Automotive Parts Suppliers Conference

Michael Alcala
Vice Chairman Board of Directors and CEO, GNS North America - Grand Rapids

Mike Alcala currently serves as Vice Chairman Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer at GNS North America.

Mike is also the President and Owner of FRANSTO LLC and has applied his expertise to operations turnaround, interim management, and a variety of business advisory and project engagements.

Mike has had a progressive and successful career having served as President and CEO multiple times, COO, Executive Vice President, and the senior executive responsible for sales and program management related disciplines multiple times.  He held positions in financial and cost management earlier in his career. 

An accomplished executive with proven executive leadership, operational management, growth performance and business results, he is able to quickly gain expertise in new businesses, analyze and address complex situations, develop and execute creative and comprehensive strategies, and lead by personal  example. He excels at building and sustaining relationships with clients, partners, management, employees, and diverse cultures and is successful at management and leadership, strategic repositioning for growth, business turnaround, comprehensive operational restructuring, program management, consolidation, and post-acquisition integration.

Mike is an active member of the Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association. He is a  MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers Board member, a MEMA Board Member, a member of the MEMA OE CEO council and previously was the Chairman of the MEMA OE Small and Medium Suppliers Council.
 
He currently serves on the CEO council for Talent First in Western Michigan, is the Chairman of the Divine Child Executive Advancement Committee in Dearborn, Michigan, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Erika’s Lighthouse, a non-profit organization.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude, from Northwood University..

Benjamin Barnett
President, Principal Manufacturing Corporation

Bio coming soon.

Steve Horaney
VP, Sales & Membership, MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers

Steve Horaney, senior vice president, is responsible for MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers member recruitment and retention, as well as leading the MEMA OE Sales Executive Council and the MEMA Mobility Supplier Forum in Silicon Valley. Steve also coordinates the MEMA OEM Town Hall meetings, and leads and coordinates a number of the MEMA topic-driven events.

Prior to joining MEMA in 2014, Steve spent more than 25 years with Tier One automotive suppliers and led sales and engineering teams at Guardian Automotive, Zeledyne LLC, AGC Automotive Americas and Key Manufacturing. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central Michigan University and an MBA from Eastern Michigan University.

Sandy Munro
CEO, Munro & Associates, Inc.

Bio coming soon.

Colton Sampson
Director of Business Development & Partnerships, Machina Labs

Colton Sampson is the director of business development and partnerships at Machina Labs. He previously led application development at Carbon, Inc., a Bay Area startup producing the world's largest, by volume, production of 3D printed components (Futurecraft4D shoe midsoles with Adidas, helmet liners with Riddell, backpack padding with Osprey, and saddles with Specialized Bicycles). Colton has more than 10 years of advanced manufacturing experience including time with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, in Valencia, CA, and 3DFortify in Boston, MA. Colton’s expertise encompasses polymeric, ceramic and metal prototyping through production in the commercial and defense sectors, with his current focus being the development of Machina’s marquee partnerships in the aero/automotive, energy and architectural industries. Colton holds a BS in Biology from the University of Portland and an MBA from PSU.

Jeff Schuster
Group Head and Executive Vice President, Automotive , LMC Automotive

Jeff Schuster is group head and executive president, automotive for GlobalData, parent of LMC Automotive. He oversees the global analytics team and all activity for the Automotive Intelligence Center and LMC Automotive. Included in his role is the leadership and direction of detailed trend analysis, forecasts and new product development. In addition, he is one of the firm’s primary global automotive experts.

Jeff has been tracking, forecasting and analyzing developments in the global automotive industry for more than 25 years and has been with LMC Automotive since its inception in 2011 and continued on after the 2021 acquisition by GlobalData. He is widely quoted by the automotive media in print, internet, radio and television. He frequently makes industry conference and seminar presentations covering various topics including the current assessment and outlook of the automotive industry.

Prior to joining the firm, Jeff led the automotive forecast division of J.D. Power and Associates and has experience in financial analysis and cash management in the automotive supply base.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a Master of Science degree in corporate finance from Walsh College. He is a board member of Society of Automotive Analysts and a member of the Automotive Press Association.

Daniel Sharkey
Partner, Brooks Wilkins Sharkey & Turco PLLC

Dan Sharkey concentrates his practice on supply-chain issues: negotiating contracts and litigation. He is co-founder of Brooks Wilkins Sharkey and Turco PLLC and previously was an associate and shareholder with Butzel Long, PC. From 1995-1999, Dan was a Captain, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, 3d Infantry Division (Mech.)- Trial Counsel and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. Dan has a law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law and a business degree from The University of Notre Dame. He has successfully negotiated and litigated hundreds of manufacturing supply-chain disputes, ranging from original equipment manufacturers versus Tier 1 suppliers to raw-material suppliers versus lower tiers.

Bucky Strong
CEO, Tohoom

Bucky Strong is the CEO of Tohoom, a leading provider of commercial intelligence management (CIM) software for original equipment suppliers. With more than five years at the helm, Bucky has driven Tohoom’s mission to enhance industry-wide data management for improved forecasting, pursuit and claims management.
 
Bucky’s background includes strategic leadership, business development and technological innovation, and expertise in commercial intelligence and data-driven decision-making. Prior to Tohoom, Bucky served as vice president at SAP, where he provided strategic solutions and expert consultation for the North American manufacturing industry, fostering customer innovation and enterprise transformation. His leadership extended over five years, during which time he significantly enhanced customer engagements and business process improvements. Bucky also has held key positions at Microsoft, including Dynamics sales manager and director of national systems integrators for Microsoft Dynamics.

James Taylor
Executive Sales Director, North America, Cummins-Meritor

James Taylor is the Executive Sales Director, North America for Cummins-Meritor. In this role, he is responsible for leading commercial agreements and strategic relationships with all of the company’s North American first-fit customers as well as managing the North America field sales team (DriveForce) and sales strategy organizations.

Previously, he was the Senior Director of North America Field Operations and Training where he directed the company’s field sales and service strategy across the United States and Canada as well as the technical training organization. Prior to that, James worked at Meritor for more than 23 years in positions with increasing responsibility across operations, sales, profit and loss, and program and product strategy management before leaving for another opportunity in 2020. He has significant commercial vehicle and automotive industry experience, including leadership positions with Aperia Technologies and TE Connectivity.

James holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Eastern Michigan University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Windsor.

Denis Wills
Head of Global Sales, Borgwarner Emissions Systems of Michigan Inc

Denis Wills is the head of global sales for BorgWarner, a global Tier One automotive supplier focused on the efficient propulsion of passenger cars and commercial vehicles in both the internal combustion and electric vehicle segments. Denis has been with BorgWarner for more than 30 years with experience in sales, product management, procurement and program management. In his current role, he leads the BorgWarner global growth board focusing the enterprise on customer strategy, profitable EV growth, maximizing foundational value and sales operational excellence to deliver the company’s overall Charging Forward strategy.  
 
Denis has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Michigan State University and an MBA from Oakland University. He also completed an executive management program from the Saïd Business School - University of Oxford, England.

Steve Wybo
Senior Managing Director and Automotive Practice Group Leader, Riveron

Steve Wybo is a senior restructuring and management consulting professional with more than 20 years of experience in providing turnaround, reorganization, M&A and financial advisory services to distressed and underperforming companies and their constituents. Steve applies his expertise in financial and operational management to clients in several fields, with a special emphasis in the automotive supply industry. He has served as an interim Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Restructuring Officer, interim Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer and Court Appointed Receiver for several middle-market clients. Steve also is a member of the board of directors for two Tier One and Tier Two automotive suppliers.

Prior to joining Riveron, Steve was a senior associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP), and earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Michigan State University and an MBA with high distinction from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is a member of the Turnaround Management Association, where he is a past president of the board in the Detroit Chapter. Steve was selected as one of Turnarounds & Workouts’ “People to Watch: Business Professionals Making Their Mark.”