Local manufacturing leader turned to BGSU Online to support career advancement

Alex Vargo, vice president of manufacturing at Lako Tool & Manufacturing in Perrysburg, values the program’s flexibility

After high school, people typically choose one of three routes: joining the workforce, attending college or entering the military. 

In Spring 2026—after obtaining his bachelor’s degree in management and technology with a concentration in business through BGSU Online—Alex Vargo will have done all three.

 “I’ve taken an unorthodox way of getting where I am now,” said Vargo, the vice president of manufacturing at Lako Tool & Manufacturing in Perrysburg.

When Vargo was a student at Vanguard-Sentinel Career and Technology Centers in Fremont, Ohio, he took a tour with a local manufacturing company on a whim.

“Next thing you know, I’d filled out an application on my lunch break during the tour and that’s how I got started in manufacturing,” recalled Vargo, who went on to become a journeyman tool and die maker.

He also decided to join the military while in high school, enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserve during his junior year and serving in logistics for six years.

His first experience in higher education was earning his associate’s degree in manufacturing and engineering. “That’s where I stopped my education,” he said. “After I finished my apprenticeship and got my journeyman’s card and associate’s degree, I didn’t have any reason to go back to school until recently.”

As he started rising quickly through the business ranks, Vargo realized that obtaining his bachelor’s degree could benefit his career. “As I realized my career was getting more in the management direction, I wanted to learn a little bit more about it,” Vargo said.

The way that BGSU Online is structured—with seven-week classes—means he can take just one or two courses at a time. “I work quite a bit at my job, so I need that flexibility,” he said.

While his on-campus time is limited, Vargo said he has a deep appreciation and knowledge of BGSU and the campus. His wife Maghan is a 2018 BGSU nursing school graduate.

After graduation, Vargo plans to one-up that post-high school trifecta by getting his online MBA. 

“I’ll likely continue with BGSU,” he said.