|
Profile: Tom Trotter -- By Fred W. Wright Jr/ St. Petersburg Times
NEW POSITION: Senior vice president, manufacturing, Liquidmetal Technologies,
Tampa
PREVIOUS POSITION: General manager, structural casting division,
Howmet-Alcoa, Hampton, Va.
As a private pilot, Tom Trotter has logged more than 750 hours in the cockpit
over the past couple of decades. As the new senior vice president of Liquidmetal
Technologies, he will be logging a lot of hours in a commercial airliner, flying
to the company's new plant in South Korea once or twice a month.
Trotter began work Dec. 2, and within the first week, he was scheduled for a
14-hour flight to the plant in Pyongtaek, South Korea, about 60 miles from
Seoul. Trotter is responsible for manufacturing operations for Liquidmetal
worldwide. Right now that just means South Korea, but expansion is on the
drawing board.
"My initial responsibility is to make sure the plant is up and running
effectively to meet customer requirements," he said, "then start looking for
locations for the manufacturing sites to support other markets."
The South Korea plant, with about 166,000 square feet and more than 400
employees, opened in October and produces cell phone casings and components for
Samsung and other clients. Tampa is the global headquarters for Liquidmetal,
which went public in May, he said.
"It's a startup operation," Trotter said, "so it's a chance to really create
something that's going to make a big different in the world."
Prior to joining Liquidmetal, Trotter was with Howmet Castings, an Alcoa
subsidiary, where he held a succession of operations management positions after
joining that company in 1993. Trotter previously held various manufacturing
operations, product development and project engineering posts with Precision
Castparts Corp., United Technologies-Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and the
castings division of TRW.
Trotter said he had been aware of Liquidmetal "for some time," but a trip to
the South Korean plant helped him decide to go to work for the company.
"Actually to see it applied in a commercial product successfully was part of my
decision," he said. "I wanted to make sure it was definitely a viable
technology."
Liquidmetal Technologies is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of
products made from amorphous alloys that are two to three times stronger than
commonly used titanium alloys. "The bottom line," Trotter said, "is the alloy is
very, very strong . . . but can be formed like a plastic."
Liquidmetal uses the alloy for cell phone casings and components, he said.
Other potential applications include medical prosthetics, military munitions,
aerospace, even golf club heads. "This material is so strong, and it returns a
lot of energy," Trotter said.
Trotter earned a bachelor's of science degree in aerospace technology from
Kent State University in 1981 and an MBA from Kent State in 1989. He began his
career as a project engineer and has been in the metals industry "for my entire
career."
"The engineering part is in my blood," he said. "There are many, many
applications you would never think of as you walk down the street."
He recently piloted a Piper Tomahawk over the Tampa Bay area, a first for
Trotter, who was used to flying in the Hampton, Va., area. "It was a beautiful
day. The visibility was great. I could see forever. The impression I got it's
very easy to get around," he said. "All the roads really do go north-south or
east-west."
"The other thing kind of neat," he said, "is flying over the water. It's kind
of neat doing a final approach over water. You either do a good landing or you
swim."
Trotter and his wife, Lydia, have two children, Michael, 10, and Lauren, 14.
They will live in Lutz, he said.
In addition to recreational flying, Trotter, 43, said he enjoys physical
fitness. He recently ran his first marathon. "I survived," he said. "That was my
first goal. I learned a lot from it. I will do another one.
"I'll apply what I learned," he said. "That's what I try to do. It's
important in life."
go to top
| 
