Mohammed (Anwar) Khader

General Manager

Having an MBA degree with specialization in Marketing & Finance, Anwar joined SGS in 2018 as an operations Manager and was quickly promoted to General Manager within a year. With rich tenure of over two decades of experience in the Metal testing industry and an overall experience of three decades under his belt Anwar’s ambition & motivation continues to be seen in his management & leadership style. Driving Sales & Profitability by building and executing on innovative strategies. He accredits his success to keeping a keen focus on Customer satisfaction & investing in his employees by developing a strong team!!

Clark Kulak

Operations Manager

Clark graduated the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Chemistry and had lab experience in the oil and gas field before joining SGS MSi in 2014. He joined the chemical lab staff, then moved into a Project Engineer role and took on SGS NA project work such as 5S, NCR program development, and Starlims pilot lab implementation. Clark’s continued growth within SGS led from project management to people management as he took the position of operations manager in 2021. His leadership and dedication to the MSi team have helped drive increased productivity and improved turn-around time, while fostering a positive work environment and client-focused mindset.

Kristine (Kris) Gonzalez

Technical Sales Engineer

Kris has been with SGS MSi since 2005 and her attention to detail is second to none. Her contributions and technical knowledge base have been instrumental in SGS MSi’s growth. Kris has developed an expertise in specification review, metallurgy, project management, and testing development. Kris’ mastery of time management makes her a natural leader and her ability to prioritize the functions of the lab, help streamline projects to completion.

George Prauce

Quality Assurance Manager

George received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology before gaining over 30 years of experience in materials testing laboratories.  Before joining SGS in 2013, George held positions in engineering and management, including 25 years in Quality Assurance in industries including steel manufacturing, aerospace, medical devices.  Using his extensive experience in the laboratory George ensures the Melrose Park Laboratory’s compliance with ISO 17025, Nadcap, and customer requirements.

John Fruscione

Technical Director /
Senior Metallurgical Engineer

John received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his M.S in Metallurgical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.  Prior to joining the lab in 1997, he spent eight years at one of the largest U.S. integrated steel mills working on steel quality issues.  He was also responsible for performing metallurgical failure investigations on all the equipment and component failures.  At SGS MSi, John has continued to perform this same work as a consultant to the broader steel and related industries including rail, automotive, forging, heat treating, foundry, fastener, heavy equipment, energy/power, aerospace and medical.

Frank Guerrieri

Senior Metallurgical Engineer

Frank received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining the SGS MSi team in 2012, He spent over 10 years working in the power generation industry providing technical support and performing failure analyses on a wide array of processing systems and material types for both nuclear and fossil fuel power plants. Frank has applied that knowledge and technical detail in assisting SGS clients from numerous industries resolve their material-related issues and needs.

Edward (Ed) D Vojcak

Senior Metallurgical Engineer – PE

Ed Vojcak started with SGS-MSi in 2014. BS in Metallurgy UIC Chicago, Licensed Professional Engineer in Illinois since 1995. Worked in heat treat, steel bar products, carburized and heat treated gears, forgings, Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells, EAF steel melting and casting, fasteners, welding, electronics, and HVAC. Conducted metallurgical failure analysis consistently since 2000 with some cases involving legal work, depositions, and testimony in court.  

Mike Fec

Technical Manager
Senior Metallurgical Engineer

Mike received his BS and MS in Metallurgical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.  He has over 43 years of experience in the metal testing industry.  Before joining SGS Melrose Laboratory in 2018, Mike held positions in Lab and Operations Management.  Mike uses his educational background and extensive lab experience to address client needs and requirements.  He has wide experience in working with Railroad, Automotive, Welding, and Aerospace industries.

Mike is very active in Client Interactions and developing relations.

Thomas (Tom) Santini

Staff Metallurgical Engineer

Tom has been with SGS MSi since 2012 after receiving a B.S. in both Materials Science & Engineering and Astrophysics from Michigan State University. During his time at SGS MSi, Tom has developed a strong knowledge base in metallurgy with respect to a wide range of applications and industries including, but not limited to, steelmaking, heat treatment, forgings, castings, medical, automotive, rail, manufacturing and aerospace. Always driven to learn and build an expertise in his field, Tom strongly believes in a customer-focused, detail-oriented approach when it comes to his work and has proven to be an integral part of the SGS MSi family.

Jeremy Friedman

Staff Metallurgical Engineer

Jeremy Friedman is a former science educator who worked in commercial heat treat for four years prior to joining the SGS MSi team in 2022.  He holds a master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and over his career as a metallurgist has developed an expertise in a variety of materials and how they are processed for different applications.  Jeremy provides excellent customer support as a seasoned problem-solver and effective communicator.

Malgorzata (Margo) Grochal

Chemistry Laboratory Manager

Margo holds M.Sc. degrees in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Polymer Technology and Information Technology from the University of Technology in Cracow, Poland. She began her career in the inorganic and general chemistry field as a professor assistant at the Pedagogical University in Cracow. She joined the SGS MSi team in 2004 and is now the senior chemist. With over 20 years of expertise in a wide spectrum of analyses, she has allowed for the growth of all laboratory project phases and customer relations through her broad knowledge of material science.