ERIE, Pa. — Mechanical engineering technology alumnus Gregory A. Zimmerman is a 2016 recipient of Penn State’s Alumni Achievement Award, a celebration of accomplished alumni age 35 or younger.
Zimmerman, a 2002 Penn State Behrend graduate, is director of global application and product engineering for SKF Aerospace, a leading supplier of bearings, seals and structural components for aviation engines and frames. He directs a multinational team of engineers who support SKF Group’s sales professionals and customers.
Only 130 young Penn State alumni have been honored with an Alumni Achievement Award since the recognition’s introduction in 2005.
“Greg has distinguished himself at SKF by his steady rise to global engineering leadership,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “At the same time, he maintained his ties to Behrend and nurtured a relationship between SKF and the college that resulted in the creation of the SKF North America Aerospace Innovation Center at Knowledge Park. This award recognizing early-career success is a much-deserved honor for him.”
The SKF North America Aerospace Innovation Center, located in the Knowledge Park technology hub adjacent to Penn State Behrend’s campus, is a collaborative effort that gives Behrend engineering students the opportunity to work with SKF Aerospace teams in the United States and Europe on applied product development solutions for aircraft, helicopter, engine and system manufacturers. One early project involved a student-built robot that automated a manufacturing process at SKF’s Falconer, New York, facility that is expected to bring a 400 percent return on the company’s initial investment.
Zimmerman started his career with SKF North America immediately after earning his Behrend degree and has held engineering leadership roles in product development and testing, advanced simulation and project management. He has worked at SKF’s Global Engineering and Research Center in the Netherlands and holds a Black Belt in Design for Six Sigma.
SKF has honored Zimmerman with its own SKF USA Pride Award and two SKF Excellence Awards, the company’s most prestigious recognition for its 48,000 employees.
Zimmerman and his wife, 2002 Behrend alumna Megan (Peganoff) Zimmerman, live in Erie with their son, Chase, and daughter, Kendall.