Vice President, Corporate Controller & Principal Accounting Officer, Quanex Building Products
Search every verified Karen Ettredge interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Karen Ettredge, Vice President, Corporate Controller & Principal Accounting Officer at Quanex Building Products, discussed her career and views on the company in a 2022 employee spotlight. She stated that she had been with Quanex for about seven years, serving as Director of SEC Reporting and Assistant Controller, after spending five years as SEC Reporting Manager. Ettredge said she appreciates the work-life balance and flexibility at Quanex, noting that employees can work hard while maintaining time for family or outside interests. Ettredge described manufacturing as "the basis of our economy" and "the building blocks of accounting." She characterized Quanex as a lean organization where employees who ask to be involved in new areas often receive opportunities. She said recognition from management, including CEO George, occurs frequently after milestones are achieved. Ettredge acknowledged that unexpected challenges arise but said they keep the work interesting and prevent stagnation. She emphasized the importance of understanding personal motivations to push further, and stated that Quanex offers opportunities for improvement and growth.
“I really like the work-life balance here and the flexibility that we have, where you can work really hard and still have time with your family or outside interests.”
“Manufacturing really is kind of the basis of accounting, right? We make goods and we sell them, so it's kind of the building blocks of accounting in general.”
“I think that manufacturing is just the basis of our economy, right? I mean, we sell goods for purchase, and I think it drives everything we do.”
“Quanex is definitely one of those places where that saying of ask and you shall receive happens. We're very lean, and so when I see something that I want to learn about or want to work on, if I raise my hand and ask to be involved, the opportunity is always there.”
“Recognition comes pretty often. When you work really hard and when you achieve a milestone we'll often see George, we'll see the management come in and tell us, or sending us an email thanking us for the efforts that we've put in.”
“Some of the challenges have just been the fact that there are always things popping up that are new things to work on. When those pop up, you've got to dive in and figure out what to do.”
“It keeps it interesting. It keeps it from being stagnant.”
“I think for me, it's always important to think about why I work, what I work for. If I know what drives me then I can help myself push a little further.”
“The opportunity is there, and the work is there, so I think it's a great place to improve and grow.”
Director, SEC Reporting & Assistant Controller, Karen Ettredge shares why working at Quanex is such a stable environment to ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Karen Ettredge.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →