SIDNEY — Chad M. Baver, of Fairborn, was recently named one of 58 Ohioans as a Believe in Ohio STEM Exemplar.
Baver has been employed in Sidney at SAPA Extrusions North America as a Process Engineer since April 2013. Since his employment his achievements include reducing labor quality and material cost by $280,000 in 18 months. He also increased the Overall Equipment Effectiveness of one assembly cell by 15 percent in two months and improved throughput and decreased the labor requirements of two assembly cells by 50 percent in eight months.
The exemplars are people who, “exemplify believing in Ohio from a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce perspective. They will serve as role models for students to encourage them to pursue STEM careers and become entrepreneurs and innovators,” according to a press release from Believe in Ohio.
Honorees are graduates of Ohio high schools, have attended higher education in Ohio or elsewhere and are now gainfully employed or retired in a STEM field in Ohio.
Baver attained a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Engineering Technology from the University of Dayton in May 2012. Before that he attended Sinclair Community College, where he attained a Dual Associates Degree of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Technologies.
Baver has also been employed at ANH Refractories Company in Windham, Ohio as a manufacturing and process engineer where he implemented a crushing system to reintroduce five metric tons of scrap materials per hour and decreased tunnel kiln scrap by 40 metric tons per week. He also worked at Parker Hannifin Corporation in Brookville and Lewisburg, Ohio as an industrial engineer where he created an average of 52 auto desk inventor 3D models and engineering drawings a week and designed and implemented a manufacturing system design in two months.
“These exemplars represent a broad range of STEM professions including many applied fields like agriculture, aviation and aerospace, communication and information technology, construction, education, energy, environment, manufacturing, materials, medicine and health,” said Dr. Lynn E. Elfner, CEO Emeritus of The Ohio Academy of Science and Director of Believe in Ohio.
“Believe in Ohio is the only statewide Ohio student STEM education program to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation as pathways to create future jobs,” Elfner said.
Believe in Ohio is a student STEM entrepreneurship program of The Ohio Academy of Science, in cooperation with Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio, and funded by The Ohio General Assembly through The Ohio Board of Regents. The program www.BelieveinOhio.org develops Ohio’s next generation of innovators to create jobs through the application of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to innovate new products and services.
The online application, due Sept. 30, for new STEM Exemplar applicants can be found here https://fs19.formsite.com/targetmar/form12/index.html. Anyone may be nominated or apply who meets these general criteria: graduated from an Ohio high school, pursued higher education in Ohio or elsewhere and is now gainfully employed or retired in a STEM field in Ohio.
