Jody Richards is the president of Process Technology in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jody RichardsUsing her passions to guide her, Richards transformed Process Technology from a regional player serving automotive/aerospace into the world’s leading supplier of semiconductor manufacturing products critical to the production of microprocessors and memory chips.
Prior to joining Process Technology, Richards’s background was in operations and IT, including working as a consultant to the U.S. Navy in Japan. She has a BA in French and Spanish, an MA in French and Japanese, and speaks Japanese, French, and Spanish fluently. Richards also holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. In 2020, Jody was an EY Entrepreneur of the Year East Central Award Winner.
How did you get your start in the finishing industry?
I was born into the finishing industry. I remember going to trade shows my entire life, and I always heard “shop talk” at home over dinner.
What do enjoy best about the industry?
All the amazing things that finishers do. Most people have never heard of the finishing industry and don’t realize that we touch their lives every day, all day long.
If money was no object, what would you do all day?
Never give up your day job. I love what I do, and I looking forward to continuing to grow Process Technology’s footprint through global expansion.
If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
While I love history, I don’t tend to look in the rearview mirror. I always focus on moving forward. My present has always been better than my past.
How would your friends describe you?
A loyal friend. Someone who sticks by your side through thick and thin.
What are your hobbies?
Travel, reading, and wine tasting.
What is the best gift you have been given?
My life has been on an uptick since I met my husband. Our best gifts are our twin daughters and Chance the wonder dog.
Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
Recognizing what a lucky life I live and feeling gratitude for it.
Two pet peeves.
People who don’t want to work and people who don’t drive the speed limit in the fast lane.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Building great companies.
If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?
Super speed and Telepathy
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Buy an apartment in Paris and give the rest away.
What's your favorite zoo animal?
Elephants, but they are so much more beautiful in the wild.
If you could go back in time to change one thing, what would it be?
Spending more time with love ones who have left us.
Would you rather trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?
Looks for intelligence. Beauty is skin deep; intelligence will take you everywhere.
What's your favorite holiday?
Any holiday where I can spend time with family and friends.
What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
I jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet.
What was the last thing you watched on TV?
Goonies on Amazon Prime
What was the last book you read?
Smash The Funnel
What's your favorite type of foreign food?
Japanese, Indian, Thai, and Italian; I can’t decide.
Are you a clean or messy person?
I think my husband would most definitely say messy. Organized, but messy.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Reese Witherspoon.
What's your favorite fast food chain?
In-N-Out.
What's your favorite family recipe?
My grandmother’s batter fried chicken.
What's your favorite family tradition?
Traveling with my husband to new destinations every year, which turned into traveling with Chance and now the twins as well.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
My dad teaching me to ski when I was three.
What's your favorite movie?
Legally Blonde.
