Nish Vartanian steps up to lead MSA Safety to further success

True to the mission

But some things haven’t — and shouldn’t — change at MSA. The son of the founder, John Ryan Jr., was CEO when Vartanian began with the company. He remembers him coming into their two-week training class.
Ryan told them that, as a safety company that protects people’s lives, ethics and integrity are critical. They should never mislead customers to win a sale or piece of business, because those customers depend on MSA’s products to get home to their families at night.
Vartanian remembers him saying, “‘You can never have a reason or an excuse as to why you’ve misled anybody in the organization, and if someone asks you to mislead somebody, you call me and I’ll deal with that person.’
“And then he went on to say, ‘Look, we hate to lose business, but we learn from our losses. You can come back, pick yourself up and learn from those. We move forward and figure out how to win going forward, and if you work hard and you stick to that, you’ll do well.’”

Ryan’s words left an impression on Vartanian and many other long-term employees, and he says he still sees Ryan’s fingerprints on people in the organization today.

 

Takeaways:

  • A data-driven strategy is more true than gut instinct.
  • Concentrated focus leads to better overall results.
  • The mission always remains at the core.

 

The file:

Name: Nish Vartanian
Title: President and CEO
Company: MSA Safety
Born: Wilbraham, Massachusetts, outside of Springfield
Education: Bachelor’s in management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? My dad was a silent investor, so to speak, in a restaurant. From the time I was 14, I started washing dishes. If I wasn’t playing sports or doing something, I was working at the restaurant, making 50 cents an hour.
I eventually became a short-order cook. I learned how to do things efficiently; there’s a process and procedure to everything. I also learned teamwork — although that came more from sports. One thing you learn very quickly in team sports is you can’t do it yourself. The people around you make you better. And that’s true in our business, too.
What sports did you play? Football, basketball and baseball
Do you have a favorite sport now? Golf
Where might someone find you on a weekend? I always get my workout in. And if it’s summer, I’ll be on the golf course somewhere.
If you weren’t a CEOs, is there a job you would like to try? One of the things I thought would be fun is working in an ice cream store. You’ve never seen anybody unhappy, getting an ice cream.
Growing up in this company as a salesperson, I’ve seen jobs I have great respect for, but I would get in my car and say, “Am I glad I’m not doing that every day.”