Amsted Industries is a diversified global manufacturer of industrial components serving primarily the railroad, vehicular and construction and building markets. Combining leading-edge manufacturing processes with a history of continuous innovation, we’re proud to be leaders in each of the market segments we serve.
Operating under the Amsted Industries umbrella since 1962, today we’re meeting the growing needs of a global market with 53 facilities in 11 countries across 6 continents. Amsted is employee owned, which allows our employees to share in the success in the company and provides employees with significant retirement savings.
Luke Penskar is Treasurer of AMSTED Industries. Mr. Penskar joined AMSTED in 2015. He previously served as Director – Treasury and Manager – Treasury. Prior to joining AMSTED, Mr. Penskar was Manager – Enterprise Accounting and Senior Compliance Auditor with W. W. Grainger, Inc.
Mr. Penskar earned his Bachelors of Arts in Accounting from Michigan State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Chris Meyers is Vice President – Finance and Chief Financial Officer of AMSTED Industries. Mr. Meyers joined AMSTED in 2017. He previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Spartan Nash Company and was Chief Financial and Development officer for KeHE Distributors. Chris also served as Director, Vice President and Senior Associate at Navigant Capital Advisors.
Mr. Meyers earned his Bachelors of Business Administration from Western Michigan University and his Masters of Business Administration from J. L. Kellogg School of Management and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Christopher G. Athas is Vice President – General Counsel and Secretary of AMSTED Industries. Mr. Athas joined AMSTED in 2014. He previously was a corporate partner with the international law firm Jones Day.
Mr. Athas earned his B.A. degree from Rice University and his law degree from The University of Chicago Law School.
Steven Obendorf is Vice President – Controller and Audit for AMSTED Industries. Mr. Obendorf joined AMSTED in 1999 as assistant treasurer and became assistant controller in 2002, Controller in 2008, Vice President – Audit in 2012 and his current position in 2016. Prior to joining AMSTED, Mr. Obendorf was corporate controller of Varlen Corporation from 1991 to 1999 and also served in a number of finance positions. Mr. Obendorf began his career as an auditor with KPMG LLP from 1982 to 1985. Mr. Obendorf earned a B. S. in accounting from University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University. Mr. Obendorf is also a certified public accountant.
Marilyn Franson is Vice President & Senior Tax Counsel at AMSTED Industries. Ms. Franson joined AMSTED in 1999 as Assistant Controller-Tax. Prior to joining AMSTED, Ms. Franson was a partner at the law firm of Hopkins & Sutter (now Foley & Lardner) in Chicago, where she practiced tax law from 1986-1999. Previously, Ms. Franson was a tax consultant for Ernst & Young, and controller for an offshore oil supply company. Ms. Franson earned a B.S. in accounting and finance, summa cum laude from Loyola University, and a J.D. cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law. She is also a certified public accountant.
Shirley Whitesell is the Vice President – People at AMSTED Industries. Ms. Whitesell has held numerous positions at AMSTED’s corporate office throughout her career. She served as a tax accountant and senior tax accountant in the corporate tax department prior to her assignment to human resources. She was named manager of human resources in 1990 and manager of compensation and benefits in 1993. She became director of human resources in September 1998. She was elected vice president – people in July 2005. Ms. Whitesell earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Indiana University and is a certified employee benefit specialist.
Stephen Smith is President and Chief Executive Officer at AMSTED Industries. Mr. Smith joined AMSTED in 2005 as president of Amsted Rail, became general counsel in 2007 and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in 2017. Prior to joining AMSTED, from 1999 to 2005 Mr. Smith was general counsel and president of the shared services operations in North America of GKN plc, a FTSE-traded UK diversified engineering company; and from 1991 to 1999 was vice president, secretary and general counsel of The Interlake Corporation, an NYSE-traded diversified manufacturing company. Mr. Smith began his legal career in 1982 at the Chicago law firm of Hopkins & Sutter (since merged into Foley & Lardner), where he was a corporate partner and chairman of the corporate transactions group. Mr. Smith earned an A.B. degree in political science from Wheaton College (Illinois) and his J.D. degree from The University of Chicago Law School.
From our earliest days, Amsted Industries has strived to manufacture the most powerful and highest quality products for the vehicular, railroad, construction and building markets. With origins in operating companies, Amsted has grown through both acquisition and product innovation to become the leader in the industries we serve. Our goal has always been to ensure the best possible products be provided to global markets. We assumed the name Amsted Industries in 1962 and continued to show persistent growth in both strength and scope. In 1986, Amsted Industries established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and by 1998 we were 100% ESOP owned. At Amsted, we relish the responsibility bestowed upon us to provide reliable, well-made products for markets around the world, and are constantly striving to exceed even higher standards of success to make that happen.
Quality products, innovation, stability and reliability are universally necessary. Amsted Industries recognizes that global boundaries are disappearing, and we are committed to bringing our highly engineered, top quality products to help our customers succeed wherever in the world they are operating.
With 53 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries, Amsted serves the vehicular, railroad, construction and building markets by employing 16,000 people throughout the world. With our global capability, we have the manufacturing capacity and flexibility to meet the industry’s needs today and the needs that emerge in the decades ahead.
As a global leader, Amsted Industries is committed to conducting operations in a manner that is environmentally responsible and consistent with that of a good corporate neighbor and citizen. Experience has taught us that it’s essential to all our stakeholders to be good stewards of the environment.
We’re dedicated to conserving natural resources and recycling whenever possible across our factories and offices worldwide. Every gallon of fuel consumption we can eliminate due to our lightweight truck component system; every kilowatt hour we save by better managing our power needs; and every ounce of scrap metal we recycle contributes to the success of our sustainability strategy.
At Amsted, we’re passionate about leveraging technology to preserve the environment. Our railroad, vehicular and construction/industrial divisions utilize the latest manufacturing processes and engineering innovations to drive energy efficiencies. Through improvements in environmental performance, we not only help future generations but help our bottom line performance, as well.
Join the Amsted team. And help us find new ways to go green.
Amsted believes that ethical and lawful behavior is the foundation for our success. Every Amsted employee is expected to respect and comply with the laws and regulations of the countries and the communities in which we conduct business.
Beyond legal compliance, Amsted is committed to act with honesty and integrity in all of our business dealings. We believe that integrity is the foundation for our relationships with customers, suppliers, other companies in our industries, and the communities in which we work.
The Code of Conduct establishes guidelines to be followed regarding business conduct and ethical practices.
Download a PDF for our Code of Conduct
From working at local food banks to painting community centers to helping out at Boys & Girls clubs, Amsted Industries employees make it their mission to serve their local communities. Because nurturing dreams is what we’re all about.
Amsted’s corporate employees recently participated in a service day at The Morton Arboretum, honoring our former CEO – Bob Reum - who passed away in February. The Amsted team named a tree in Bob’s honor, dedicated a bench in his name to the garden, and participated in a service project de-seeding native Indian grass to be re-used by the Arboretum.
Both in the office and out in the community, Amsted Industries employees work as a team. Whether it’s getting out into nature, cooking up a storm, or expressing our inner artist, we’re always up for trying something new!
