JIM WINEMAN:
 
Jim Wineman




 
 
 
 
 
Founder and CEO of Wineman Technology Inc. in Saginaw. Wineman Technology provides technical solutions for a wide range of test applications, such as dynamometer systems, servo-hydraulics, data acquisition systems, real time control, hardware-in-the-loop systems, and general testing machines. Unlike other companies where testing plays a partial role, Wineman Technology's singular focus is the design and development of test equipment for advanced research and development, functional test labs, and manufacturing production. Wineman started his company after taking an early retirement from General Motors in 1991. For the third straight year, Wineman Technology was named to the Inc. 5,000 list of fastest-growing companies, reporting revenue of more than $7 million for 2010, employing more than 40, and averaging more than 30 percent revenue growth per year. Wineman Technology's exclusive technology includes inertia test automation software, the Rapid multi-axis test cell controller, and Ease, a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) software development environment, which is now owned and marketed by National Instruments. National Instruments awarded the Green Engineering Solution of the Year to Wineman Technology in 2009 for its NI LabVIEW control application that converts industrial waste heat into reusable energy. In 2008 Parker Hannifin's Hydraulic Systems division presented the firm its Technology Partner of the Year award for contributions in developing critical aerospace component test systems. The company trains student engineers from Saginaw Valley State University, and Wineman employees serve as adjunct professors. Wineman also has worked with the University of Cincinnati at Dayton, jointly deploying test equipment for rotary aircraft systems for military helicopters, and Michigan State University (MSU) in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University on a dynamometer control and data acquisition system for testing a remotely controlled armored vehicle for the U.S. military. Wineman received his bachelor's degree from MSU and his master's degree from the University of Michigan, both in electrical engineering.


WHERE BORN: “Beach Grove, a small town in Northeast Arkansas.”

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: “In my professional goals, it was Bill Gallianni, a lawyer I met while I was with the Navy. He influenced me to get into college and do something.”

LAST BOOK READ: “The Shark Mutiny by Patrick Robinson.”

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: “Industrious, creative, family-oriented. My wife thinks I'm a workaholic.”

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: “With the computer and software becoming more powerful, we have the ability to simulate real-world conditions. It's happening with our industry and our product — we use software to change different parameters in the controls. The software simulation industry is going to get even more powerful. Consumers will see higher quality in all of the products that they buy because you can simulate things in the product end of the design. For example, you can find all of the effects one part of a vehicle has on the rest of the vehicle through simulation. It will improve and lower the cost of automobiles.”

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: “I love my iPhone. The world is at your fingertips. If you don’t remember something, you can just pull it up.”

FAVORITE PLACE: “What we call ‘Up North’ Michigan, all our married life. We started camping then built a cottage on a lake, went back to camping, then sailing, and now we have a house on a lake in Petoskey. It’s an all-season area.”

FAVORITE HOBBIES: “Reading every chance I get. I play with investments. And I like playing golf.”

FAVORITE FOOD: “New York strip steak.”

MY HIDDEN TALENT: “Remembering long strings of numbers. In engineering school, I just remembered the numbers.”

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: “As a family-oriented person, an achiever, and for being industrious.”


Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.