Neeser retiring from Chart after nearly 40 years

By: 
Patrick Fisher, The New Prague Times

Tim Neeser of Chart Industries with a few of his 25 patents from working at the New Prague based company. Neeser was honored on Thursday, Feb. 6, at The Depot in New Prague as part of his retirement from the company that he began with as an intern in 1980. (Patrick Fisher photo)

Tim Neeser has been with Chart Industries for nearly 40 years. He began as an intern in 1980 when the New Prague based company was MVE (Minnesota Valley Engineering). He was hired full time as a product engineer for packaged gases fresh out of college in 1982. He retired on Friday, Feb. 14.

He said when he began with the company it employed 150 people. Now it has 5,000 employees and does $1.5 billion in sales worldwide. His work with the company has also resulted in his filing 25 patents.

“We would have never believed that,” he said of how the company has expanded. “The growth and the acquistions that have happened. We would have never thought it possible.”

Neeser has seen much of the history of the company. When he came on Joe Shuster, co-founder and first president of the company, had just sold MVE. Those he worked under in those days and considers mentors are Mike Lutgen and Jim Eaton, who was also a neighbor of his at one time.

“It’s been really fulfilling,” he said of continuing their work. He explained he would hear their stories about the first years of the company, learning its history and learning not to repeat mistakes.

Neeser worked in new product development, with some of his early designs still in production. One of his early designs he patented. It is a storage system for...

To see more on this story pick up the February 20, 2020 print edition of The New Prague Times. 

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