The leaders of two local businesses have been named among the most influential people in their respective industries.
BizTimes Milwaukee has named Joe Yanda, the President and CEO of Lakeside Foods, and Sachin Shivaram, the CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, as a part of its 275 most influential business leaders in Wisconsin.
Yanda assumed his current role in 2021, and since then, Lakeside Foods has acquired Cher-Make Sausage and Oregon-based Smith Frozen Foods, while also moving into a its new headquarters at 2400 South 44th Street in Manitowoc.
Yanda encourages first-time leaders to “Stay humble, listen more than you talk, lead by example, and empower your team.”
Shivaram was recruited to join the WAF team in 2019, making him the first non-family CEO in the 110-year history of the company.
Under Shivaram’s tutelage, WAF has acquired Minnesota-based DEE Inc., Manitowoc Pattern & Machining, Indiana-based Wabash Castings, and Iowa-based ATEK Metal Technologies and now has 1,100 employees across the Midwest.
Shivaram said of his industry, “We are optimistic for continued growth in metal casting in the United States due to onshoring activity by our customers.”
