George brings over 30 years of leadership experience in manufacturing and operations. He began his career with 10 years in Quality and OPEX at a Tier 1 automotive supplier, producing electrical components for Japanese automotive customers. Following that, George spent more than 20 years in various senior roles, including Plant Manager, Senior Director, VP of […]
Staff Role: Consultants
Charlie Motley
Professional Background: Charlie Motley brings over 35 years of extensive experience in the design and development of industrial machinery and semi-automated equipment. His career began with a focus on the automated dispensing of fluids, where he worked on applications and R&D projects for both retail and industrial machinery dispensing abrasive liquids. Charlie later transitioned to […]
Jay Schmidt
Jay has over 25 years of operational excellence experience focused in Lean Systems, Manufacturing Engineering and Project Management for the automotive, power management, and water flow & filtration industries. Jay has helped many organizations on their journey to achieve Operational Excellence by designing, implementing and continuously improving manufacturing systems that optimize people efficiency, material flow, […]
Andrew Porter
Andrew has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing engineering and consulting for the electronics, aerospace, metal foundry, assembly, printing and process industries. Andrew helps manufacturers adopt performance-driven strategies to improve quality and operational excellence. Skill Set Experience Certifications Education Andy volunteers for two organizations supporting artists with disabilities and is on the board of […]
Barry Messer
Barry brings over 25 years manufacturing experience working with management driving continual improvement and implementing quality management systems, in machining, foundry, assembly environments. He has lead new and ongoing cross-functional initiatives related to customer, quality, regulatory, and continuous improvement. Barry is a long term systems thinker with a proven track record of systems development and […]
Carol Crawford
Carol brings a diverse management background including experience in Operations and Supply Chain Management, Lean Six Sigma, Quality Systems, New Product Development, and Multi-site Project Management in manufacturing and software environments. Carol has worked for several large companies, including Brady Corp., a subsidiary of Rockwell Automation, 3M, and, prior to her arrival at the WMEP, […]
Beth Aldana
Beth has over 17 years of experience in manufacturing and engineering leadership roles in medical device, automotive and industrial product industries. Beth’s career has concentrated on helping organizations achieve Operational Excellence through systemic process improvements with an emphasis on creating collaborative team environments and developing the capabilities of the team members. Beth has worked for […]
Jay Jochman
Jay is originally from Appleton WI and has been a resident of the Fox Valley for most his life. Jay’s career began more than 20 years ago working as an engineering intern for several paper mills in the Fox Valley while working towards his Industrial Engineering degree from UW-Platteville. His professional career has given him […]
Jen Arnold
Jen is a WMEP Senior Consultant with more than 30 years of manufacturing experience, including 15 years in various positions within the paper industry (R&D then plant shift supervisor, process engineer, area coordinator, cell manager, and operational excellence leader), one year in the flexible food packaging industry as a Quality Manager, and two years in […]
Stephen Smiley
Stephen is a seasoned Executive Leader specializing in visionary strategy development and practical implementation, driving success across organizations. With a robust background in international, multi-facility operations, he guides teams toward operational excellence and strategic alignment. Stephen’s leadership extends across various industries, including Heavy Equipment, Consumer Products, and Aerospace. Stephen is known for his expertise in […]