“I’ve seen firsthand how our products and solutions can make businesses more competitive, enable them to grow and build the capacity to be better at what they do.” - Nate Leiteritz
Nate Leiteritz’s career journey with ITW dates back more than 20 years when he joined the company as an engineering intern. After a steady progression in roles and responsibilities over the past two decades, Leiteritz looks back at how he’s advanced to his current role as Vice President & General Manager of Miller Electric Manufacturing’s Commercial Solutions Division.
Miller Electric, an Appleton, Wisconsin-based welding industry leader specializing in advanced products for a variety of industries, has been part of ITW since 1993. Read on to learn how Leiteritz has grown his career with ITW by embracing opportunities, celebrating the company culture and finding ways to create shared value.
Briefly describe your career journey.
I’ve been with ITW for about 22 years, but it doesn’t feel like that long. I say that because when I joined, there were a lot of folks with 30, 40 and even 50 years of service with the company.
I began as an engineer focused on developing new products and technology and performed a few roles in similar capacities before a manager and mentor encouraged me to take on more of a leadership role in an operations position. From there, I moved on to more market- and customer-facing roles in ITW’s heavy equipment market. That was a pivotal point in my career; having the opportunity to see our products firsthand and recognize how what we do at ITW impacts our customers was particularly meaningful.
I’ve been fortunate to grow professionally by serving in several management roles within ITW businesses. I’m currently serving as a leader within the business where I started as an intern, which certainly resonates as a full-circle moment for me.
What aspects of your career with ITW have been particularly valuable?
Seeing the impact we can have on our customers, and in turn, what that means for our employees and our business is truly rewarding. I’ve seen firsthand how our products and solutions can make businesses more competitive, enable them to grow and build the capacity to be better at what they do. Every time we deliver that value, it is fed back into our business to help us grow, expand our employee base and continue to unlock value for our customers.
Additionally, the sheer variety and diversity of experiences you get working here is unique. Whether working internally with different functions and disciplines or partnering with our customers to serve their diverse needs, coming to work each day is exciting and fun.
Which of our company’s values (trust, integrity, respect, shared risk, simplicity) resonates with you most?
Simplicity and shared risk resonate a lot with me.
Our belief in simplicity helps maintain our focus on the aspects that will help us maximize our impact. It permeates everything we do. Too often, companies can become mired in complexity and overly complicated processes.
I’ve seen shared risk be a crucial differentiator for our business time and time again. With our diverse portfolio and the strength and resilience of our business model, our philosophy of shared risk empowers our people to make bold, impactful decisions.
What advice would you give to someone looking to grow their career with ITW?
Be curious and think outside of your area of focus. Don’t be afraid to take on something outside of your comfort zone or outside of your experience. Make an effort to understand what other teams are doing and how they’re doing it.
Additionally, learn to stretch yourself and don’t be afraid to try something new as you keep developing. You won’t regret it because you never know where it might lead, and it often has a way of creating interesting opportunities.
