U.S. chair ready to roll: as he assumes the gavel and gets rolling as the U.S. chair, Ridge A. Braunschweig is capping off a remarkable service commitment thus far with FEI that began in 1983. (FEI Chairs).

In the movie "Tin Cup," the character portrayed by Kevin Costner had exceptional talent at golf, yet with a big chance to rewrite the sorry script of his life, his "shoot-for-the-moon" decision turned sour. Don't expect to see anything like that scenario as Ridge A. Braunschweig assumes the role of FEI Chair for 2002-03. Braunschweig says he doesn't harbor a "tin cup" mentality -- in golf, and indeed, not in his work or life.

To the contrary, each step in his life, career and extensive involvement with FEI has been taken with what he dubs "the hallmarks of a recipe for success" that integrate such qualities as integrity, consistency, reasonableness, ethical conduct and a penchant for avoiding mistakes.

He credits the company he's grown his career with, since 1981 -- Orion Corp. of Grafton, Wis. -- for institutionalizing those qualities, providing a firm foundation for garnering longstanding, mutually beneficial relationships with customers, employees and suppliers. Orion is a small/mid-sized, privately held manufacturer of hydrodynamic bearings and precision-machined castings.

"I like to be aggressive, but calculated, as opposed to reckless aggressiveness," says Braunschweig. "Costner was more reckless than I would have been. If I conclude that there is sufficiently more of an advantage than a disadvantage, I'm going to go for it," he says, conceding that he applies this philosophy more to his golf game than other areas in his life. He considers himself "a reasonably conservative person, and one who tries to maximize the opportunity for success while minimizing the chance of failure." He plays to win, not to lose.

Braunschweig's elevation to chairman caps off a remarkable service history thus far with FEI. A member of the Milwaukee Chapter since 1983, having been introduced to the organization by the owner of Orion -- himself a member -- he joined in order to learn from and interact with the area's top senior financial executives.

By 1986, Braunschweig began assuming leadership roles, and has served -- or is serving -- in numerous ways, at the chapter, area and national levels, often in several spots concurrently. He's participated on or led committees on membership, program, professional development, career services, planning, nominating, budget and finance, ethics and eligibility, compensation and audit. At the national level, he's held titles of Director, Vice President and Vice Chairman; and he's served or is serving on the Executive Committee, National Leadership Board, Committee on Private Companies and the U.S/Canada FEI Task Force, and he's a member of the Office of the Chairman.

At age 49, one of FEI's youngest chairs, Braunschweig represents a growing dimension of FEI's membership -- those from privately held firms, a constituency whose interests he aims to promote. At the top of his list of goals for his tenure -- especially now, in the post-Enron era -- he's firm on FEI's role: "The world's capital markets represent the stage where financial performance of a corporation is played out, critiqued, rewarded and/or punished. FEI must get out front, in a leadership role, calling for and insuring a level playing field for all. The stakes are high, and FEI must be a major player at any table we play at -- clearly and consistently promoting and demanding corporate conduct that is ethical and financial information that has integrity and is understandable."

Goals for FEI

Officially, Braunschweig has organized his goals into four categories:

* Encourage, motivate and energize our membership to take active leadership roles in their corporations and in FEI to ensure that a proper and consistent ethical tone is set at the top.

* Articulate the value, knowledge and power of membership in FEI to our constituents.

* Elevate the products and forums offered to address and support the needs of members in privately and closely held corporations.

* Develop, articulate and begin implementation of a strategy to transform FEI from a U.S.-based/focused organization to an international/global organization.

As his plans are implemented, he'd also like to make the "I" in Financial Executives International signify that FEI is well on the road to transforming itself from a U.S.-focused to a globally-oriented organization. "FEI needs to be the face and voice of its constituents (financial executives) on issues throughout the world," he argues.

"We need to look for opportunities to create strategic alliances and to establish a presence elsewhere in the world. One way to accomplish that is to draw on either current members or member companies who do have global presence for help in achieving a level of awareness as an organization, and of the value we can provide to other senior financial executives."

He lauds Gail, his wife since 1981, as "a wonderful mother and supportive partner who plays a significant role in the successes in my life." Father of three teens -- Kristin, 19, and 17-year old fraternal twin sons, Kyle and Rhett -- he enjoys spending time in activities with the family. In fact, he says he took up downhill skiing at age 48 to be with one of his sons who races for his high school team. He also relishes the camaraderie and competition of a variety of outdoor activities and competitive sports such as football and basketball. An avid golfer, having begun playing at age 12, he sports a handicap of 13 and describes his game as "long off the tee, requiring a little room to roam."

Professionally, Braunschweig aspires to grow into a president, CEO or COO role and mentor his management team by leading, challenging and encouraging. He says the leadership opportunities afforded by his involvement with FEI have provided him with an "excellent platform from which to grow and season as an executive." He's learned that to succeed, one must have a vision and pursue goals and dreams with a passion comparable to that used in the pursuit of prey by the mythological Greek hunter "Orion" -- coincidently, his employer's name.

Braunschweig says he values the tremendous personal and professional relationships he's made around the country through FEI with individuals he deems to be far more talented and experienced than himself. "FEI provides a tremendous network of knowledge and expertise to draw upon. Throughout my career, all of my inquires have been met with a genuine willingness to share and mentor. I can -- and have -- drawn on these relationships to help me address issues and solve problems." He wants every member to know and experience this value for themselves.

Braunschweig says his proudest accomplishment as an FEI member was establishing the Roger J. Buchholz Memorial Scholarship Fund in 1993, to honor a past Milwaukee Chapter president and Midwest Area Vice President who was killed in a drive-by shooting on his way home from a chapter meeting. Formed in partnership with the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the fund serves as the cornerstone of the Milwaukee Chapter's academic relations program, which honors outstanding students pursuing finance careers by satisfying Wisconsin's 150-hour CPA requirement. It has grown to approximately $150,000, and since 1994 has funded annual scholarships totaling $55,000.

Braunschweig is optimistic, albeit realistic, on his upcoming tenure as FEI's U.S. chair. "There is only so much you can accomplish in one year," he says, "but, with the Office of the Chairman structure, I've been preparing for this job for the last three years, and I have several other FEI leaders with whom to share responsibilities."

The Office of the Chairman establishes a line of succession, offering FEI both a prepared new chair (who's been training specifically for that post), and continuity for initiatives already in process. "This preparation enables you to accomplish more in your one year [at the helm] than if all you're doing is coming in for a year, and then you're gone."

As Braunschweig told the National Leadership Board at this year's Summit in Colorado Springs -- while flashing his quick smile -- his mantra is, "Let's roll."

RELATED ARTICLE: The Braunschweig File

Name: Ridge A. Braunschweig

Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Company: Orion Corporation, Grafton, Wis.

Business Description: A small/mid-sized privately held manufacturer of hydrodynamic bearings and precision-machined castings

Career Path: 1975-81 Arthur Andersen LLP, 1981-present, Orion Corp., holding these positions: Assistant to President, Controller, Treasurer, Vice President Finance, Executive Vice president and Chief Financial Officer; 2001-present Director and 1985-present Vice President, Treasurer and Director, Brookbank Foundation Inc., a private foundation formed by Orion's owners to support select local charitable organizations.

FEI Positions: Joined the Wisconsin Chapter in 1983. Starting in 1986, various chapter chairs; chapter president, 1992-93; Midwest Area Director, 1995-97 and Vice President, 1997-99; National Leadership Board 1995-2002; active in a vast number of national committees, including Executive Committee, Budget & Finance, Ethics & Eligibility; National Vice President 1999-2001; Office of the Chairman 1999-2002.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Miami university, Oxford, Ohio (1975); Member, Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 1978 and AICPA, 1980

Spouse: Gail -- Married 21 years

Children: Kristin, 19; Kyle and Rhett, 17

Interests: Golf, downhill skiing, football, basketball. An outdoors and sports enthusiast who enjoys camaraderie and competition.