Jeffrey Weida is returning to where he began his aluminum manufacturing career after being promoted by Arconic Corp. to vice president of manufacturing for Arconic Davenport Works and Satellites in Riverdale.
In a news release Wednesday, Sept. 6, Arconic said Mr. Weida replaced Steven Jennings, who has been named vice president of Business Excellence, based in Alcoa, Tennessee, where he is relocating.
Mr. Weida assumed his new role as plant manager effective Aug. 1 and has been back at the Riverdale plant full time since mid-August. In fact, he already is getting back involved with Quad Cities community – and joined the “Edgers” who scaled down the Hotel Blackhawk recently for Big Brothers Big Sisters’ annual Over The Edge fundraiser.
For the past seven years, Mr. Weida has served as the company’s Tennessee Operations plant manager and was instrumental in securing capital projects leading to Tennessee’s transformation to the automotive, industrial and can sheet markets. Arconic provides aluminum sheet, plate and extrusions that advance the ground transportation, aerospace, building and construction, industrial and packaging end markets.
“Under Jeff’s leadership, Tennessee Operations experienced a strong period of growth. We’re excited to see Jeff build on that success at Davenport Works,” Diana Perreiah, executive vice president and president of Arconic Rolled Products North America, said in the release.
“Arconic has made several major capital investments at the Riverdale facility the past couple of years. We look forward to achieving strong production from those investments as we continue our commitment to safety, quality, and our customers.”
Mr. Weida joined Arconic’s predecessor, Alcoa, as a mechanical engineer at Davenport Works in 1995. During his time here, he held several leadership roles, including Hot Mill manager, Plate Mill manager, Environmental Health and Safety manager and Metal Supply Manufacturing manager.
His latest promotion comes on the heels of Apollo Funds’ acquisition last month of the Pittsburgh-based Arconic in a $5.2 billion deal. It was first announced in the spring.
Mr. Weida holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa and is a graduate of the Tennessee Executive Leadership program from the University of Tennessee.
He and his wife, Rachael, have three adult children and one grandchild.
