PRESIDENT:
KILEY ECK HAYON
“Try the foundry. Castings are everywhere…
and they’re not going away.”
This Role at a Glance:
Role: President
Company: Eck Industries
Career Start: 2002
Education:
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Bachelors in Computer Information Systems
Masters in Business Administration
Path: Summer Work → Project Manager → Quality → HR/Finance → President
Born Into It, but Had to Work for It
“I started when I was 16… shredding paper, pulling travelers… all the grunt work that nobody wanted to do.”
Kiley is the fourth-generation leader of her family’s foundry business. Her great-grandfather started the company in 1948. Her grandfather followed, then her dad. Now, she’s president.
But her path into that role was far from automatic. She grew up on the shop floor. Working summers, doing whatever needed to get done, and getting to know every area of the business. Graduating after 9/11, job opportunities were scarce. So she went to her dad and asked what kind of job he had for her.
How She Earned Her Place
“I would only [join if] he promised me a desk and a title.”
So he gave her the most generic one he could think of: project manager. But the title didn’t matter.
Kiley worked her way through every aspect of the business, starting in quality, and helping to build systems to prepare for ISO:9001 certification. After that, she got into customer returns, learning what was going wrong and why. Then she spent about 10 years doing HR and finance, handling everything from payroll to operations.
By the time she stepped into leadership, she didn’t just know all the ins and outs of the company, she had established her place in it.
Taking Over—and Making It Her Own
“They really weren’t thrilled about working for ‘the kid’.”
Stepping into the role of president was anything but seamless.
She wasn’t just leading a company, she was taking control of a team that had been in place for decades, and they would always see her as that 16 year old shredding paper. So she started from scratch.
Kiley focused on finding the right people, putting them in the right roles, and building a team that would support her as a leader and get on board with the direction she was taking the company.
Her leadership style isn’t loud or forceful. It’s intentional. “I’m passionate. I’m a good leader. I’m quiet. I like to observe… and I like to have all the information before I make a decision.” She leads by understanding first, then acting.
Now, she’s an example for other women stepping into leadership roles, especially those following their family legacies.
Building a Bright Future
“We’re not afraid to try new things. And if it doesn’t work, that’s okay. We’ll try something else.”
Kiley’s background in computer information systems gave her a different perspective on the industry. When she started, technology wasn’t a priority. Today, it’s moving so fast. And she’s been leading that shift from the start.
In the last ten years, her team has gone from zero robots to sixteen of them. The work is still very hands-on. And definitely still challenging. But it’s constantly evolving and growing because the world needs castings.
This Work Matters
“We have dads and uncles and brothers and cousins… all working together.”
The foundry world is tight-knit and full of families working together across generations. It’s a place where relationships matter, and where people stick around. Whether you come from a technical background or not, there’s room to find your place.
And like Kiley, you might discover there’s more opportunity here than you expected. The world will always need metal castings.
