Making great products for camper vans. Window shades, bug screens, and storage solutions for the Sprinter, Transit, and Promaster vans.

Directing and developing the Managers of the Engineering, Facilities, Quality Control & Special Project groups. • Create and manage both the present and long-term strategies for the production of all acoustic guitars made by Gibson.• Planning and tracking the capital expenditure (capex) budget for Gibson’s acoustic division.Project management of a new manufacturing factory and campus to increase capacity from 100 guitars/day to 300.• Develop the Managers of the Engineering, Facilities, Quality Control & Special Project groups so they manage their teams effectively with a focus on individual growth in every employee.• Redesign of the Gibson Acoustic batch-process to a lean manufacturing process.Design and development of new machines and methods to increase throughput and reduce labor hours.• Source and bring online automation in component machining, laser cutting parts, precision measuring & setting of user interface items, etc.• Design and sourcing of facility systems (environmental control, electrical, dust collection, etc.) and new technologies for production (filters, spray systems, conveyor systems, etc.)• Building partnerships with the City of Bozeman, OSHA, and Montana environmental agencies to ensure the facilities are compliant with all rules and regulations. • Implementation of necessary 5S projects to ensure a clean and productive work environment.• Head of the G-45 project; Gibson’s first entry into the $1,000 MAP segment of the acoustic guitar market. Managed a team that reduced material cost by 50% and labor hours by 60% in a six-month design/development time frame.• Proven record of increasing quality; shipments to European stores went from 50% pass rate to 100%.• Instilling the mindset that everyone in production is an inspector thereby reducing the final inspection time by 25%.• Reducing the amount of institutional knowledge needed by quantifying all quality issues so that they are a measurement and not a judgment call.

Personally responsible for the design and creation of innovative sportswear for Mixed Martial Arts Athletes.Design & Development Work -• In control of every component of product development and manufacture from the initial design idea to the entry of product into inventory at the Mind Spike warehouse.• Designed new products and made improvements to existing products.• Imagined, designed, and developed a patent-pending internal belt system to provide athletes with positive fit and security that was impossible to achieve with the current market standard string tie. • Responsible for sample product creation both in-house and with international suppliers.• Worked closely with professional athletes for durability testing and to incorporate their professional opinions into Mind Spike designs. Sourcing & Quality Control• Facilitated sourcing product from suppliers in Pakistan, China, and Lebanon.• Vetted supplier facilities in order to insure quality control and assurance.• Managed quality control levels and inspections occurring both abroad and in Lebanon with supplier employees and Mind Spike employees for all products• Determined appropriate fabrics and other raw materials for use in Mind Spike products based upon performance, durability, availability, and cost.

Head of the SmartWool Quality Control & Assurance program and responsible for management of all procedures, studies, and documentation related to quality.Product Quality -• Advanced SmartWool from being unlisted, to the top five of sportswear and apparel brands for “Product Quality” in the Brand Strength Report for 2014 by the SportsOneSource Consumer Research Group.• Determined the root cause of quality issues, and put in place safeguards to prevent future occurrences.• Consulted with the Design Team from the start of the products’ lifecycle to create new products designed to insure they were manufactured and used by consumers without quality or durability issues.• Organized Top of Production inspection, creation of reports, and gave final sign off prior to shipment.• Head of Project Durability, a long-term project, involving members of all departments in SmartWool, tasked with constant improvement of the durability of all SmartWool products.• Managed multiple sub-contractors to perform operations including quality audits, reworking goods, quality studies, and performance testing needed to bring quality products to market.Production Management -• Performed on-site evaluations of partners’ facilities in Turkey, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and China.• Completed due-diligence studies on potential partner factories and determined which would be suitable for SmartWool.• Tracked material usage to ensure proper levels of raw material efficiency were maintained.Procedure Creation -• Wrote all SmartWool Quality Control & Assurance procedures to be used at SmartWool partner factories.• Constructed the Vendor Quality Manual used by all factories working with SmartWool.• Worked with the VF Corporation’s European and Asian Quality Control Teams to take advantage of synergies between SmartWool factories and the VF Corporation Quality Inspectors.

Involved in every step of bringing new products, and changes to current products, to the market place.Design Work -• Worked with Designers and Product Managers from EMS, Adventure Medical Kits, Simms Fly Fishing, Cabela’s, Campmor, and REI to bring their products to market.• Designed new products and made improvements to existing products. • Mentored the Bio-mimicry collaboration project between the University of Calgary and Pacific Outdoor Equipment to produce test samples and integrate gained knowledge into future products. Product Management -• Acted as the sole Product Manager for more than 350 different products.• Lived in China for six months per year to work directly with our manufacturing facility.• Created spec. packages for all SKUs and sourced over 100 different raw materials from five countries.• Managed development and production schedules to ensure on-time delivery of products.• Worked with the factory to improve product quality and reduce production defects.• Trained technicians and supervised quality control audits of POE and other customers.• Coordinated the movement of production of the entire line of products to a new overseas facility.

Project Leader tasked with planning and tracking; the scope, time schedule, costs, and resources of a yearlong Engineers Without Borders international development project.Project Leader -• Won the International Peacekeepers Award of the Peace & Social Justice Center of Bozeman.• Improved EWB team fundraising from US$10,000/year in 2006 to over US$80,000/year in 2008.• Managed the efforts of both paid workers and volunteers who performed health surveys, school seminars, and the construction of a permanent composting latrine.• Supervised an eight-person Kenyan drilling team in the construction of a ninety-meter borehole.• Scheduled dates of work and organized payment for construction groups and companies working with EWB.• Organized Kenyan host-family accommodations for all American volunteers traveling to Kenya.• Coordinated the daily activities of fifteen volunteers of varying nationalities, ages, and backgrounds.• Worked with engineers, teachers, and health specialists to produce a comprehensive report detailing the activities performed during the project.

Worked with the Engineering staff on current projects and spearheaded new projects in all areas of the factory.Production Engineering -• Promoted to a role on the Engineering staff after crafting of a series of written recommendations for improving quality, efficiency, waste reduction, and safety.• Made over 200 written suggestions for the improvement of the production processes. Of which, more than 30 were green-lighted and funds were allocated to make changes in the production process.• Implemented a series of Quality Studies to determine the root causes of quality issues.• Organized the implementation of various Lean Manufacturing techniques to reduce time and waste.• Taught employees the use of new tools and techniques to improve quality levels and reduce cycle times.

▪ Frame to finish carpenter. Performing all tasks in the construction of 5,000 sqft homes.▪ Trained operator of cranes, high-lift forklifts, front-end loaders, excavators, and skid steers.

Assessed students’ proficiency level and designed complete lesson plans for their individual needs.Responsibilities in addition to normal teaching duties -• Participated in the development and introduction of new learning methods and materials that were used at all Nova schools across Japan. • Recognized as a teacher with unique abilities and was given the opportunity and responsibility of being the sole teacher of Nova’s first and only deaf student.• Provided training to new instructors at multiple Nova schools in the Tokyo area.• Received advanced training in order to teach Business English and English for young children.• Consulted with Japanese management staff on individual students’ strengths and weaknesses in order to place them in the Nova program best suited to their abilities and goals.• Designed alternative teaching tools for use in student groups to increase discussion and participation.

Responsible for the operation and coordination of three manufacturing lines each made up of ten production machines.Process Engineering -• Trained in the use of the Red X program to improve the manufacturing process.• Supervised the operation of automated cutting-machines and blast-cabinets, six-axis articulated robots, conveyor systems, and mechanized inspection stations.• Worked with Quality and Electrical Engineers to obtain appropriate levels of quality and production output on multiple production lines and over three production shifts.• Developed and put in place new forms of product inspection and quality control.• Organized a preventative maintenance schedule for Millwrights and Electricians to maintain proper machine conditions and operation.• Trained workers on proper operation of machines and inspection devices.

Responsible for the quality, installation, and operation of interior door components.Quality Engineering -• Implemented multiple Kaizen projects to improve material flow and production techniques.• Worked with more than thirty factory employees to reduce on-line problems and worker injuries.• Met all quotas put forth by management regarding product quality and installation time.• Acted as the representative of Toyota Corporation to product suppliers and subcontractors.• Worked with Quality Engineers in the Toyota Corporation within America and Japan to standardize quality control practices and production techniques.• Developed new measures to ensure that quality control methods produced permanent solutions.