By Jill Wojciechowski

This is one in a series of personality profiles in Horizons online that takes a closer look at the members of the Rockwell Collins executive leadership team.

Executive profile index

Roughhousing with his buddies or playing a quick game of football or baseball with several of his boyhood friends was how Jeff Moore spent many an afternoon in the mid-1960s.

Although those days have long since passed, the current senior vice president of Operations at Rockwell Collins can still hear the sound of his father's powerful whistle echoing throughout the neighborhood.

"If you heard Dad whistle, you knew you'd better head home right now," recalled Moore, who was raised in suburban Indianapolis, Ind. "He had a presence that demanded your respect, and you didn't want to have him come looking for you."

The apple doesn't fall far ….

A self-described homebody with an easygoing and somewhat introverted personality, Moore has nothing but fond childhood memories. The younger of two children, he hung on every word his father said, and he also picked up many of his Dad's characteristics along the way.

"We weren't rich, but we never wanted for anything," said Moore, whose father, George, passed away in 1990. "My dad was an incredible person. He was very personable, he was a man of high integrity and moral character, and he instilled in me a hard work ethic. I believe that's what has helped me succeed both in my career and with life in general."

Like father, like son – Jeff Moore, senior vice president of Operations at Rockwell Collins, credits much of his success to his father, George, and the hard-work ethic he instilled in his children. Moore and his older sister were raised in suburban Indianapolis, Ind.
Photo by Paul Marlow, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Not unlike many children who tend to place their parents on a pedestal, Moore believes to this day that his father could do "just about anything." From dealing with plumbing and electrical issues to building custom doll houses, George Moore was a type of "Mr. Fix-It."

"You start to realize after your parents are gone what type of an affect they had on your life and how much they really meant to you," said Moore, whose mom, Jenny, passed away in 2005. "I'm just like my dad - although I'm not that talented."

While Moore might not have received his father's handyman skills, he did follow in his dad's footsteps when he pursued an industrial engineering degree at Purdue University.

Shortly after graduating in May 1975, Moore accepted a position at Rockwell Collins - one of three job offers he received - as an industrial engineer supporting our Business and Regional Systems (BRS) product line.

"My intent when I came here was to stay for a couple of years and then go somewhere else," he admitted. "I wanted to move south where it was warm, but the offer I had here [in Iowa] was very intriguing. And, the rest is history."

Go south, young man

Less than two years after Moore settled into his position in Cedar Rapids, our company began transitioning much of what he was working on to our facility in Melbourne, Fla. Ironically, that's one of the destinations he originally considered moving to, so he seized the opportunity and relocated to the Sunshine State, where he met and married his wife, Sandra.

"She's my rock," said Moore. "She's been beside me through so many things over the years - both good and bad - I'm not sure where I would be without her."

Although he never mapped out a career path for himself - something he now encourages all employees to consider doing - opportunities for leadership development and career advancement began presenting themselves almost immediately after he settled in Florida.

In May 1980, he was promoted to industrial engineer supervisor and found himself managing a group of engineers and technical writers. In addition, he was responsible for coordinating the design and development of one of four buildings on the current Melbourne campus.

"Moving from a position where my activities were hands-on to managing a group of engineers and technical writers was quite a change," recalled Moore. "But getting heavily involved in a major project like new building construction was an industrial engineer's dream."

From there, the promotions continued. In 1990, he became a manufacturing engineering manager; in 1994, he assumed the role of senior director of Production Operations in Melbourne; and five years later he found himself in the facility's most senior position.

"I was literally shocked when I got the phone call asking me if I wanted to be the senior director of Production Operations in Melbourne," recalled Moore. "The two people I was competing against were much more senior in nature, and I felt they had a much broader set of work experiences than I did."

But Bob Hirvela, who was vice president and general manager of Business and Regional Systems at the time, saw something in Moore that he liked.

"He took a chance on me and talk about growing up fast …" said Moore. "I know I had a deer-in-the-headlights look on my face; there was so much to learn. In the end, I realized I had been very well-prepared by all of the people who had mentored me in the early years."

Mentored by hundreds

A self-proclaimed "observer of people," Moore says he has been mentored by hundreds during his 32-year career with our company. Watching and listening to those around him to find out what does or doesn't work, and tailoring those traits to his own personality and work style are what have helped this 54-year-old executive excel.

"The reason I'm successful is because of the people around me," said Moore. "In my opinion, successful leaders surround themselves with people who complement their weaknesses. So, I must have a lot of weaknesses because I've got a lot of outstanding people working for me," he joked.

"Seriously, if you can provide a motivating, encouraging, and challenging environment for people, you all will accomplish a lot," he said. "And, you do those things by getting to know your people and treating them as you want to be treated. It doesn't matter whether you're sweeping the floors or making multi-million dollar business decisions, we're all important and we all have a role to play."

That positive attitude, keen business sense, and the ability to lead others are what prompted current Rockwell Collins Services Executive Vice President Kent Statler to contact Moore in September 2002 about becoming vice president of Manufacturing Operations for Government Systems. The only catch for Moore was that he and his wife would need to relocate to Iowa.

"My wife absolutely loves Florida, and four years earlier we had built our dream home there, so I really wasn't looking to move," admitted Moore. "But it was a great opportunity and one I didn't want to pass up."

Sandra Moore obviously didn't want to see her husband let the opportunity slip away either, so the couple said goodbye to family and friends in the Melbourne area and journeyed to the Midwest. The Moores moved into their home on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids on Dec. 20, 2002.

"I'll never forget that day. It was about 25 degrees and the wind was blowing about 25 miles per hour," recalled Moore, laughing. "The doors to the house were open while the movers brought everything in so the temperature dropped to about 45 degrees inside, and my wife was wondering what in the world we were doing."

That picture started to become a bit clearer when Moore began getting accustomed to his new role in Cedar Rapids. Working closely with Statler, then the senior vice president of Operations, he continued honing his business and leadership skills. He also entered the Executive MBA program at The University of Iowa, and received his degree in May 2005.

Three years later, Moore received another phone call, this one from Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones. Statler was now moving into his current position in Services, and Jones wanted Moore to become the acting senior vice president of Operations until a final decision about a replacement was made.

"I never had any grandiose ideas about becoming a senior vice president of a major company," said Moore. "My philosophy was simply to do the best that I could because that's how my parents raised me."

Doing his best was obviously what Jones was looking for. In April 2006, Moore was permanently named senior vice president of Operations at Rockwell Collins.

"I've made it farther than I ever dreamed I'd make it," said Moore. "I never viewed myself as a leader, and I used to sweat bullets when I had to get up in front of people to make a presentation. But I realize now that the more you prepare, the better you become."

Committed to excellence

Those who know Moore well are not at all surprised by his corporate success. Gary Goodnight, who met Moore for the first time shortly after he was hired in June 1975, believes his colleague's integrity, humility, and passion for excellence are what have helped him excel.

"A lot of people in today's business world try to get ahead by drawing attention to themselves; but Jeff is very humble, and has accomplished his successes by allowing his work to do the talking," said Goodnight, director of 787 Manufacturing Operations at Rockwell Collins. "He is very committed to the success of our company, and he always finds time to coach people within the organization."

Mitch Martensen agrees. The first time he met Moore was in the mid-1990s during a trip to Melbourne for a monthly production planning meeting. Martensen still recalls the way in which Moore welcomed him, introduced him to various employees, and provided him with a tour of the facility.

"Jeff has always been very approachable and very helpful," said Martensen, director of Commercial Systems Sales and Marketing Operations. "He has a tremendous ability to build strong teams, and he always has been a great sounding board for career advice and professional development."

In addition to his career successes, Moore also has realized success as a husband and father. He and Sandra have been married for nearly three decades, and together they raised a son, Michael, who still resides in Florida.

Despite a rigorous work schedule that sometimes results in 60-plus hour work weeks, Moore has managed to successfully balance his career and his family.

"When I leave here, my work stays here," said Moore. "When I'm at home, I focus on my wife and our personal life. I know it can be hard to do, but when you're at home, you need to be with your family. When you're at work, you need to give it everything you've got."