Joe Wendel has been a member of the FEI Baltimore Chapter since 2014 and has chaired our Programs Committee since 2015. Many of the great events our members have enjoyed over the years are because of Joe’s hard work and his ability to bring the board together for a common cause.
Joe recently relocated to Charleston, South Carolina where he will continue his work at DT MedTech as a Consultant. As a farewell to our chapter, we thought it would be appropriate to feature him and his volunteer efforts in our latest Member Spotlight.
Keep reading to find out which event Joe is most proud of, his best networking tip, and more.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
A: I’ve worked in a variety of manufacturing environments since graduating from University of Dayton, starting with Armco Steel in Middletown Ohio in the Internal Auditing department. After two years, I was transferred east to the Baltimore Plant. Subsequently, I worked in defense electronics, pharmaceuticals, dredge building (Ellicott Dredges) and now medical devices. I received a Master of Science from The Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business and am a CPA in the State of Ohio.
Q: Are there any programs/events that you are particularly proud of during your tenure as
Program Committee Chair?
A: My standard answer is the next FEI program.
There have been so many great FEI programs and experiences since I joined, that it’s hard to choose just one. Two that are worthy of mentioning are the opening of the Pendry Hotel featuring Whiting Turner (WT) and PRS Guitars at Christopher Schafer Clothiers, which was also a fundraising event for the Mitch Halbricht Scholarship fund at Salisbury University. Many of the attendees thought Paul Reed Smith and I were friends because of the banter we had with each other, but in fact we had just met!
The credit for the Pendry/WT program goes to chapter sponsor, Hartman Executive Advisor and the PRS event goes to Francis Brown, a Baltimore FEI member and Controller for PRS, and CLA, PRS’ audit firm and a local chapter sponsor. We worked on getting that event scheduled for more than three years. Most of the events are a collaboration of Sponsor/Member suggestions and a lot persistent follow up!
The one event that we could never get scheduled was doing a program with the Baltimore Ravens. I’d come back and attend this one…
Q: Any words of advice for new FEI Baltimore members or those on the fence about joining?
A: Networking is hard. But FEI is easy, informative and in most cases, fun.
Q: What is your best networking tip?
A: The unasked question always goes unanswered! My personal philosophy is “what’s the worst that can happen?” A person says no. There is no downside to asking the question. Because if they say no which is rare, you are in the same place as where you started.
Q: What do you love most about working as a financial executive?
A: A good organization values the depth, input, perspective, and the integrity that a finance executive brings to the table. It’s a true partnership. That’s why, in part, the Baltimore FEI chapter highlights the CEO-CFO speaker series in our monthly programs.