Mike Severa’s journey into engineering was fueled by an early fascination with how things work and how to make them better. With a strong aptitude for math and science, engineering was a natural path for him.  

Severa graduated from Penn State with a degree in mechanical engineering and participated in the university’s prestigious plastics program, preparing him for his role as a senior applications engineer at polymer manufacturer REHAU. 

“Mechanical engineering covered lot of theoretical topics and math, but the plastics program gave me hands-on experience. I learned the chemistry behind materials and developed designs, which prepared me for the real world,” he said. “As an engineer, you need to understand materials and how to design something fit for manufacturing.” 

Severa’s foundation in plastics engineering led to unique career opportunities in automotive, medical and consumer products. These roles enriched his skill set with experiences in large-scale plant engineering, collaboration with engineers from various specialties, process and quality documentation, supervision of molding operations, and oversight of product design and creation from start to finish.  

One of his most valuable experiences was starting a plant from scratch. Severa was not afraid to take on gritty work, from setting up machinery and trouble-shooting industrial cooling systems to running conduit and programing robots. “From this experience, I learned how build a plant from the ground up,” he shared. 

Severa joined REHAU in 2008, drawn to the company’s innovative spirit and the opportunity to create products, a facet of engineering that sometimes lacked in prior roles. He started in the Industrial Solutions division, developing products for special projects such as pressure washers and re-aligns for tractor trailers. 

He later transitioned to Interior Solutions with a baseline understanding of the millwork and cabinetry world from assisting with special projects. “When I started, we relied on fabricators to make doors for us. I worked with them whenever we expanded our program or built prototypes,” Severa said. “However, this limited our control over quality, pricing and even packaging. We pride ourselves on manufacturing high-end surfaces, so we wanted to control our own destiny.” 

Mark Kraus, director of engineering, envisioned transforming REHAU’s Sturgis warehouse into a full-scale production facility. With his plant engineering experience, Severa knew what it would take to scale up Sturgis. He kick-started the initiative by creating a machine for edgeband sample chains and gradually added more machinery and equipment to the facility, helping it transition from a warehouse to a fully operational plant.