You would be hard-pressed to find someone in our Western New York manufacturing community that doesn’t know Steven “Steve” Calzi. Calzi has been with Eastman Machine Company, a family-owned manufacturing company that was established in 1888, for more than twenty years. In fact, the year he started at Eastman, 2002, was the same year he was introduced to Insyte. Since joining Eastman, Insyte has been utilized on several including lean focusing on improving the factory floor layout, implementing kanban systems and linear production flow along with ERP evaluation assistance, that has continued to make a positive sustaining impact at Eastman.
“Insyte is unique given the variety of skill sets that are available for a company to take advantage of that can help provide for a more efficient operation from marketing, lean, ERP systems and many more,” said Calzi, Chief Operating Officer, Eastman Machine Company.
Seeing first-hand the impact Insyte can have on a manufacturing organization, Calzi agreed to join the Board of Directors in 2013 and become Chair of the Board in 2016.
“I am a strong believer that manufacturing is the backbone not only of our region but the entire country, particularly small manufacturers. Manufacturing plays a crucial role in job creation and skill development, supply chain support amongst other local manufacturers, as well as fostering community pride,” said Calzi.
Insyte has benefited tremendously from the leadership and knowledge that Calzi has brought to the Board. During his tenure, Insyte achieved an incredible milestone – $5 Billion in economic impact and celebrated 40 years of helping local manufacturers to innovate, profit and grow.
While his time on the Board is coming to an end this year, his impact will be felt for many years to come. His optimism about the future of manufacturing is inspiring and important for us to remember, and we know our paths will continue to cross.
“Manufacturing has been key to our region for decades. The focus on developing our skilled workforce, as well as the continued development of advanced manufacturing initiatives with the cooperative assistance with Insyte, EWI [Buffalo Manufacturing Works], and SUNY at UB all bode well for our future,” said Calzi.
