Erwin Paul Zeiter was born in Hillsdale, Michigan. The author attended and graduated from Hillsdale's elementary and senior high school. He attended Hillsdale College for two years and then turned to Michigan State University. He earned his degree in mechanical engineering from MSU in 1956. He started his long-term work at Ex-Cell-O Corporation in 1956. He earned his master's degree in industrial engineering from Wayne State University in 1972. In January 1957, he joined and was inducted into the critical skills program in the US Army Reserves. He served six months active duty in the infantry at Fort Leonardwood and Aberdeen, proving grounds in Maryland. He married in October 1959 to Sally Lee Hole and settled in Detroit. His career over thirty years is best described by listing the titles of his jobs: management trainee, engineering scheduler, production and inventory control supervisor, material control manager, corporate material control manager, vice president of manufacturing, and general plant manager. The last ten years of his carrier was devoted as an associate professor at the University of Arkansas. Here he had the good fortune to teach many courses in the industrial technology department. He was also able to consult local businesses with his own consulting firm, Ez Concepts. The author has been interested in writing and creating Christian music with God's help. He plays golf, bowling, and tennis on Wii. He enjoys walking each day, logging more than ten thousand miles since 1964. Creating a Productive Environment/Workforce for the 2000th Century is about what it takes in today's world to meet the needs of our customers, employees, management, and investors. It requires a multitude of continuous actions with documented processes, procedures, and practices through employees/managers for continuous improvement and competitive positioning. We all want to be the best that we can be, and with proper management and employee relationships, we are able to tap the needed resources, our employees, to become leaders in our business.
