Editor's Note: Throughout October in celebration of Manufacturing Day/Month, IndustryWeek's Faces of Manufacturing will share the stories of people with a passion for manufacturing. 

Sean Johnston

City/State of Residence: Coeur D' Alene, Idaho

Job Title: Joined in August 2026 as CEO

Company: Remcon Equipment Inc.

Years with Company: Joined in August 2026 as CEO

Industry of Your Company: Heavy-duty conveyors and conveyor systems for recycling plants

Training/Education: Bachelor’s degree in Operations and Technology Management from the University of Portland, the university’s most technically focused business degree. My coursework included mathematics, statistics, database design and operations.

What made you decide to pursue a career in manufacturing?

I didn’t at first. Early in my career, I found a mentor who trained me extensively in SQL, which eventually led me into a data analytics role. From there, I moved into product management and completed additional training through Pragmatic Institute, which helped me combine my technical background with a strong focus on understanding customer problems and building products around them. Most of my additional training has come through hands-on experience in technology, analytics, product development, and now manufacturing.

The transition into manufacturing was a deliberate one. The tech world is being commodified due to cheap and effective LLMs. I wanted to get into both the real world as well as my local community. Manufacturing actual conveyors that solve problems for people was the way that I could do that.

What does your job entail?

I run a conveyor shop in Airway Heights, Washington, near Spokane. We build heavy-duty conveyors for recycling plants and install them. Remcon has made more than 1,500 systems since 1977. Most are slider bed and chain belt conveyors that carry glass, cans, plastic, paper and corrugated. Right now my job is getting us ready to expand production capacity. Dennis Lux, who led Remcon for decades, stays on as CEO emeritus.

What is the most interesting part of your job? Your proudest moment? 

Our engineers also work on installs and repairs. The person who draws a conveyor sees how it holds up in a plant. Since 1998 we have built more than 150 high-speed conveyors for optical sorting machines. I am proud of our team. This small but mighty team is extremely good at building high-quality products for some of the biggest folks in the waste and recycling space.

What do you love about manufacturing? 

Seeing a project from start to finish. A question from a customer leads to a conversation around design, and we often are able to bring better outcomes than the customer was even thinking about. Then seeing the final output. It is amazing.

What advice would you give to kids considering a job in manufacturing? 

Jump in with both feet. There are huge growth potentials here. Focus on the customers problems and you will succeed.

What advice would you give to manufacturers to help increase kids' interest in manufacturing as a career choice?

Compete on excellence. Everyone wants to be part of something with a vision, a goal. In the U.S. we are reindustrializing America and we can achieve incredible things in our lifetimes through that industrialization. There has never been a better time to get into manufacturing.