Heatron, Bernie spent five years as HR Director for H&R Block, and prior to that, he served Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly Hoechst Marion Roussel/Marion Merrell Dow/Marion Laboratories) for seventeen years. 

Bernie earned a Bachelor of Business with a Major Economics in 1975 from Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL.  He has an Associate Degree in Management from the Insurance Institute of America in Malvern, Pennsylvania. 

Awards, Distinctions and Involvement

• Professional Development and Training
  • Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
  • Development Dimensions International (DDI) Certified Trainer
  • Certified Situational Leadership Trainer (Center for Leadership Studies)
  • Certified Targeted Selection Interviewing Trainer (DDI)
  • Extensive internal & external management/personal development training
• American Legion Citizenship Award
• Kansas Special Olympics Outstanding Family of the Year Award
• Shawnee Jaycees Outstanding Religious Leadership Award
• YWCA Achiever Award
• Boys & Girls Club of Kansas City, Volunteer
• Chairman, Board of Deacons, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Merriam, Kansas