When Chris Zimmer first arrived at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he was like many incoming students—motivated, athletic, and unsure of exactly where he belonged. He figured his strong math scores meant engineering was the right path. But something didn’t feel quite right.
“I felt out of place,” Zimmer remembers. “Not because of the campus or the people, but because the work didn’t fit me.” During winter break of his sophomore year, a visit to a career counselor changed everything. The advice he got was simple but life-changing: You’re not meant to be an engineer. You’re meant to lead them.
Zimmer switched majors and joined the Lally School of Management, where things finally clicked. “The conversations made sense, the classes energized me, and I stopped feeling like I was forcing it,” he said. “That’s when I started building something that felt real.”
A Business Mindset Built on Teamwork
At Lally, Zimmer gained more than just business knowledge. He found support, belonging, and a learning environment that challenged him in the right ways. Small classes and strong faculty connections helped him develop the leadership and communication skills that would shape his future.
Zimmer also played football at RPI, and credits Coach Joe King with instilling a team-first mindset that still guides him. “You learn to show up for your teammates, win together, and pick each other up when things get hard,” he said. That lesson hit home during a class project when a teammate struggled to answer a question. Zimmer knew the answer but stayed silent, and the team lost points for not stepping up. “That stuck with me. We rise and fall as a team.”
From Steel to Space: A CEO Focused on People
Today, Zimmer is the CEO of Universal Stainless, a specialty steel company whose products help power airplanes, rockets, and spacecraft. “About 85% of what we make ends up in the sky,” he said. “We’re not just producing metal. We’re fueling innovation.”
Zimmer leads with a “safety-first” culture. At his company, any employee has the authority to stop work if something feels off. “Everyone needs to go home the same way they came in,” he said. “That’s the standard.” It’s a mindset that carries over to product quality too. “We serve industries where failure isn’t an option. That means doing things right every time.”
But safety doesn’t stop innovation; in fact, Zimmer sees it as the foundation for it.
“When people feel safe, supported, and trusted, they’re more willing to speak up, try new things, and challenge the way that things have always been done,” he explained. “You can’t ask your team to take smart risks if they think they’ll be punished for mistakes.”
Leading by Lifting Others
Zimmer believes great leaders aren’t just taskmasters, they’re mentors. He creates space for younger employees to grow by placing them on cross-functional teams, encouraging them to explore solutions beyond their day-to-day roles. “When people first start out, they’re focused on doing. But to lead, you need to learn how to support others.”
As a leader, Zimmer also embraces failure, not as a flaw, but as a powerful learning tool. “Some of my best growth came from things that didn’t go right,” he said. “You stop, reflect, and adjust. My job is to create a culture where people aren’t afraid to fail because that’s how we learn and innovate.”
He’s quick to credit those who shaped his own leadership style. From his parents to mentors like Mike Walsh and Denny Oates, Zimmer has always paid close attention to how great leaders act and how they lift others up.
Advice for Future Leaders
Zimmer’s top advice for incoming RPI students? “Go to class. Seriously, go to class.” He laughs when he says it, but he means it. “You don’t just learn from textbooks. You learn from seeing how your professors connect it to real life.”
He also encourages students to take advantage of the full RPI experience. “Try clubs. Play a sport. Explore things outside your comfort zone. You never know what’s going to stick.”
And most of all, stay open. “I never planned to work in steel,” he said. “But it turned into a rewarding and meaningful career. Sometimes your path finds you; you just have to be ready to say yes.”
The Man Behind the CEO Title
When he’s not leading a company, Zimmer loves to fish. He finds peace in early mornings on the lake with his kids. And here’s a fun fact: at age 10, he was a national BMX racing champion. “There’s no video proof, so I guess it’s a legend,” he jokes.
His favorite business book? The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt a simple but powerful read on improving processes and breaking bottlenecks. And his go-to band from high school? Van Halen. No contest.
Chris Zimmer’s story is a reminder that leadership isn’t about having it all figured out from day one. It’s about being curious, learning from the hard moments, and growing alongside your team. When safety and trust come first, innovation can follow. Even steel, it turns out, can take you to the stars.