Meet Micah Vardeman

Micah, what are your responsibilities?

I’m leading a project to relocate a motors manufacturing facility to Poland. It will include accommodating 80 pieces of machinery and hiring about 300 people. The project started in February 2008 and will be completed in 2011.

What attracted you to Sauer-Danfoss?

I started more than 10 years ago with a summer internship in Ames, Iowa, USA. That led to a longer co-op program in England. The opportunity to work abroad was very appealing and I was one of the first to do it.

What do you like best about working at Sauer-Danfoss?

There are a lot of opportunities to work in different positions – and in different countries. I’ve been in engineering, marketing and project management – in the U.S., England, China and Denmark. There is a breadth of opportunities and the company is willing to provide these opportunities.

What do you find most important or rewarding?

It’s rewarding to work on a project where an entire facility will appear out of nothing. It’s not often you get to see something this big going from an idea to a fully functioning facility within a couple of years. I’ve had the opportunity to work on everything that's required for this facility.

What company values do you see practiced in the workplace?

People are treated well. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My wife and I have three children – so there goes my spare time. Seriously, I’m working on an MBA from Henley Business School. I enjoy sports and we are updating our new house.

Does Sauer-Danfoss offer opportunities for work-life balance?

Sauer-Danfoss can be very flexible in terms of accommodating appointments and even work scheduling. My wife works at Sauer-Danfoss part-time as an engineer. You can really go after your career goals or if your style is more laid back, that’s fine, too.