Management
John Reed
President
As owner and president of American Casting Company since 1999, John Reed designs and builds the systems used to constantly improve the foundry. “Nothing satisfies me more,” says Reed, “than coming up with creative solutions to make business processes run more efficiently.” Under his reign, American Casting has set the industry’s new standard for lead and cycle time, slashing it from months to mere days.
John’s education includes a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison. John’s master’s thesis was the application of solidification modeling for investment castings.
An avid restorer of classic homes and cars, John and his wife Barbara are currently restoring an early 1900’s Victorian home in downtown Hollister, CA.
jreed@americancastingco.com
Chris St. John
Vice President of Operations
Chris St. John has been with American Casting Company since 2007, working his way through a range of increasing responsibilities, from product engineer to plant manager and now vice president of operations. As vice president, St. John is responsible for ensuring a seamless production and efficient process, as well as working to establish the next strategic objectives for American Casting.
“I have been passionate about metal casting since first working on a foundry production line as a teenager,” said St. John who is involved with the Foundry Educational Foundation, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and American Foundry Society.
When not in the foundry, St. John enjoys experiencing the outdoors with his family and friends, doing everything from camping, fishing, hunting and mountain biking.
cstjohn@americancastingco.com
Jeff Ferrara
Sales & Engineering Manager
As head of sales and engineering management, Jeff Ferrara oversees existing and new customer development, marketing strategy, product development and engineering. Prior to joining American Casting Company in 2011, Ferrara worked in the manufacturing industry for 15+ years, including metal casting, welding / fabrication, high performance composite structures, ceramics and machining.
With a degree in Manufacturing Technology, Ferrara is also a formally trained and certified welder. Outside of work, Ferrara enjoys investing in and managing real-estate as well spending time with family and friends, cycling, fishing, hunting and golfing.
jferrara@americancastingco.com
Jim Hoang
Director of Quality
Jim Hoang joined American Casting Co. in October 2018 as director of quality. Jim has B.S degree in mathematics from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. He has extensive experience in metrology, quality systems and NADCAP for major high-tech industries including aviation, automotive and semiconductors. He has also helped his previous employers win multiple quality awards from DTNA.
jhoang@americancastingco.com
Ed Allen
Quality Manager
Since 2007, Ed Allen been responsible for optimizing American Casting Company’s high level of quality. Allen regularly meets with the entire management team to review unique customer requirements as well as standard daily objectives, from on-time delivery, scrap rates and customer survey scores.
eallen@americancastingco.com
Oliver Hayes
Sales Engineer
Oliver Hayes joined the American Casting team in early 2017, taking on the responsibility of Program Manager and New Product Development Engineer. He is responsible for all new product development activities and works closely with customer engineering teams providing DFM recommendations and problem-solving ideas. He has extensive experience with many manufacturing processes including Casting, Machining, Welding and Ceramics to name a few, and greatly enjoys seeing new products come to life.
Oliver obtained a degree in Manufacturing Technology from Cal State Chico where he was first exposed to metal casting in a sand foundry. In addition to pouring metal in the engineering department, Hayes assisted students making metal casting in the art department. This solidified his appreciation for the beauty and functionality of the casting process.
Growing up in a farming community in Northern California gave him a problem solvers mind set and the drive to always get the job done. Outside of work Hayes enjoys spending time with his family, painting and restoring his quirky VWs.
ohayes@americancastingco.com