GAMA Advisory Board

 Stuart Countess

President & CEO, Kia Georgia

Stuart Countess is the President & CEO of Kia Georgia, Inc.. In this position, Countess is responsible for leading Kia Georgia including Operations, Human Resources, and Administration including Team Relations, Public Relations, Safety and Security, Environmental, General Affairs, Legal and Sales.

He previously served as the Vice President of Administration, and Vice President of Quality overseeing overall vehicle quality for the Kia Sorento, Kia Optima and Hyundai Santa Fe as well as supplier quality, process quality, customer satisfaction, warranty and ISO/TS certifications for Business Management Systems. Originally, Countess joined KMMG in 2008 as the senior manager for the General Assembly Shop. 

Countess came to KMMG from Mercedes Benz US International in Vance, Ala. where, for more than 13 years, he served in numerous leadership positions within production and quality including being the supplier quality manager, quality manager and assembly manager. In those roles he was responsible for vehicle assembly, supplier quality, overall vehicle quality, process quality, customer satisfaction and warranty.

Before joining Mercedes, Countess was the senior supplier quality engineer for AUTECS, a tier 1 supplier for Nissan and Subaru. Countess led the development of a supplier quality program that included localization of parts within the U.S. And, prior to that, he served as quality engineering administrator for Hughes Georgia in LaGrange, a division of Hughes Aircraft. There he was responsible for quality related activities of the Maverick missile program.

He is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electrical Engineering and received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from LaGrange College.

Countess and his wife, Dana, live in LaGrange, GA and have four children: Laura, Thomas, Jac and Anna. 

Jobi Ellison

After studying Mechanical Engineering at Tennessee Technological University, Jobi was offered the opportunity to gain experience working for an automotive supplier in a sales capacity. Her passion for the automotive industry was sparked after her first visit to an automotive assembly plant. Since this point, she has experienced over 20 years’ worth of experience in engineering sales varying from automation to software and has visited plants all over the world. 

Her current employer, Surgere with headquarters in Green, Ohio, is a SaaS (software as a service) company who combines I0T technology with operational best practices to deliver supply chain visibility and resiliency through asset tagging and management in many of the world’s leading industries. They bring together tagged assets and tracking hardware with the software suite – Interius.

After spending many years in the Detroit area, Jobi is happy to be back home in the South. She and her husband, Phillip live in Auburn, Alabama and have two daughters, Savannah and Sloane.

 

 David Eyes

Vice President/General Manager of Automotive Solutions - True Commerce

 

David Eyes has been active in the area of automatic integration of supply chain logistical processes, using EDI/B2B best practice, since 1990.  David has more than 25 years of supply chain management experience, gained across Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Tier 1 and JIS (Just in Sequence) suppliers. Working closely with the Fiat/Chrysler automotive group, General Motors and Ford, he is one of the authors of Materials Management Operations Guidelines/Logistics Evaluation (MMOG/LE) v4.  David is also a member of the AIAG/ODETTE Global MMOG/LE Technical Committee, where his experience is used to support the development of MMOG/LE v4.

Since 2012, David’s primary focus has been in the promotion of EDI communication and supplier integration global best practice, supporting automotive supply chain management teams to develop world-class business units. His work on MMOG/LE v4 has supported OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in implementing global best practice throughout the supply chain by leveraging the investments made in IT systems and supporting education and process improvements, without the need for excessive investments.

David Eyes is Director of Automotive Solutions for DiCentral, a leading provider of electronic data interchange (EDI) and eBusiness integration solutions. DiCentral enables organizations to collaborate with their trading partners globally by managing mission-critical information, communications and data transformation within and beyond the enterprise.

 

 

 

 Katie Gaertner
Vice President -  Management Methods, Inc.

Katie Gaertner graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. She began working as a Rehabilitation Engineer with the State of Alabama and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs in 2000.  During that time, she provided job accommodations and independent living assessments for individuals with disabilities.
Katie joined her father at Management Methods in 2015.  She works a senior consultant helping companies become the low-cost, high-quality manufacturers in their industry. Katie enjoys meeting and working with new people, experiencing different work environments, and learning unique manufacturing processes as she helps clients implement and improve their quality management systems.
Katie and her husband Jeremy met in high school and have been married for over 20 years.  They have two children, Jake & Savannah, and reside in Madison, Alabama.  In her free time, Katie enjoys spending time with her family camping, boating, and watching football!

 

 

                                                           Donald J. Leo, PhD.

Donald Leo became the first appointed Dean of the University of Georgia College of Engineering on July 1, 2013 and currently holds the UGA Foundation Professorship in Engineering. The UGA College of Engineering is the newest college in the oldest state-chartered university in the nation.  Formed in 2012, the college enrolls over 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students, has 75 faculty members, instructors, and public service professionals, and 40 staff members.  Prior to joining the University of Georgia he was a faculty member and associate dean in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech and a vice president for the Virginia Tech National Capital Region.  He also served as a program manager at DARPA in the Defense Sciences Office from 2005-2007.  He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Member of the American Society for Engineering Education.  He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois – Urbana, Champaign in 1990 and his Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the University of Buffalo in 1992 and 1995, respectively.

Terri Seese

Founder and CEO, Alliance Solutions Groups

 

Terri Seese is the Founder and CEO of Alliance Solutions Group, Inc. which provides software and hardware technology solutions supporting manufacturing and distribution industries in Supply Chain. Prior to pursuing her own entrepreneurial endeavors, Terri acted in various capacities for companies such as Manhattan Associates and Home Depot. Those experiences helped to diversify her knowledge and skill set, creating opportunities for her own individual and community goals.

Continuing her passion as an entrepreneur—creating solutions and connecting people—as well as seeing a need in area schools for industry education, Terri recently created ASG HOPE Foundation. A  501 (c) (3) non-profit supporting K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activities specific to manufacturing and distribution in the Automotive and Supply Chain industry. Through this program, future generations can expand their knowledge of manufacturing, opening up and developing new opportunities for supply chain innovation.

Terri currently serves on Georgia Automotive Manufacturing Association (GAMA) Advisory Board as well as the ASG HOPE Foundation Board.

 

 

Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Hollingsworth

 

Mike Stonecipher

Senior Project Manager, Georgia Tech - Enterprise Innovation Institute

 

Mike Stonecipher is a Senior Project Manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He specializes in strategic planning, leadership development and managing projects that will enable top-line growth and generate bottom-line results for manufacturers throughout Georgia.    

Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Mike served 15 years in the automotive industry with AlliedSignal and Honeywell International, where he held the position of Director of Operations for the Automotive Friction Materials Division. He also worked in the energy and sustainability industry and has served on the Board of Directors for Power Partners, Inc. (formerly a division of ABB). He has international experience leading product and process development, six sigma and lean implementation, factory start-ups, new product launches, and managing operations that serve a global OEM customer base. He was awarded AlliedSignal’s CEO Technology Achievement Award and received a patent for abrasive coating of friction materials.  Mike holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University and an M.B.A. from Brenau University. He has completed Lean Enterprise training through the Lean Design Institute at UT Knoxville and Finance for Executives, Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Mike and Therese have been married for 29 years and reside in Athens, Ga. with their four children - Rebecca, Geneva, Nicholas and Hunter.  He enjoys Little League baseball, mission trips and is active with the Red Cross and United Way.  

Janet Thornton

Territory Manager - Stainless Steel Division, Schmolz & Bickenback USA, INC.

 

Janet has over 14 years experience in the metals business. She works with manufacturers focused on automotive, medical, valves & fittings, aerospace, power generation and defense. In her current role as Southeast Territory Manager for Schmolz + Bickenbach USA, she has the ability to provide special steel solutions for both domestic and global clients.

Additional experience includes working in the health and wellness sector. Janet’s mission in the health and wellness sector was to help corporate America have healthier more productive employees. She regularly worked with the both the National Business Group on Health, and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses.

Janet is the Founder of Women & Wine on Wednesdays North East Atlanta. This is a professional networking group of over 350 women.

Janet is a graduate of Penn State University with a B.A. in Marketing and Public Relations.

Scott Urton is currently Vice President of Operations for FC Industries Inc. and Vice President of AFC Stamping and Production Inc. AFC Stamping is a production company that serves a variety of different industries. Those include the automotive, motorcycle, RV, and furniture industries. Scott joined FC Industries in May of 1986 with a Tool & Die Engineering degree. He quickly rose through the ranks from Designer, Design Manager, Project Manager, to head of multiple divisions. Scott has 30 plus years of manufacturing responsibilities including sales force, budgets, and income statements. He also heads up the Quality Departments and the Maintenance Departments of our 300,000 sq. ft facility.

Scott like all has further his education with courses in Quality, Business finance, and many other classes along the way. He has coached Fast-Pitch Softball for 29 plus years. He has been blessed with the education and the relationships of shaping lives. He is married to Robin and has 3 daughters with 6 grandchildren.

Davis Woodruff

President, Management Methods, Inc.

 

Davis M. Woodruff grew up on a family farm in rural southern Alabama. His family also owned and operated a “country store.” From this background he earned an engineering degree from Auburn University, became a Professional Engineer and Certified Management Consultant. He was a manufacturing executive with 3M for ten years and became the youngest manufacturing superintendent in the company, led the team that produced the first home video films in the U.S., and assisted with a plant start-up in Europe.

As a certified management consultant, professional engineer, published author, and professional speaker, Davis Woodruff brings immediate benefits to businesses. These benefits include developing leaders; optimizing resource utilization; improving processes, quality and customer satisfaction; and saving time and money.

Davis formed a management consulting company, Management Methods, in 1984 and has served over 140 clients in 35 states and on 3 continents. Davis is an internationally recognized expert in showing companies how to be the low cost, high quality, environmentally responsible leader in their industry. From Vermont to Malaysia Davis’ clients include BP, GM, TS Tech, MCM, 3M, Tyco and scores of other large and small organizations. He has served numerous automotive industry clients throughout the U.S. where he has guided the development and deployment of ISO/TS Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, statistical methods, lean principles, problem solving, RCA, and other similar processes.

Having authored over six dozen articles, a full-length book, Taking Care of the Basics: 101 Success Factors for Managers, a 58-minute DVD, two CD programs, two e-books, and seven online professional development courses, Davis is always on the cutting edge of today’s business world. His video, “Focus on Fundamentals—a Manager’s Guide to the Ten Essentials”, aired on Business Vision Network, along with programs by Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Tom Peters, and Ken Blanchard. Over fifty of Davis’ articles may be found at http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davis_Woodruff.

Davis has been married to Lynn since 1970 and they have two daughters, two sons-in-law, two grandchildren and one dog. He is actively involved with his family, in his community and in his church, where he teaches a Bible Study class of adults each week.