Jeff Carr is a sought-after expert in manufacturing technology. As a leading independent voice in ERP system selection and implementation, Jeff’s organizations have helped over 1,200 manufacturing companies select and implement new information systems, earning him a reputation as the leading expert on manufacturing software vendors and their products. Jeff’s results-focused career spans four decades serving process and discrete manufacturers. As founder and manager of Ultra Consultants, he leads his organization’s high-impact business process improvement programs that leverage today’s modern ERP technology. Jeff is a graduate of University of Illinois.

Dylan Howard graduated from ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business and is currently Chief Sales officer at Ultra Consultants, helping mid-market manufacturers and distributors effectively tackle transformation projects involving process re-engineering, enterprise technology selection, change & risk management, program design, and implementation management services. He also holds a PMP Certification and understands Project Management best practices. Dylan has spent the last 15 plus years working in Leadership, Sales and Project Management capacities. He founded Timberline Fire in 2008 and worked to develop partnerships with State and Local Governments to provide fire protection and disaster recovery operations. He then took his passions into the technology field and has worked in Sales in the Tier 1 ERP space and electronics industries prior to finding Ultra Consultants. He has helped 100’s of leadership teams in the mid-market develop plans on how best to prepare and execute technology fueled transformations and continues this work in his current capacity.

Flint Richardson manages the accounting and treasury functions at Ultra Consultants and assists with operational process improvements. He has over 30 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant with the last 24 years working in public accounting for companies including Andersen and Ernst & Young. Outside of Ultra, Flint has served on board of advisors, supervisory committees and as special advisory to boards. He has also held Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Controller positions for public entities. Flint is a graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Kevin Stack has over 30 years of experience in Leadership, ERP, Retail Operations, Application Delivery, and Business Intelligence. Kevin spent thirteen years at Revco as Manager of Retail Systems Development, where he was responsible for the development of the retail supply chain and merchandising operation system. He successfully managed the completion of multiple system transitions as a result of business acquisitions and worked with business units through a multi-step, detailed reorganization. Kevin continued on to serve as Vice President, Infrastructure and acting CIO for OfficeMax, Inc. where he was responsible for all facets of Information Technology operations. Kevin streamlined technology operations, improved delivery and support quality, all while managing team of 235+ resources in multiple locations. During his overall time at OfficeMax, Inc., Kevin significantly reduced operating costs, increased service quality, improved server/storage consolidation, and work with a high availability ERP architecture. After OfficeMax, Inc., Kevin went on to be Vice President/CIO of Jo-Anne Stores, a $2 billion retailer, where he reported directly to the Chief Executive Officer. Kevin had responsibility for overall IT governance, performance and systems delivery, all while managing staff of 115. Kevin has led or been involved with successful major software implementations while at Jo-Ann Stores, OfficeMax, cSHARE Solutions, and his own company, KMStack Consulting. Kevin has many specialties, including executive leadership, strategic planning, ERP planning & implementation, business process management, project management, change management, and business intelligence. Kevin attended the ICM School of Business, where he focused on Computer Science and Business Administration.

Charlie Schloff is a 25+ year veteran of the manufacturing and IT industries with extensive experience in executive management and consultative positions. He has led initiatives across a wide range of activities, including global business acquisition and integration, project/program management, enterprise IT strategy, and change management. Charlie is a high performance, quality focused, results-driven executive/consultant with a progressive career demonstrating collaborative leadership, vision, and business acumen. Charlie is a true leader and has successfully managed several organizations with P&L responsibilities throughout his career. His business acumen is supported by a broad background in designing and implementing comprehensive large-scale business transformation initiatives and pervasive technologies across multi-site organizations worldwide. On top of Charlie’s traditional business and technology leadership, he also incorporates experience in managing organizations with responsibilities in product & service design, marketing, sales, finance, human resources, engineering, and manufacturing to complement his business acumen. For his clients, Charlie is dedicated to delivering sustainable value through people, process, and technology initiatives that drive the achievement of the business goals, objectives, and expectations. Charlie has deep experience within the Automotive Industry with 20 years of experience working for Ford Motor Company. While at Ford, he held a wide-range of progressive executive positions in the areas of IT Operations, System Architecture & Development, IT Security & Compliance and served as an internal implementation consultant and program manager on a range of progressive executive positions in the areas of IT Operations, System Architecture & Development, IT Security & Compliance and served as an internal implementation consultant and program manager on a range of large scale projects including ERP, CRM, HRIS, PLM, BI, and Engineering Systems. Additionally, he held responsibilities for managing advanced vehicle program development and planning activities along with serving as the Divisional Director of Six Sigma and Lean focused on quality, cost, and overall business process improvement. In the second half of Charlie’s career, he diversified his background by serving as Director of Information Technology and Process Improvement for an International Food & Beverage Manufacturer and more recently, prior to coming to Ultra, held the positions of VP of Information Technology and Director of Corporate Quality for a Global Industrial Equipment Manufacturer. In parallel with his business responsibilities, Charlie served on Advisory Boards for two major software companies and also Ultra itself before joining as a full time Partner. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Detroit. He holds the following certifications: Six Sigma (MBB), CISSP, SOX, ITIL, COBIT, and PMP.

Rick Perrotta is an impactful senior business leader whose experience extends across Management Consulting, Sales, Customer Service, Product Development, Operations and Information Technology within the American, European, and Asian markets. His industry experience includes both discreet manufacturing (durable goods) and process manufacturing (oil and gas/chemical), consumer product goods, environmental science, utilities, retail and wholesale grocery, transportation and telecommunications, in sectors ranging from Fortune Global 50 to private/venture capital companies. Early in his career, Rick built and managed global telecommunications networks for service providers and then for global OEMs. His responsibilities as an operational leader included commercial market initialization, engineering, operations, management, customer service and sales/solutions design and implementation. He held subsequent positions as an IT leader within Fortune 500 companies such as Whirlpool Corporation and Waste Management, with responsibilities in application and infrastructure management and operations, IT Strategy/PMO and large ERP program management and implementation, with operational responsibilities spanning 300 locations across 6 continents. Bringing both his enterprise operations and IT leadership experience to management consulting, Rick has served as an Account Executive for global management consulting firms such as Capgemini and TechMahindra supporting leading clients in industries as varied as process manufacturing, utilities, and retail/distribution. His responsibilities included client relationships from the C-suite to the analyst level, P&L/account strategy, sales- and account-based marketing programs, alliance and analyst relationship management, engagement delivery and client satisfaction, as well as talent management/professional development for global account team members. Rick currently resides in Houston and holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from San Diego State University. He holds IT Leadership credentials from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business and the CIO Institute at Texas A&M McCombs School of Business, and is Professional Scrum Master, ccOPEX Green Belt & ITILv3 certified.

Joe Velez has over 30 years of experience working in large, multi-national manufacturing companies. His background includes all aspects of supply chain management, program management, strategic planning, operations management, business process re-design, ERP implementation management, and Lean Transformation. Joe began his career with ALCOA as an engineer and held numerous positions across sourcing, operations planning, manufacturing, maintenance and strategic planning functions. During Joe’s tenure as the Chief Industrial Engineer for the ALCOA Mill Products business unit, he was intimately involved in design, development and roll-out of the ALCOA Production System which adapted to the tenants of the Toyota Production System to the process industry. As Director of Supply Chain for the ALCOA Aerospace, Commercial Rolled Products business unit, Joe led initiatives to transform a high-mix job shop into a virtual flow shop, reducing inventory by 25% while improving customer service by 30%. In addition, Joe successfully led the re-design and replacement of end-to-end business processes across all ALCOA’s North American rolling mills, completing a total of 11 ERP deployments delivering inventory and cost reductions. After leaving ALCOA, Joe joined Rio Tinto’s ALCAN division where he served as Director of Supply Chain, Procurement, Distribution and third party logistical partners in North, Central and South America. During this time, Joe led implementation of a new corporate Sales & Operations Planning process and led lean transformation initiatives which improved customer service by 27%, reduced procurement costs by $3MM and simplified raw material management driving an inventory reduction of 46%. After, Rio Tinto, Joe served as Vice President of Supply Chain at Oystar, a Packaging Equipment manufacturer, where he leveraged end-to-end supply chain simplification and lean concepts to improve customer service by 30% while growing the business by 30% year over year. Over the last four years, Joe has served as Director of Business Systems Transformation for HNI Corporation, an office furniture manufacturer, which leverages ERP to develop an end-to-end integrated business process framework across all operating companies to drive best in class performance levels. Joe holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and has done extensive graduate research in the areas of lean manufacturing / transformation, factory physics, theory of constraints and High Performance Leadership. He has served on ALCOA’s Science and Technology advisory council, on the governing board of MIT’s Leaders for Manufacturing program as well as on advisory boards at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Wisconsin Quick Response Manufacturing Center. Joe is a founding member of the Industrial Engineering program at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Joe has achieved certifications from Oliver Wight in S&Op, from APICS (CPIM) and is an ALCOA trained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Brantly Chavis is a 20+-year manufacturing, business development and supply chain industry veteran with extensive experience in managing supply chain / manufacturing improvement projects, building sales teams and building/leading international teams. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. His experience cuts across industrial, distribution, retail and manufacturing. Brantly serves manufacturers with deep domain experience in Supply Chain / Operations Process / manufacturing engineering as well as Lean Six Sigma Continuous improvement. Brantly led a team with the newly purchased Camus Hydronic business into total transition from current processes, financial documentation and HR practices to newly implemented business processes. As a Business Development leader, he helped drive annual sales increases at an industrial manufacturer by 20%. He has been involved in 50+ Lean Six Sigma projects across multiple industry sectors. Brantly holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University and is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

As Ultra’s Service Delivery Manager, Brian leverages two decades of experience in continuous improvement, ERP implementation, business process improvement, business and technology integration, release and change management, value stream and process mapping, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, application test management, ERP training, and project management. In addition, Brian has also led initiatives on design for manufacturability and concurrent engineering. Brian was the Integration Manager of a successful $75M+ global re-implementation of SAP ECC 6.0 from 4.7 across all business processes, and system modules in the nuclear power industry which included over 250 business users and internal and outsourced ERP team members. Brian’s experiences have spanned various manufacturing industries from nuclear power to global safety equipment, and from consumer electronics to metal stamping, injection molding, and tool and dies industries. His project management and integration activities have included SAP (FI/CO, MM, PP, SD, CRM, PS, HR, LSO, PM, QM, BW, Portal, ESS, MSS, MDM, BPC, GRC, and Solution Manager), SAP Business One, and BaaN (Now the engine behind Infor LN) Brian has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Penn State University with a Minor in Engineering Mechanics. He is ITIL Certified from APMG International, Six Sigma certified from Sony and Fintek Consulting, and spent 2 years focusing on ERP lean manufacturing techniques working directly under a lean manufacturing consultant.

Danielle leverages her extensive project management and leadership experience supporting Ultra’s manufacturing and distribution clients through the entire business transformation journey. Danielle has successfully led business process improvement, acquisition due diligence, software selection, and enterprise solution implementation projects with outstanding results. While Danielle has in-depth knowledge across all industries, her knowledge and experience with the Food and Beverage industry has proved to be invaluable to the clients she serves. During her time at Ultra, she has worked in many capacities, including leading our important Center of Excellence. Danielle is a graduate cum laude of Babson College with a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration, double concentrating in Supply Chain Management and Business Administration. She is PMP certified by the Project Management Institute and has in-depth knowledge in both agile and waterfall methodologies.

David Saunders has over 25 years of business experience helping mid-sized and large manufacturing and distribution companies improve their operations and underlying business processes. Dave has extensive experience in Information Technology. He also has a strong background assisting organizations in improving their efficiencies through more effectively utilizing people, processes and technology. His background combines depth in both operational responsibilities and management consulting, and has provided him with a vast knowledge of many industries and process areas. Dave began his career with Kraft Foods and spent 10 years working extensively in distribution and logistics, as well as sales and operations planning. He had various responsibilities at Kraft, the final being a Distribution Center Manager. Additional experience includes Manager of Logistics and Planning for a global electrical supplier, Director of Business Processes at a major international manufacturer of tape and other adhesive products, and Director of IT Governance for a $19B global leader in consumer and industrial products. Dave has a BS in Computer Management from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Illinois. He also received a Management Business degree from IESA Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

Aaron Olin brings over 20 of years of combined Corporate and Consulting experience across a wide range of verticals and company sizes. He started with a solid foundation in Logistics and 3PL management leading fast-paced air freight operations, trucking fleets and warehouses before advancing into Supply Chain and manufacturing. Aaron has a knack for organizing the complexities of warehouse and shop floor processes and building solutions to help all levels of the organization succeed. He is passionate about health and wellness and worked early in the initial high growth phase of the organic sector. Aaron has been involved in several complete supply chain redesigns as a Director of Supply Chain in Organic ingredients and cosmetics. Aaron’s Consulting engagements include highly successful early stage nutraceuticals, complete business process improvement for several established eCommerce retailers as well as organizational development, coaching and mentoring from entry level staff to executives and founders. Aaron has spent his entire career as an early adopter of new technologies to solve real supply chain problems; using the simplest most elegant solutions available to achieve strategic objectives. Having years of experiences managing large, global teams in manufacturing, demand planning and customer service; he also understands and anticipates challenges across many functional areas in the organization. With a mix of experience in Private and Public companies Aaron is aware of how different actions in the Supply Chain affect Accounting, Reporting and Regulatory considerations. Aaron has a BA in International Relations from University of Southern California and GLS degree from California State University Long Beach. In his spare time he likes back country skiing, trail running and mountain biking.

Andrew Demetres is a certified Project Management Consultant offering more than 29 years of experience in Information Systems and Technology specializing in ERP transformations. He brings over 20 years of expertise in enterprise systems including 15 large scale multi-national SAP implementations since 1995. Andrew is best used in the roles of Senior Program & Project Manager, Analyst, Solutions Architect, and Change Management Specialist. He delivers from the beginning to the end of the transformation journey to ensure that strategic business initiatives are successful. Andrew is equally comfortable interacting at all levels of the organization and brings outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. Andrew has a thorough understanding of business and technology making him the correct choice for projects requiring executive sponsorship and cross-functional team leaders. He is adept at integration requiring change in business critical operations where adoption is key to success. Andrew has a deep background in implementing large scale systems and business change in major consumer products and retail companies such as Ralph Lauren, L’Oreal, Marc Jacobs, Nestle, Unilever, and Colgate Palmolive. He has hands-on experience with a range of ERP systems including SAP, JDA, Microsoft Dynamics AX/NAV/GP, and many other tools. Andrew obtained his MBA at Dowling College and holds a BS In Computer Science from Rochester Institute of Technology. His is PMI certified.

Art Travis has a broad and diverse background, spanning a 30-year interwoven career across Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations Planning Systems. He began his career managing labor and quality intensive, time-sensitive hub operations at United Parcel Service. Additional roles included leading a high volume shipment data analytics team responsible for regional incentive pricing. Art lead and or supported Operations Change Management special projects from a Logistics Finance capacity to outsource global logistics operations in China, Singapore, Canada, U.S. South America, and Europe. As Director of Logistics Controls and Solutions at Goodman Mfg., lead the team to develop warehouse and shipment optimization solutions. Also formed and led Goodman’s Business Process Improvement team. Additional Corporate Finance/Investment Banking roles included leading 15 middle-market industrial equipment manufacturers and service companies through the M&A acquisition process.

*Q3 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

As broad-based manufacturing and operations professional, Brad Staats has over 30 years of experience contributing to performance improvements that can be measured by increased productivity, efficiency, quality, throughput, revenues, and profitability. His experience includes retail management, operations management, executive management and consulting for large and small firms in steel, musical instruments, heavy equipment, apparel, furniture, construction materials and other industries. He has experience with turnarounds and startups as well as improvements at well-established companies with revenues ranging from millions to billions of dollars. Brad has experience in ERP, Supply Chain/Materials Management, Lean Manufacturing, Project Management and integrating business and process systems in highly automated manufacturing environments. Half of his career has been in the steel industry involving systems integration and operations planning, and one third of his career has been in consulting in the areas of business process improvement with a focus on ERP implementations and Lean Manufacturing. At one point, Brad was instrumental in integrating seven steel plants into a single supply chain as part of an overall automotive strategy. The balance of his career includes being the President of one company and General Manager of another, which was a start-up business where they achieved steady state operations with international sales in under three years. Brad earned a BS in Administrative Management from the University of Arkansas and an MBA in Operations Management from DePaul University. Early in his career, he earned the CPIM certification from APICS. He currently serves on the NE Indiana Lean Network advisory board and enjoys playing classical music (percussion) and volunteering at an exotic animal sanctuary.

*Q2 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Brent Soderstrom is a 20+-year manufacturing and distribution industry veteran with extensive experience in managing supply chain / manufacturing improvement projects and building and leading teams. Brent built and led a company-wide supply chain improvement team at HD Supply, delivering $20MM of benefits to the enterprise. He also led supply chain, distribution and logistics at Crown Bolt, a division of HD Supply. Brent held various roles at General Electric businesses, including GM of Logistics, Materials Manager, and Manager of Manufacturing Engineering. He has led or participated in 100+ projects to improve supply chain and manufacturing operations. He also led the start-up of four distribution centers and capacity expansions of three others. Brent is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Cheryl brings 33 years of leadership experience in supply network, warehouse, and manufacturing operations roles at Procter & Gamble. As Supply Network Operations Director, Cheryl led operations and improvements across production planning, finished product and raw / pack material warehousing, and display pack customization for a multi-site manufacturing campus. She governed contracts for third party logistics providers with over $30M spend and 400 associates and launched direct to consumer shipment capability, reducing cost per order 50% and enabling capacity to triple eCommerce sales. As Distribution Center Site Leader for a third-party logistics operation that received, stored, picked, and shipped to over 1K retail customers, Cheryl earned P&G’s “Best DC” recognition three times through rigorous PDCA execution to improve flow, reduce touches, and deliver best-in-class productivity and unit cost. Cheryl Boerjan is a creative and dedicated change agent with high capacity and “can-do” spirit that permeates organizations to make seemingly impossible feats possible. She focuses on big goals and combines data and insight to influence and make brave decisions. Cheryl is known as a results-oriented servant leader with passion for developing others and energizing teams. Cheryl is experienced using SAP, Kinaxis, and WMS systems and holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota along with an MBA from the University of Iowa. She enjoys raising horses and is a certified volunteer mentor for SCORE.

 

 

 

Dan Cooper is a 20+ year project management professional specializing in Information Technology and Aerospace manufacturing and integrations. Projects have included private equity acquisitions, restructurings, and integrations of manufacturers of Aircraft interiors, composite structures, and machined parts resulting in a fully integrated aircraft interiors portfolio offering to Triumph Aerostructures, subsequently supplying over 70% of Boeing model aircraft interiors and strategic entrance into high volume Airbus interiors programs. Led design and implementation of manufacturing infrastructure for a global design to build platform for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 interiors programs spanning North America, Asia, and Europe resulting in highly flexible rapid design change incorporation strategies and >30% cost reductions. Dan has a BS in Applied Technology from BYU- Idaho, has attended SAE Aerospace Executive Academy and is PMI certified.

David Buck has more than thirty years of experience managing the technical delivery of Information Technology projects. He offers expertise in solutions architecture, program management, project management, enterprise architecture, methodologies, software package selection, integration, implementation, and software development. In past years, David served as CEO of Zweave and managed the development of the company’s PLM product offerings, technical infrastructure, and professional services offerings. David managed 9 software development projects for the U.S. Government where he designed and built custom PLM and related technical specification software solutions. Prior to Zweave, David worked for leading technology and consulting firms including IBM, Deloitte, Symbolics, and NeXT Computer. He also founded Advis, an early Internet and web solutions companies where he led the delivery of over 50 custom object oriented web-based applications for large corporations. David earned a BS in MIS & Computer Science from the University of Dayton. He also received an Executive Leadership Certificate from MIT. David has founded an INC 500 Consulting Company, and a PLM Software Company. He is a member of EO, TEC, APICS, NDIA, and ASTM.

David Mack is an experienced supply chain professional with a focus on organizational transformation through continuous improvement. After earning his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he worked for large ($10B+) consumer products and chemicals manufacturers including SC Johnson and Ecolab. An analytical problem-solver and effective communicator, David has effectively built teams, mapped and improved processes, and executed cross-functional multi-million dollar projects. These experiences have enabled him to develop robust waterfall and agile project management skills as well as to build his capabilities in methodologies such as Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma, and the Toyota Production System. A few of his accomplishments include improving YOY capital forecasting accuracy by 80%, developing KPI dashboards and project execution processes leading to the execution of $15M/year in net structural savings projects, and achieving vertical startup of new packaging lines by implementing a metric-driven approach to startup processes.

David Mainor brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience in manufacturing operations in Fortune 100 companies, business process improvement, management consulting, NAFTA compliance, project management, negotiating, supply chain management and logistics optimization from his career spanning over 25+ years. A veteran change agent, David has enjoyed using his skills in successful ERP and WMS implementations, incorporating methodology to support people who are embracing new technology. He has implemented numerous innovative improvement strategies including Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) projects in bi-lingual environments that have saved his employers and customers millions of dollars in operating costs. Additionally, David served as a leader on a corporate task force charged with assessment of total transportation spending at multiple subsidiaries where he developed a streamlined procurement model yielding more than $12M in annualized savings. David earned his BS in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a MBA from the University of West Florida and is a Certified Green Belt. As a retired Naval Flight Officer, David has logged more than 1,000 hours in the F-14 Tomcat with over 300 carrier arrested landings. He and his wife reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

Erik Hay has over 20 years of experience within Fortune 500 Companies leading large-scale Global process and technology programs in areas of Field Service, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Sales Operations. Erik has worked in both IT and Functional Leadership positions, allowing him to quickly address complex process and technologies integrations while balancing short and long term organizational goals. Erik is an excellent communicator at all levels of the organization and works with a high level of inclusiveness, energy and curiosity. Erik has a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.

Ernie Eichenbaum brings over 30 years of project management, enterprise software application and business operations expertise to his Senior Manager position. His background has afforded him the ability to truly understand how businesses can combine process improvements with their end-to-end business processes via software technologies, resulting in increased corporate performance and a competitive advantage. Prior to joining Ultra Consultants, Ernie led consulting projects and operations at nexDimension Technology Solutions. He also previously held the position of VP Consulting at Infor Global Solutions, where he led multiple large-scale projects and consulting practices. At Avanade and Baan/SSA Global, Ernie held increasingly responsible project and management positions ranging from Supply Chain Consultant to Vice President in charge of a regional Project Management Office that governed over 400 concurrent projects in 20 practices. Ernie’s consulting experience centers on project and executive program leadership within industrial enterprises that have complex make, move and service operations. Ernie is known for leveraging his leadership skills and ability to recognize and respond to business challenges while providing his teams with the discipline, tools, methods, and materials necessary to meet client needs and project goals. Prior to his roles in consulting, Ernie worked in industry positions ranging from Production Planning at Scitex to Manufacturing Plant Management at Telrad, a multi-national High-Tech/Telecomm firm. Ernie holds a B.Sc. in Management Engineering and Computer Integrated Manufacturing from Tel Aviv University and has studied Constraint Based Planning with Eli Goldratt. He is on the board of Conexx (The Israel-America Chamber of Commerce), an Executive Board Member of the Briarlake Community Forest Association, and served as a Major in the Israeli Army as a Company Commander in a Tank Battalion.

Gary McGregor has over 30 years of business experience helping manufacturing and distribution companies improve their operations and underlying business processes. Both as a consultant and industry practitioner, he has considerable experience in implementing lean principles. Gary’s background couples experience in engineering and manufacturing operations and implementing business process continuous improvement programs in a variety of manufacturing operations. He has specific industry experience in aerospace and defense contracts, consumer products, plastics and electronics, and the production of heavy equipment. Gary began his career in engineering and was promoted to Division Manager of Industrial Engineering at General Dynamics. He also spent 5 years at Case Corporation as the Manager of Assembly Strategy where he introduced the framework for the use of lean techniques into the Case worldwide manufacturing operations (over 26 plants). Additional positions include working as Director of Manufacturing Operations, Director of Production, and Lean Manufacturing Manager. Gary has experience teaching manufacturing and business process improvement techniques at the college level and is also a regular speaker at manufacturing symposiums on topics related to Lean Manufacturing and Business Process Improvement. Gary has a BS in Industrial Engineering from Toledo University and an MBA from the University of Dayton and is a Registered Professional Engineer.

Joe Runowiecki has over 25 years of manufacturing experience in both large corporations and private companies. He is a creative supply chain professional with a distinguished history of contributions in the areas of ERP management, production scheduling, purchasing, negotiations, customer service, warehouse management, increased productivity, cost reduction, and inventory accuracy. Joe has experience in the plastics, building products, automotive, and chemical industries. His previous clients include P&G, Home Builders, Home Depot, Caterpillar, John Deere, Chrysler, Intuitive Surgical, Walmart, and Amazon. Joe has managed supply chains utilizing a variety of ERP systems including JD Edwards, Oracle, QAD, SAP, Aptean, and Infor. Joe graduated with a BA from Eastern Illinois University. He is involved with the local community, coaching youth sports, and is the past president of Sycamore Youth Baseball.

Jim Wilson brings 25 years’ experience as an ERP Consultant and Project Management Professional. He is proficient in vendor selection, IT infrastructure, and ERP implementation projects, specifically in the food & beverage sector. Jim has led approximately 30 successful ERP go-lives throughout North America. During his professional life, he has worked on multiple ERP platforms, including EPICOR, Great Plains, and Microsoft Dynamics NAV/BC. Jim earned his MBA from Queen’s University, his PMP from the Project Management Institute and his Senior Project Leadership Certificate from EDS Global Learning & Development.

Jonathan Valencia has 10 years of progressive leadership experience in supply chain operations. Jonathan has served in leadership roles for the Automotive industry and Food & Beverage CPG. He has experience as a champion user and trainer for multiple ERP systems including SAP and Microsoft Dynamics D365. He leverages knowledge of lean principles (Toyota), APICS CPIM, and operations best practices to support scaling high growth environments. Jonathan has direct experience in inventory planning, process development and implementation, distribution network optimization, 3PL vendor management & selection, KPI and scorecard development, and global logistics. He has also led large scale projects including launching and closing high velocity distribution centers. For the last 6 years, Jonathan utilized his operations knowledge to lead transportation at PepsiCo, logistics at Hometown Food Company, and the Americas supply chain for Voss Water of Norway. Jonathan graduated from the University of New Hampshire with BA in Anthropology and a minor in leadership studies. He resides in northwestern Ohio with his family.

*Q2 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Katrine Maguire serves as Ultra’s Senior Consultant with deep domain experience in industry sectors including manufacturing; telecom; healthcare; food service and other industries. In her previous career roles, Katrine managed the Finance and HR systems implementation and operations for a Fortune 500 telecommunications company. She also directed the organizational change management program for the ERP implementation for the largest US for-profit higher education institution. With expertise in Enterprise Technology Support, Implementation, and Organizational Change Management, Katrine’s tenure also includes leading multiple large-scale reengineering projects for Deloitte and Touche. Katrine holds an MBA in Finance from the Booth School of Management (University of Chicago); a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Chicago; and she is PMP certified and served as a presenter at the 2018 Global PMI Conference. She is a former member of the Board of the Midwest Automated Clearinghouse for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Kyle Breunlin, Ultra Senior Project Manager, is a highly experienced IT project/program manager, driving profit for industry leading corporations using best business standards, agile methodology, and in-depth technical system knowledge. As part of his successful career, Kyle secured multimillion-dollar contracts at Fortune 500 companies including Sony Electronics and Home Depot. Kyle consistently demonstrates top tier operations management skill backed by strong staff leadership and motivational strategies. Seasoned in recruiting and organizing top-performing cross-functional teams through comprehensive project lifecycle management expertise, Kyle holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA – graduating with honors in Management; Management Information Systems and a minor in Spanish. Kyle holds certifications n the following areas: PMI – Project Management Professional, PMI-San Diego Member, PMP; Agile Certification – Certified ScrumMaster ® (CSM); Project Management Connection, Executive Board Member; Microsoft Certified Professional, 2004-Present; Formal SAP Software Certification, (HANA, PPM, BI, IM, PM, SD, HR, SEM, CRM, SCM, SRM)

Logan Groulx is an innovative supply chain leader with 17 years of experience focused on continuous improvement, operational excellence, and cost savings within the Food and Beverage, CPG and Automotive industries. In that time, Logan held roles with increasing responsibility within multiple manufacturing and supply chain functions including R&D, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Sales. Logan implemented operations management programs at the shop floor level, warehouse optimization and redesign, led food reformulation projects, and managed multiple customer facing projects within sales and distribution. Logan graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Engineering Sciences and Supply Chain Management. He resides in southwest Michigan with his family.

Mark Strug is a performance driven supply chain professional with over 20 years of experience, primarily in the food and beverage industry. Mark has used his strong quantitative and analytical skills to lead projects in S&OP, demand management and planning, capacity planning, inventory management and logistics with outstanding results. Mark’s forecasting modeling in Oracle Demantra, Infor Demand+ and similar tools have led companies to exceed their forecast accuracy targets. Mark has hands-on experience in all phases of projects, including data modeling and interpretation, forecasting, testing, and implementation, leveraging sales strategies and market intelligence to build revenue and to penetrate target markets.

Mary Mertz is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of industry and consulting experience. Twenty-plus of these years have been focused on managing ERP implementations with proven ability to deliver multi-million dollar ($4M – $50M+) full lifecycle, global, ERP projects – on time, within budget while meeting customer requirements. Her experience includes eight years of working for Honeywell, nine years with the big six consulting firms, and fourteen years at SAP in multiple roles including Program /Project Management, Director of Business consulting and Global Account Director. Mary is an expert at all aspects of establishing and managing ERP projects – from developing business cases, vendor selection, setting up PMO’s to manage projects from inception through Go Live and process stabilization. Projects have included global business process transformation and standardization ensuring processes and performance metrics meet business strategies. She is highly skilled at communication at all levels of an organization including executive and steering committee leadership, and oversite of the Organizational Change Management strategy and activities. Mary is passionate about developing highly productive teams by providing clear direction, involving them in the planning process and proactively removing roadblocks from the project. Her past clients include: American Railcar, IBM, Caterpillar, Sony Electronics, Toyota Materials Handling Units, Fujitsu/AMD, MEMC, Pillsbury, Keebler, and Post.

Maryl Wesolowski is an executive leader specializing in delivering complex, multimillion-dollar strategic initiatives – from planning through operational transition – for multiple Fortune 500 and top 20 privately-held companies, as well as mid-sized firms. Maryl applies the wisdom earned from 30 years of Big-4 consulting, corporate and business ownership experiences to help clients execute business transformations, improve and innovate business processes, implement enterprise-wide software solutions and develop new business applications. Maryl is skilled at knitting global, multi-cultural resources together into cohesive teams who deliver product and service excellence across all program workstreams, enabling organizations to realize substantive financial and strategic benefits. A certified Project Management Professional and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, her versatility has included: directing a portfolio of productivity programs that realized over $100M in cost reductions; implementing ERP modules and WMS systems across various technology platforms which reduced order cycle time by 150% and returns by 42%; rolling out an export management application that delivered $100k ROI in the first two months; and building a custom SAP BTP credit tracking app shared across 26 supply chain centers and 7000 stores. Organizations include Siemens, Smithfield Foods, Reinhart Food Service (formerly Reyes Holdings) and Domino’s Pizza. Maryl holds a BA with honors in Math and Political Science from Northwestern University and a MS in Quality Management Systems from the New England College of Business.

Matthew Hull has more than 15 years of experience transforming businesses utilizing Lean methodology and effective use of technology. With successful tenure as both the user and as a 3rd party support in ERP Implementation, Process Improvement, S&OP, Matthew has deep professional experience as an Operations Manager, Business Transformation, Leader Global Supply Chain Manager, Lean Six Sigma Manager. Matthew holds a BS in Industrial Technology and Engineering from Ohio University; an MBA from Eli Broad College of Business – Michigan State University; Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certifications from University of Michigan, The George’s Group, and Black & Decker. He brings domain expertise in the areas of Automotive, Medical Devices & Products, Distribution, Industrial Equipment, Consumer Goods, Metal Fabrication, Electronics, Oil & Gas, including experience in internal and external consulting for Fortune 500 Company.

Mitchell Judy is a supply chain professional with a background in operations, purchasing, warehousing, logistics, inventory management, process improvement, and management. He has led multiple process improvement projects, including material flow redesign for end-of-year vehicle builds, waste eliminations, labor reductions, world class manufacturing standards, inventory and purchasing reductions, and process flow improvement. He has prior experience working for Stellantis, a leading global automaker and provider of innovative mobility solutions. Mitchell is a graduate from the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Global Supply Chain Management.

Nadine Brewer brings over 30 years of accounting experience with 12 years in the Aquaculture industry, specializing in inventory management from egg to market. Her accounting experience includes due diligence for acquisitions and divestitures as well as an IPO, in addition to end-to-end accounting functions. Also, Nadine has 15 years of implementation experience as a Financial Business Analyst with Industrybuilt/JustFood ERP. In her career, she has implemented solutions for over 60 customers in the food & beverage space, focusing on best practices in accounting and being a trusted partner. She has successfully applied her analyst and problem-solving skills as a solutions architect with JustFood ERP.

*Q3 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Neil Brody is a Supply Chain professional with significant industry expertise in consumer-packaged goods, medical devices and telecommunications. Through his leadership positions at American Greetings, Telsource Corporation, Invacare and NeuroControl, Neil has successfully guided organizations through business process transformations. In many projects, Neil leveraged process improvement and change management methodology and applied to the business environment, positively impacting operational excellence, cost containment, continuous improvement and cultural growth. He offers excellent organization and planning skills with a customer service focus. With deep domain experience in ERP and enterprise technologies, Neil’s proven competencies include Business Process Improvement; Project Management; Organizational Change Management; Cost Containment / Reduction; Quality; Lean Manufacturing, Operations, Logistics and more. Neil holds an MBA in Operations from Bowling Green State University and a BS in Business Administration and Management from John Carroll University. Neil is APICS-Certified in Integrated Resource Management – CIRM and Certified in Production and Inventory Management – CPIM.

*Q2 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Paul Denmark has more than 30 years’ experience as a senior supply chain management leader with broad-based global experience in driving benchmark performance throughout several diverse manufacturing environments on a global basis. Paul’s focus has been in driving new or enhanced ERP implementations, advanced supply chain planning and scheduling, demand management, procurement, distribution, engineering change control, and management of complex manufacturing operations across multiple plants, both as an industry practitioner and consultant. Paul has held positions as Industrial Engineering, Procurement and Planning Director at Eastman Kodak, Director of Supply Chain Strategic Initiatives at Avery Dennison, Director of Global Supply Chain at GrafTech (formerly Union Carbide), and VP of Supply Chain at the Elgin Fastener Group. He has extensive experience in make-to-stock, make-to-order and hybrid MTS/MTO manufacturing flows, as well as supply chain management, across multiple plants throughout the US, South America, Europe, Korea and China. Paul has led several major ERP implementations with an emphasis on driving excellence in supply chain planning and execution, not just by focusing on the software enhancements being implemented, but by upgrading the “thought-ware” of the organization to a higher level in order to take full advantage of the new capabilities being put in place. Paul holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University, an MS/MBA in Computer Integrated Manufacturing Management from Rochester Institute of Technology, and has been certified in APICS CPIM.

Rafael Calderon is a Project Management Professional specializing in Systems Implementation and Process Improvement in the Process Manufacturing sector, specifically Food & Beverage and Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device. Rafael has close to twenty years’ worth of implementation and consulting experience with over a hundred successful deployments under his belt. Throughout his professional life, he has worked with multiple ERP platforms, including PRISM/PROTEAN, PRMS/BPICS, EPICOR and MS Navision. Rafael started his career in Y2K compliance projects in the mid-to-late 90’s in Canada and the US, followed by a successful business consulting practice in the Pharma and Medical Device industry in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the mid 2000’s, Rafael became Senior Implementation Consultant/Project Manager for the implementation division of Bell Canada, where he led and delivered multiple enterprise-sized projects in Ontario. Later, he became a Senior Project Manager for IndustryBuilt/JustFoodERP where he successfully managed and completed over fifty ERP implementation cycles all throughout North America. Rafael has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from ITESM in Mexico City and a diploma in Systemic Thinking and Consulting Practice from the University of Humberside (now University of Lincoln) in the UK. Rafael holds CPIM and PMP certifications. In addition, he is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. He is a local food growth and preparation enthusiast. He is currently pursuing a degree in Culinary Sciences and a certification in Six Sigma.

Most recently Rob was employed at a plasticware manufacturing and distribution company, where he redesigned their e-commerce assembly and picking area, leading to a 30% improvement in picker productivity. He later provided consultation on a project and identified key bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the assembly and receiving processes, while recommending short- and long-term Lean principles for implementation. Rob has done network analysis for a Fortune 100 company and led the preparation of the 90-page evaluation; he has led market research of customs best practices and key competitors. He has experience in forecasting methods, network configuration, lean principles. Rob has a master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Logistics Management from Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University. Throughout his education he has applied data analysis and supply chain solutions to excel in his courses.

Rounak Nischal has a passion for supply chain management and helping clients succeed. He holds a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Data Analytics & Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management from Rutgers Business School. He most recently was in the Supply Chain Leadership Rotational Program at Campbell Soup Company. Rounak is experienced in many areas of supply chain including procurement, quality, distribution, manufacturing, operational excellence, continuous improvement, customer logistics, data visualization and automation. Throughout his career, Rounak has identified areas for process improvement and utilized process flows and value stream mapping to create cost saving initiatives for multi-million-dollar projects. Rounak also has great experience leading teams, managing multiple projects, and utilizing business intelligence tools such as Power BI & Robotic Process Automation to deliver needed information in a timely fashion to the customer. By combining his analytical tools and supply chain knowledge, Rounak is able to provide supply chain solutions that will have short-term and long-term success in many cross-functional situations.

 

*Q2 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Scott Cabrera holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering with a concentration in Logistics and Supply Chain from Bradley University. He has been exposed to numerous business functions in the distribution industry while employed at the nation’s largest food redistributor. This experience has allowed him to develop strong analytical skills while managing multiple projects and a team of workers. Some of his achievements include optimizing fleet performance reports which led to a 90% reduction in reporting time, developing a forecasted headcount for a warehouse expansion, increasing order picker productivity by 40%, and designing an ETA tool leading to a 44% reduction in process time. Additionally, Scott has valuable experience in statistical process control, lean manufacturing, and business process improvement from his degree. Scott is proficient utilizing analytical tools such as Minitab, R, Python, and Excel-VBA.

Sean Hull is a seasoned Project Manager with twenty years of comprehensive experience in senior-level management, implementing best practices throughout rapidly changing, highly competitive growth environments. Sean offers the rare ability to serve as a liaison between developers, executive management and stakeholders to ensure expectations are clearly communicated and goals are met. He is skilled in client needs assessment, product specification, risk analysis, budgeting and client-vendor relations. With a mix of solid experience in program management, software development, and enterprise systems support and maintenance, Sean is well versed in driving digital transformation throughout retail, eCommerce, distribution and manufacturing sectors. Sean holds a BA from The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business; Management Information Systems.

Sokol Bojaj is an accomplished SAP and ERP Solutions Program/Project Manager, with more than 25 years of success in delivering business-critical, complex, Global ERP Solutions that align Enterprise IT strategy with Business Objectives. He has managed over 30 successful ERP Based Global Technology Transformation Programs, which also included complete Business Process Transformation, Organizational Change Management, Systems & Package Integrations (CRM, SCM, MES), Vendor Management, Application Development/Configuration, Program/Project Budget and Resource Management, Infrastructure, Data Migration and Testing, and Cutover Management across multiple industry verticals; including IT Consulting/Delivery, Automotive, Energy/Utility, Manufacturing, Life Science, Event Management, Staffing/Resourcing, IT Managed Services, Media, and Retail Industries. He is an effective and visionary Solutions Leader, with broad experience across multiple ERP platforms; including SAP (ECC6.0, S/4 HANA), JD Edwards, Workday, MS Dynamics, Plex, Oracle NetSuite, and Deltek.

Tara has been transforming Supply Chain in companies for more than 20 years. Her continuous improvement mindset and cost savings results have taken these companies to a new level, allowing growth and a positive impact to the bottom line. She has done this by taking a back-to-basics approach, ensuring the core functionality of Supply Chain is in place and effective policies and procedures are driving everyday business decisions. Tara’s expertise is in S&OP, demand and supply planning, inventory and change management and procurement and logistics. She has helped small firms to Fortune 100 companies in the CPG, Mining and Chemicals industries deliver value to their customers, optimize processes, and drive out cost. Aside from working on the business side in both the corporate and consulting worlds, she has taken on roles leading implementations of ERP systems. Tara holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Mercer University and a Lean Six Sigma certification from Purdue University. She is APICS CPIM certified and is a board member with ISCEA – International Supply Chain Education Alliance and with VCARE International – Education and Research Practitioner Board.

Tim Shaw is a creative and energetic professional with 20+ years of experience in business and information technology leadership roles. He is a highly versatile and experienced business transformation project manager with hands-on knowledge of multiple ERP platforms. Tim has successfully guided organizations through significant improvements with the implementation of various enterprise solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics (GP, D365/AX, NAV/BC), JD Edwards, RentalMan/400, Sage, as well as Salesforce.com, and Dynamics CRM/CE. He has also led several companies through SOX and PCI compliance initiatives. Tim’s program management experience includes the management of complex projects and the re-engineering and turnaround of underperforming programs. He inspires teams to develop solutions that provide organizational enhancements and bottom-line growth and value while creating a vision in tandem with client business strategies. Tim quickly grasps the big picture, focuses on the critical details, manages multiple priorities, tracks and delivers measurable ROI, and is a compassionate people leader for whom working cross-functionally is second nature. He has earned a Master of Business Administration from Capella University and a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration and Operations Management from the University of Southern Illinois. He has also earned the following certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) professional, and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

Tim Wise is an innovative supply chain leader who excels at developing cross functional business processes and system implementations. Tim has over 25 years of experience in implementing complex supply chain management processes for hi-tech companies like Hewlett Packard and Seagate. Tim is an expert in Sales and Operations Planning, Inventory Management, business process design and supply chain network design. Having led multiple ERP selection and implementation projects, Tim understands the complexities of process development for manufacturing and distribution companies. With a strong background in finance, Tim can work seamlessly across functions and processes to effectively improve any operation. Before Ultra, he led an initiative at a high technology company to reduce inventory by over $100M in less than 12 months. Tim graduated from East Central Oklahoma University with a degree in Accounting and Finance and holds an MBA from the University of Arizona.

Tony is an operations, supply chain and change management professional with extensive experience managing and delivering successful Cost Reduction, Process Improvement and Profitability Enhancement projects. Tony brings decades of experience leading process improvement, cost reduction, operational excellence and organization change management engagement projects in supply chain, manufacturing and fulfillment operations. His tenure includes leadership roles in supply chain and operations for Sears Holdings Corporation, Ernst & Young, Motorola and other industry leading companies. As Ultra’s Senior Project Manager, Tony draws upon his deep experience managing strategic initiatives at manufacturing and distribution organizations with proven success in the areas of Process Improvement, Change Management, Fulfillment Operations, Profitability Enhancement, Manufacturing, Project Management, and Supply Chain Management. Tony holds a Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering Northwestern University and Master of Management, MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Van Dang is a highly self-motivated and customer-oriented supply chain professional with strong analytical skills. Van strategically orchestrated cost effective and deadline-oriented supply chain procedures which exceeded business plans and manufacturing goals. With deep domain experience in manufacturing and supply chain for Schlumberger, Halliburton-Pinnacle and Bisco Industries, Van has successfully implemented continuous improvement projects including a project that lead to $1.7M in purchasing savings and another key project that increased GR/IR reconciliation by 300%. Van holds a B.A. in Economics from University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, Maryland. Van also offers advanced proficiency in the following systems: Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PPT, Visio, etc.) SharePoint, SAP/ERP, SAP Business Objects BI, SAP Ariba, Tableau, Oracle. Van is Bilingual in English and Vietnamese.

 

Bill Coletta is a sales professional with more than 20 years of customer relations, marketing and project management experience. His main objective is to build relationships with potential clients and help them discover the benefits of an ERP implementation. Having worked in both distribution and the manufacturing sectors, he has good knowledge of ERP/CRM applications such as Epicor, SAP, and industry-specific software. Bill graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Marketing Communications & Advertising.

*Q3 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Ehren Highfill is a Business Development Representative with over 10 years of customer relations and advocacy experience. His focus is to connect with prospects, obtain knowledge of their goals and educate them on the opportunities associated with ERP implementation. While working in group benefits at Liberty Mutual, he worked closely with companies such as Toyota and Amazon which provided insight into the world of lean manufacturing and distribution. In addition, Ehren served as a site champion at Liberty Mutual and was a top resource for the group’s transition into a lean management system. He was specifically tasked with researching and diagnosing the current state of group benefits and reported back to leadership with key objectives, opportunities and a list of best practices. This information was positioned for deployment to help achieve the vision outlined by the future state target. Ehren graduated in the top 10 percent of his class at Arizona State University with a BA in Mass Communication and Journalism.

*Q4 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Eric Wilson is the Director of Sales for Ultra Consultants with over 25 years of global sales, business development, consulting, marketing, operations, alliance partnerships, and management experience. He is focused on identifying opportunities to deliver sustainable value to mid-market manufacturers and distributors in the key areas of business transformation, process improvement, change management, risk mitigation, enterprise technology selection, and implementation services. His diversified professional career began with multiple roles in international manufacturing and distribution. He then transitioned his extensive business acumen and related skillsets to the Enterprise Resource Planning software industry helping executives achieve their goals with enabling technologies and program management. He was later recruited by partners in both the Venture Capital and Private Equity communities to support strategic growth and operational improvement initiatives with a variety of investment portfolio companies. Over the years, Eric has passionately served clients in the domestic United States, Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the United Kingdom across multiple industry sectors. He received his B.A. from John Carroll University and resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Prior to joining Ultra in 2016, Scott’s 25+ year B2B software career included sales, marketing, and industry alliances, along with the delivery of consultative services to SMB and mid-size enterprises. He has held numerous senior marketing and sales leadership roles at ERP companies, including Epicor Software and Activant Solutions. Scott has extensive experience in building customer-focused sales teams that provide technology solutions, services and strategies to drive business process improvements and corresponding financial performance. With a consultative sales approach, Scott’s team collaborates with the customer in providing a compelling ROI proposition and long-term business partnership. Scott’s areas of expertise include enterprise software, supply chain, business intelligence, and professional & customer services. Originally hailing from Central Minnesota, Scott attended the University of Minnesota. He is an avid golfer, and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tim Griffin brings significant domain experience in enterprise resource technology in manufacturing and distribution. He joined Ultra after more than ten years at Infor Global Solutions where he held the position of Sales-Business System Consultant. Tim has also worked at Oracle. Tim holds a BS degree in Purchasing and Materials Management from Bowling Green University and is certified in Production and Inventory Management from APICS.

 

Brian brings 20 years of marketing leadership to Ultra Consultants working as creative lead with clients like Mercedes-Benz, Allstate, eBay, and various public and private sector organizations working to effectively communicate with specific audiences. His work has been recognized for awards in the healthcare, education, automotive and non-profit sectors – including a series of distracted driving awareness campaigns developed with the California Highway Patrol and California Casualty. For the past seven years, Brian has worked in the fresh produce sector developing B2B messaging partnerships with large-scale growers, distributors, and clients throughout the foodservice industry. His work included developing Cultivating Change, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to small family farms for infrastructure improvements, an annual Culinary Summit that brought together the perishable supply chain with the restaurants they served, and developing popular video and podcast series showcasing produce companies like Dole, Driscoll’s, and Sunkist to share their stories. Brian has served on the boards for United Fresh, the Produce Marketing Association, and the National Ad Council – and enjoys volunteering his time assisting Non-Profit Organizations in developing countries to share their message.

As a Demand Generation Manager, I drive results through a strategic blend of advanced automation tools, structured lead nurturing, and a well-trained eye for visually appealing content.

Camisha Walker is a Senior Recruiter with Ultra and brings with her 12 years of experience in recruiting, sales and account management. She has a strong history of recruiting top consulting talent focusing on business process management, business analytics, project leadership, organizational change management, strategy execution, and M & A integration. Camisha is also knowledgeable in full life cycle recruitment processes. Prior to Ultra, she excelled as an Executive Recruiter in the pharmaceutical industry within the Medical Affairs arena. Camisha earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University.

Dennis Gilhooley Sr. has over 40 years of experience in supply chain management specializing in logistics and distribution management, third-party logistics (3PL), and demand planning. His experience includes managing transportation and 3PL projects for the Department of Defense and managing third party fulfillment for the US Mint. While at IBM, he managed a 70-person Logistics Service Area and led recruiting and training activities for the 800-person Public Sector Supply Chain Practice. While at a major consumer electronics firm, he managed all finished goods distribution activities including managing multiple 3PLs. His sales planning and marketing experience includes demand forecasting, product planning, market analysis, and market research. He has served on many marketing committees for the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) in Washington, D.C., and was the recipient of the EIA Marketing Services Award of Excellence. Dennis’s education and certifications include a Certificate in Distribution Management, DePaul University; B.A. Mathematics, Culver-Stockton College; He is Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) with APICS.

*Q4 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient Nicole Gilhooley is the Director of Human Resources for Ultra Consultants. She manages the employee lifecycle, including talent acquisition, benefits administration, performance management, employee relations, employee engagement, recognition and health and wellness. She is the administrator for LinkedIn Learning, LinkedIn TalentHub and the ADP Workforce Now portal. Nicole is also the co-leader of the Lean In Circle group for women at Ultra and is a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the company. Nicole is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago and a member of SHRM.

*Q4 2021 Employee Recognition Award Recipient

Richard Reck is the founder and President of Business Strategy Advisors LLC (BSA), a business strategy consultancy that focuses on serving technology-based and entertainment companies. Mr. Reck serves as a member of the Board of Directors for several companies, including tronc, Inc. (formerly The Tribune Publishing Company), Interactive Intelligence, a public communications software company where he serves on the audit and compensation committees, and SilkRoad Technology, a venture backed SaaS software Company. In addition to these board positions, over recent years he has served as Chairman of Greenbrier & Russel, an Information Technology Services Company bought by Fujitsu, Advanced Life Sciences, a public biopharmaceutical development company where he served as the chairman of the audit committee, Merge Healthcare, a public health care software and information company where he served on the audit and compensation committees and chaired the nominating and governance committee that was sold to IBM, and Sivox Technologies, an eLearning call center software company that merged with Bankers Edge. Mr. Reck is also a registered Certified Public Accountant and was a partner with KPMG LLP, a Big Four CPA firm, for nearly 30 years, where he served as the National Director of the Software and Information Technology and Services Practice for a variety of clients, including companies like BorgWarner Corporation, Zebra Technologies, Inc., and Magnavox Corporation. Mr. Reck received a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from DePauw University and an MBA in accounting from the University of Michigan.

Verinder Syal has over 40 years of experience in working with companies to deliver exceptional results. He has been an Adjunct Faculty member at Northwestern University since 2006 where he teaches two courses in leadership and entrepreneurship. Mr. Syal is also a published author, having written the book Discover the Entrepreneur Within – A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting It Done. Prior to Syal’s work as an author and entrepreneur, he served as the CEO of several companies, including Rhymer Seafood and Stella Cheese. Mr. Syal also spent 19 years at The Quaker Oats Company, where held a variety of positions, including VP of Corporate Planning & Strategy, CEO of Golden Grain, a privately held company acquired by Quaker where under his direction sales reached $300 million, and President of the $2 billion Quaker Breakfast Foods Group, whose brands included Quaker Oats, Cap’n Crunch, and Aunt Gemima. Verinder Syal is the Past Chairman of WPO Chicago, a worldwide business organization, where he developed award winning educational programs. He has an MBA from the University of Michigan and an Engineering degree from MACT, India.

Mr. Halperin has served as CEO of Coherent Networks International Inc., a software company specializing in the telecom industries. Prior to that, Mr. Halperin was the CEO of JBA International, a unit of JBA Holdings and global ERP software company based in the U.K., where he oversaw a successful IPO. When Mr. Halperin was Vice President of Sales, Services, and Marketing for System Software Associates (SSA), a provider of extended enterprise solutions and services, the company also went public during his tenure. Mr. Halperin spent time as Area Director for Wang Laboratories, a mid-range computer manufacturer, where he was responsible for sales, support, and administrative operations covering nine Midwestern states. Prior to that engagement, Mr. Halperin spent nine years at IBM Corporation in various marketing and management positions. Mr. Halperin has served on the board of directors of several companies both private and public, including Story Inc., JBA International, Advanced Graphical Applications, Airborne Control Technologies, Made2Manage, Coherent Networks International, Epigraph, Interactive Intelligence, and multiple SSA affiliates. Mr. Halperin graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. degree in Business Administration, and acquired one year of credits toward an MBA in Marketing.