Opportunity At John Zink

Norm poses for a photo at AAON headquarters in Tulsa.

Norm spent 10 years working with Mammoth when he was contacted by another headhunter. John Zink, a small, struggling company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, wanted Norm to come lead its HVAC division.

On its face, taking the job at Zink seemed preposterous. Norm would be departing a company doing $60 million worth of manufacturing for one doing $10 million. His friends in New Jersey thought the move was crazy. But the opportunity afforded Norm something he'd sought since his days in Detroit—the chance to reorganize an HVAC division.