2010 IW Best Plants Conference
Executive Advisory Board

Herb Bradshaw | John DiPaola | Jamie Flinchbaugh
| Mark Newton | Chad Schron | Bill Schwartz


Herb Bradshaw
Plant Manager
Thomas & Betts Corp.
(2005 IW Best Plants Winner)


Bradshaw is plant manager of 2005 IW Best Plants Winner, Thomas & Betts Corp. -- Athens, Tenn. operations. With Thomas & Betts since 1982, he has held positions in corporate & division engineering, operations management and project management. Bradshaw most recently chaired an international team that developed the Thomas & Betts Manufacturing System that documents the company's Lean philosophy and "How We Work" as an operating enterprise. He holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and a master's degree in engineering administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

John DiPaola
Vice President and Group Publisher
Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group
Penton Media Inc.


John DiPaola is the Vice President and Group Publisher for Penton Media Inc.'s Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group. His operational responsibilities include oversight for several of Penton's premier brands including IndustryWeek, New Equipment Digest (NED), EHS Today, American Machinist, Material Handling Management, Logistics Today, Foundry Management & Technology, Forging, American Printer, Paper, Film & Foil Converter and the Used Equipment Network.

Jamie Flinchbaugh
Founder and Partner
Lean Learning Center


Jamie Flinchbaugh is a founder and partner of the Lean Learning Center in Novi, Michigan, and the co-author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road. He shares his successful and varied experiences of lean transformation as a practitioner and leader through companies such as Chrysler and DTE Energy. He also has a wide range of practical experience in industrial operations, including production, maintenance, material control, product development, and manufacturing engineering. Flinchbaugh is a graduate fellow of the highly regarded Leaders for Manufacturing Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his research thesis was on implementing lean manufacturing through factory design. He also holds a bachelor's in engineering from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA and an master's in engineering from the University of Michigan. In 2006, he was named to Crain Detroit's 40 Under 40 list for his accomplishments.

Mark Newton
Plant Manager
Autoliv North America
(2007 Best Plants Winner)

Mark Newton is plant manager of Autoliv North America -- Tremonton Initiator Facility (ITO) in Tremonton, Utah, a winner of the IW Best Plants award in 2007. Among other accomplishments, Autoliv ITO achieved a 75.2% improvement in productivity parts per person over a three-year period, while tripling inventory turns.

Chad Schron
VP of Operations and Technology
ToolingU


Chad Schron is the Vice President and Co-Founder of ToolingU.com. His operational responsibilities include oversight of the product development, marketing, systems development and operations. Through his leadership Toolingu.com has become the leading provider of online training for today's manufacturers.

Bill Schwartz
VP Business Development
TBM Consulting Group


A partner with TBM since 1991, Bill Schwartz is head of worldwide business development. He has introduced lean principles at dozens of companies over the years and often launches LeanSigma® initiatives for new clients.

Schwartz has a widely recognized expertise in translating lean principles for business processes in manufacturing and service industries. He is currently responsible for marketing and new client development for TBM Consulting Group worldwide, and has consulted with such leading companies as Freudenberg-NOK, the Critikon Division of Johnson & Johnson, and Hill-Rom Company. Schwartz's expertise in streamlining and optimizing business processes makes him much sought after as a consultant.

Earlier in his career, Schwartz was a senior consultant with Howell Management Corporation and was vice president of sales and marketing for Medallic Art Company. A graduate of Colgate University with a degree in mathematics, Schwartz earned his master's in business administration from New York University's Stern School of Business.