Category Archives: Tony McIsaac

Welcoming the New Season… and the New Manager!

By Rebecca Smith, Tony McIsaac and Maureen Takagi

Summer is almost upon us and things have been heating up at Pickering Laboratories!  We are so excited to introduce the newest member of our team and talk a little bit about what has been happening behind the scenes here around the lab.

Tony accepting his award for 20 years of service, wife Susan by his side.

Over the last 20+ years, many of our customers, vendors and industry colleagues have gotten the opportunity to know Tony McIsaac, our Vice President of Production.  Tony has long managed our production team and coordinated all things manufacturing at Pickering.  He’s very personable and friendly, so if you ever meet him at Pittcon or when visiting our facility, he might have made an impression (and who could forget that mustache?!).

These days, now that he’s four grand kids deep, Tony has turned his eyes towards coordinating a whole new chapter in his life!  He’s beginning a gradual transition towards retirement, first moving from manager to individual contributor and then from full-time to part-time (come this fall).

Tony hanging out in the sunshine with Severo, Anita, Gabriela and Jay

When a company like ours is lucky enough to have continuity at such an important position for so many years, successfully transitioning to a new manager requires a lot of planning!  Not to mention cross-training!  So, while Tony won’t be fully retiring until 2020, the process of replacing him is already in full swing around here. 

Maureen Takagi, Production Manager Extraordinaire

Enter Maureen Takagi, our newest hire!  Maureen has joined the Pickering team as our new Production Manager and she’s primed to take over Tony’s managerial responsibilities.  Maureen is very experienced in the instrument manufacturing world and has launched right into her new role with a full head of steam!  What an exciting time for our whole company!

Maureen comes to us after a long tenure with her previous employer where she managed a DPSS laser manufacturing group. Professionally, Maureen has a keen interest in continuous

Maureen, seen here getting nowhere fast.

improvement and recently earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

When not at work, Maureen is teaching Spin® classes and participating in the YMCA annual fund-raising campaign to support youth programs for under-funded families.

We’re hoping to convince Maureen to brave the weather and travel with us to Chicago for Pittcon 2020 next March, where many of our customers and vendors would get a chance to meet her. If you just can’t wait, please feel free to reach out via email or stop by the lab if you’re in the area!

 

Maureen and Tony, celebrating with gusto in the laboratory (but where’s the PPE?!) … Cheers, you two!