Forming Our Future

John Bell
Department Head Supply chain Management, University of Tennessee

John E. Bell is the Dove Professor of Supply Chain Management and Supply Chain Department Head in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee. He holds a Ph.D. in Management from Auburn University. Dr. Bell’s research focuses on raw material logistics, transportation management, and sustainable supply chain management. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as the Journal of Business Logistics, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Transportation Journal, and Journal of Operations Management. Prior to joining UT in 2010, Dr. Bell was a career military officer and spent 24 years in the U.S. Air Force managing logistics, maintenance and air transport operations around the world.

Charles Bernard
CEO, Eagle Metals Inc.

Charlie Bernard is the CEO of Eagle Metals, a reroll mill of copper-based alloys, stainless steel, nickel alloys and CRS strip, founded in 1990.

Charlie has spent his entire 45-year business career in the metals industry. Starting at Olin Brass in East Alton, IL, in 1978, he held positions of increasing responsibility in inside and outside sales, and in reroll mill management.

In 1987, Charlie became the general manager of a full line service center of copper-based alloys and aluminum products in the Philadelphia area, and held executive management responsibilities for a stainless and nickel alloy reroll mill in Elgin, IL.

In 1990, Charlie purchased the reroll mill assets of Metals Engineering, a Brush Wellman company, which was solely a reroller of copper-based alloys at the time, and started Eagle Brass. In 2015, the company name was changed to Eagle Metals, to reflect the growing business in stainless steel strip and other materials.

Mike Brattain
Account Executive, Systems X Corporation

Bringing over two decades of expertise in business development, sales, and team leadership, Mike is dedicated to helping business owners and IT managers navigate real-world business challenges with practical IT solutions. He collaborates closely with managed IT, cybersecurity, and compliance teams at Systems X to deliver winning solutions for clients.

Janice D’Amico
Executive Manager, IT, Thai Summit America Corporation

Janice has had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest companies to launch and optimize software platforms over the last 25 years. Presently, she is leading a cutting-edge technology team in North America and looking forward to launching Thai Summit facilities in their 35+ facilities across Asia.

An accomplished professional in IT systems with a background that began in MP&L Management; she has a keen understanding of business flow and operational business excellence. Janice has implemented various software platforms across many types of manufacturing operations. She has international experience having had the pleasure of launching ERP platforms globally including Europe, Mexico, India, China and Thailand. Today she is excited to be a part of automotive manufacturing that's driven by metrics, real-time data and the loT evolution.

Craig Doescher
President, Doescher Group

Craig Doescher is the founder and president of Doescher Group. Craig’s background in extensive operating and financial experience led to the creation of Doescher Group, where they are leveling the playing field for self-made business owners. Doescher Group provides trusted guidance to business owners seeking to navigate unfamiliar financial terrain, whether they are looking to evolve or exit their business. Prior to Doescher Group, Craig began his career as an investment banker in New York City with Goldman, Sachs & Co., and The Blackstone Group, working in operations roles at closely held family businesses and startups, serving as an investment professional and portfolio company CFO at a family office. Craig holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a Master of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Bill Greider
Principal, P4lean Strategy

Bill Greider is the principal of P4 Lean Strategy, a South Windsor, CT consulting company focused on process improvements using Lean Methodologies for small and midsized businesses. Bill works directly with management and lean champions leveraging tools needed to turn a "continuous improvement or lean sigma program" into a market-disruptive policy-deployment machine with the goal of creating wealth and prosperity for all stakeholders. Much of what Bill teaches his customers are lessons he learned in his own manufacturing company over the course of 20 years in implementing a lean business strategy.

In his 12 years as a consultant, Bill has been particularly driven by the challenges of organizational change management and the support required of employees to embrace change.

Laurie Harbour
Partner, Wipfli LLC

Laurie Harbour is a partner at Wipfli with more than 35 years of manufacturing and consulting experience. Prior to joining Wipfli, she was the co-owner of Harbour Results, Inc., and has spent her career helping clients develop strategies, improve operations, reduce risk and optimize business performance. Clients benefit from Laurie's ability to work with leadership teams to assess the current state of their business and provide strategic and operation recommendations for improvement.

Laurie’s specializations include business strategy, leadership development, operational improvement, benchmarking, sales strategy and talent management.

Bill Hickey
Chairman, Lapham-Hickey Steel Corp

Bill Hickey is chairman of Lapham-Hickey Steel Corp., a steel service center founded in 1926. This family-owned and operated company has 11 locations with approximately 850 employees. Lapham-Hickey is currently ranked as one of the top 50 service centers in the United States. Bill has held several positions within Lapham-Hickey since his employment at the company began in 1975. He has been in his current position since 2018. Bill also has held chapter and national leadership positions in MSCI and currently is a member of the Chairman’s Emeritus Council.

Karen Kiewski
Director of Client Services, Systems X Corporation

Karen has been assisting companies to achieve better business results through the alignment of IT tools and services with business goals for more than 20 years. She became a CMMC-AB Registered Practitioner in 2021 as part of the Department of Defense’s initiative to secure the nation’s supply chain. Karen’s focus on cybersecurity solutions for both commercial and defense-focused companies ensures that they are well equipped to face the ever-changing security landscape.

Connor Lokar
Economist, ITR Economics

Few young economists present their insights with the authority, accuracy and humor that Connor Lokar brings to the stage. From the intimate executive retreat to trade association keynotes, he delivers with charm and candor, rousing and enlightening all who attend his talks.

As a millennial, Connor brings a new perspective to the world of economics, delivering ITR’s industry-leading accuracy to current C-suite executives while forging connections with the next generation of business leaders. 

Connor specializes in construction but consults and presents to businesses across all industries, helping them grow revenue and remain profitable through an everchanging business cycle.

Scott Moore
Retired Rear Admiral & SEAL, United States Navy

Having served 30 years as a SEAL leader, retired Rear Admiral Scott Moore is a master in organizational leadership and teambuilding. He served in every leadership position in the SEAL teams, including the former commander of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and closed out his career as the number two leader in the entire SEAL organization. He led the military’s elite forces through more than 2,000 of our nation’s most extreme, high-stakes missions and was deployed on SEAL team operations across the globe. He understands the importance of leadership and cohesiveness like few others can, and his experience runs the gamut from leading small groups to large-scale tactical planning. From the mountains of Afghanistan to briefings in the Oval Office, Moore is the man our leaders trusted when failure was not an option.

Moore led SEAL teams during the marquee moments of our nation’s history – like Just Cause (Panama), Bosnia, and post-9/11. He was the commander of a Joint Special Operations Task Force conducting more than 2,000 high-risk raids against key enemy leaders in Afghanistan. Additionally, he commanded several critical, no-fail hostage rescue operations, including the mission to save Captain Richard Phillip from Somali pirates.

Moore also served as the director of counter-terrorism at the National Security Council and the deputy director for special operations at the Pentagon. There he reported to Admiral Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was his primary counter-terrorism advisor. Moore then spent a year as the deputy commander at the Office of Defense Representative Pakistan, where he was one of the senior officers interfacing with the Pakistani military. Most recently, Moore served as the deputy commander of Naval Special Warfare, where he recruited, trained, equipped and deployed our nation’s most elite.

Omar Nashashibi
Founder, Inside Beltway

Omar S. Nashashibi is the founder of Inside Beltway, a nonpartisan lobbying and strategic consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Having worked in the nation’s capital for more than 25 years, Omar provides strategic consulting services to companies while also lobbying the White House and Congress on behalf of manufacturing associations, defense firms, nonprofits and other sectors. He works with policymakers on trade, taxes, environmental and workplace regulations, supply chains, job training and identifying grants and funding to support projects.

Having started his career in Washington, D.C. in 1995, Omar worked for the Office of Management and Budget, a branch of the White House, a large multi-state law firm, and founded a previous lobbying firm in 2005. He graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he studied Political Science and International Affairs.

Paul Nathanson
Partner , Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell, LLP

Paul Nathanson is a founding partner of the Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell, PMA’s strategic communications firm.

Paul has more than 25 years of experience in strategic communications, with a focus on reputation management, message development and implementation, public policy analysis, media relations and strategic counseling services. His expertise helps clients formulate their arguments in persuasive ways and ensures that their views are heard and understood by target audiences, including Members of Congress, policymakers, the news media and the public.

Gregory Offner
Author, Workforce Strategist & Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, Global Performance Institute

Gregory Offner is an author, workforce strategist, and award-winning keynote speaker. He is the founding partner of the Global Performance Institute, a boutique consulting firm supporting organizations and executives seeking to get the most out of their workforce. Gregory previously held leadership roles in the outsourced services and risk management industries, developing future leaders and advising some of the most recognizable names in business. For more, visit www.gregoryoffner.com.

Donna Peterson
CEO, World Innovators, Inc.

Donna Peterson is the CEO of World Innovators, a renowned B2B family-owned marketing agency with more than four decades of experience in the industry. Her passion for fostering authentic relationships among individuals and businesses is the cornerstone of her success. Donna firmly believes that building strong bonds with employees, vendors and customers is paramount to long-term growth and success.

With her extensive background in Business-to-Business marketing, Donna has helped countless companies achieve their marketing objectives. Her secret to success lies in her ability to dive deep into specific industries, understand their unique challenges and goals, and stay ahead of the game by forecasting future trends. Her exceptional leadership skills and unwavering dedication to her craft have earned her the respect and admiration of her peers.

Alejandro Rodriguez
Partner, Global Services, Plante Moran

As a senior international business consultant and Mexico Country Manager for Plante Moran’s Global Services Team, Alejandro helps clients explore, enter, establish and operate business ventures in Mexico, Latin America and South America. He has more than 15 years of experience in the U.S. and Mexican manufacturing industries, as well as involvement in a number of business start-ups for major U.S. corporations in Mexico. Alejandro’s unique approach to cross-border business consulting is a result of his experience working for U.S. and Mexican companies and living on both sides of the border. He assists clients with site selection, incentive negotiation, financial and tax structuring, financial and operational due diligence, import/export issues, project management, strategic sourcing, cultural bridge building, and supply chain management. His consulting services have been instrumental in providing enormous savings and success for more than 80 companies entering and operating in the Mexican, Latin American and South American markets.

Teresa Schell
President / Owner, Vive Marketing

Teresa Schell began her career as a manufacturer’s representative for multiple manufacturing principles including investment castings, die castings, metal stampings, injection and rotational molding, etc., to diverse OEM markets. She became the first marketing director for an injection molding company in Wisconsin, gaining the company industry recognition and statewide manufacturing awards.
 
In 2007, Teresa co-founded Strategic Marketing Partners, a marketing consulting company for North American small to mid-sized manufacturers. In 2012, she acquired sole ownership and rebranded in 2014 to Vive. As marketers for manufacturers, Vive defines marketing platforms and brand development with strategic planning and communication campaigns to complement the sales efforts of clients in the plastic and metal industries.
 
Teresa regularly speaks at industry conferences; has been honored with many awards, including being named a 2024 Notable Marketing Executive by Milwaukee BizTimes Media; and has held several board positions, including with PMA, the Manufacturers Association of Plastic Processors, and the Wisconsin chapter of the Women in Manufacturing Association.

Caitlin Sickles
Partner, Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell, LLP

Caitlin Sickles is a partner in the Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell LLP. For over a decade, she has supported major corporations, industry associations and nonprofit organizations in advancing their advocacy priorities and achieving their business objectives by strengthening their brands and enhancing the way they communicate with their target audiences. She works in sectors including manufacturing, consumer products, national security, healthcare, energy and the environment.  Caitlin is part of the Precision Metalforming Association’s advocacy team in Washington, DC. Alongside her colleagues at Bracewell and The Franklin Partnership, she works with PMA to shape the association’s public presence and strengthen its advocacy efforts through traditional and social media. Caitlin served on the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) board of directors for three years, including on the board’s executive committee.  Caitlin is a co-host of the Talking with One Voice podcast and is online on LinkedIn and X at @caitlinsickles. 

Chris Ulbrich
CEO, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals Inc.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Labor Management and Finance from the University of Connecticut, Chris Ulbrich became the director of purchasing at Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals Inc., a family-owned company that is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

During his more than 40-year career at Ulbrich, Chris has held many positions. In 1988, he was promoted to executive vice president and remained in his position of director of purchasing and sales. In 1993, Chris became the president of Ulbrich Service Centers. From 1995 to 2014, he served as COO of Ulbrich, before being appointed chairman and CEO in 2014 after the passing of the second generation, Frederick C. Ulbrich, Jr.

In addition to continued commitment at Ulbrich, Chris is active with many boards of directors and community organizations, including the Young Presidents Organization, Castle Bank, Central Connecticut’s Community Foundation, Mid-State Medical Center’s Community Board, the United Way, YMCA, Connecticut Business and Industry, and the Boys and Girls Club.