Tim Shoemaker began his career in metal surface technologies and the heat treat industry in 2012, after earning his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Detroit Mercy, as a mechanical design engineer for Kolene Corporation. Early in his career at Kolene, Tim was tasked with designing and engineering various industrial furnaces, and full-service chemical processing lines for molten salt and salt bath nitriding applications. During Tim’s time as an engineer designing various processing lines, Tim chose to work directly with Kolene’s third-party fabricators and their field technical service team to lead and supervise the project installation of the equipment at the client or end-user’s site. During these various equipment projects and project installations, Tim developed a keen ability to understand the nuances of various clients’ specific applications, while at the same time developing key relationships with clients. Tim’s understanding of Kolene’s equipment and his relationships with its clients provided him the perfect segway into the sales team in 2016, and he eventually assumed the role of sales manager in 2019.

In 2021, Kolene Corporation acquired Upton Industries, Inc., an industry leader in heat treat furnaces and processing lines. Tim, who had already established a relationship with Ken Minoletti of Upton Industries when they were competitors, was instrumental in leading the Sales teams both at Kolene and Upton Industries, a Kolene Company. This acquisition, as well as the acquisition of the Chemical Division of Park Thermal International Corporation, put Tim on an accelerated learning curve for all heat treat processes as Kolene launched a full line of heat treat chemistries. Continuing his progression in the industry, Tim was named vice president of Sales and a Kolene Corporation officer in the fall of 2021, which he still holds today with a consistent record of success.