Mike Lynch is President of CNC Concepts, Inc., a supplier of training materials and computer software products to users of CNC equipment. Over the past 22 years, he has held a number of positions as tool designer, CNC programmer, NC analyst, and CNC operations manager for firms such as GTE Automatic Electric, Rockwell International, Cincinnati Milacron, and KGK International Corporation.

Considered an expert in CNC manufacturing for metal cutting operations, he has written extensively about CNC. He is the author of five CNC textbooks, including Computer Numerical Control For Machining, and Computer Numerical Control Advanced Techniques, CNC Accessory Devices, Managing CNC Operations, and Parametric Programming for CNC Machine Tools and Touch Probes.

Mr. Lynch's column "CNC Tech Talk" appears monthly in Modern Machine Shop Magazine. He has been extensively published by other manufacturing-related trade journals on CNC topics.

Mr. Lynch has spoken extensively about CNC. A regular instructor for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, he conducts CNC seminars for basic CNC usage as well as more advanced CNC topics. He has also spoken for other national organizations including Modern Machine Shop Magazine, the Machine Distributors National Association (MDNA), The National Center For Tooling, and several manufacturing technology centers. In addition to teaching public seminars and clinics, he has presented numerous in-plant courses for progressive CNC-using companies including small companies as well as companies in the Fortune 500 Group.

Mike Yurkewicz is a graduate of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, with an Associate of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Bachelor of Science degree in Plastics Engineering Technology, and a Masters degree in Business Administration. Joining the PTC in September 2003, he brings 10-years experience from the automotive, food, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries.

Mike worked for Erie Plastics, Osram Sylvania, Alcoa, and others. He worked in engineering capacities to support product design, development, and production. Mike led various programs, a Quality department, and manufacturing floor. While mostly working in the high-volume, injection molding industry, other fabrication methods that he grew familiar with include calendaring, sheet and profile extrusion, and thermoforming. Mike is well-informed regarding various assembly and decorating methods.

Howard has a BSME and MEng from Penn State University. He has taught Mechanical Design and Industrial Management at Penn State - Erie and Gannon University. His industrial experience includes mechanical design, product development, and process improvement.

Currently Howard provides technical and business solutions to manufacturers in the areas of strategic planning, process improvement, lean manufacturing, problem solving, and shop layout.

Howard is also a Registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania and a Lecturer of Biomechanics for the Orthopedic Residents at Hamot Medical Center.

Tom Moyak is a graduate of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, with an Associate of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Plastics Engineering Technology. Tom brings 6 years of experience in injection molding to the PTC with recent emphasis on new tool and process development. Before joining the PTC in January 2000, he held various positions in industry including process engineer at Carlisle Engineered Products in Erie, Pennsylvania, and senior process engineer at Arkay Plastics in Alabama.

He has handled a variety of responsibilities in the areas of injection molding process training, new mold sampling and qualifying, efficient mold setting techniques, mold, process and machine troubleshooting, production scheduling, and plant layout and inventory control. Tom also has experience using RJG cavity pressure transducers as a tool for qualifying new molds and for process control and monitoring of production molds. Other areas of experience include in-mold decorating and sonic welding of plastic parts. He is a member of the Northwest Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Mr. Todaro has over five years experience in Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing process improvements and Total Productive Maintenance consulting. Currently he is serving as a World Class Enterprise Manager where he is training Black Belts, Lean Manufacturing, and Total Productive Maintenance at four different manufacturing facilities. Recently he served as a Six Sigma Manager where he trained eighteen Black Belts who have actualized over $2.2 million in savings. He is also a Co-Founder of Sigma Software Group®, Inc. Prior to his current role he served as a consultant at a Tier 1 automotive supplier and has served as a Continuous Improvement manager implementing Six Sigma at an Aerospace Tier 1 supplier.

To date Mr. Todaro has trained over 25 Black Belts/Green Belts. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt by Six Sigma Academy and has been trained as a GE Master Black Belt. Mr. Todaro has also trained and led manufacturing teams in the principles of Continuous Improvement. To date the teams led by Mr. Todaro have realized approximately $3.5 million in savings for their companies. Prior to becoming involved in the Continuous Improvement arena, he was involved as a design engineer for several manufacturing companies. Mr. Todaro attended Rochester Institute of Technology. As SSG Consultants, Mr. Todaro and Mr. Koch have currently trained over 15 Black Belts who have a combined actual savings of over $750,000.

Dr. Ramm, PhD is an RAB registered Environmental Systems Auditor, an RAB Quality System Lead Auditor, and a former environmental manager for British Petroleum America. He has extensive experience in industry and in teaching, at the college level.

Al Stakel is currently the President of the Windfall Group, a firm dedicated to improving the profitability, liquidity, and competitive posture of manufacturing companies.

The Windfall Group also provides management services for corporate “saves” and ”turnarounds” and has recently completed successful engagements in those two areas.

From 1987 to mid-2000, Mr. Stakel was the President of Computer-Integrated-Manufacturing America, Inc. (CIMA, Inc./www.cima-inc.com), a supplier of enterprise software to medium and large size contract project-based manufacturing companies. CIMA also provides management services to medium and large project-based manufacturing companies. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation provided the initial capital to fund CIMA, Inc.

In 1984, Mr. Stakel founded Just-In-Time America, Inc. (JITA). JITA's operations were rolled into CIMA's operations in 1987.

From 1974 to 1985, Mr. Stakel was an independent consultant to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. He provided management services oriented to improving the business performance of three manufacturing divisions and made a review with improvement recommendations of the information technology infrastructure of a 4.0 billion dollar annual sales Aerospace & Defense business group. All of these businesses were sold to other companies.

Early in his career as an employee of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, he was assigned to line materials management and production management positions in Buffalo, NY. He was then promoted to Westinghouse Corporate Headquarters in Pittsburgh, where he worked for the HQ Manufacturing, HQ Information Systems, and HQ Corporate Development units. The HQ Corporate Development assignment was oriented to Business Development for the Factory Automation and Control Systems business.

Prior to his career with the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, he was with the General Motors Corporation.

An Industrial Engineering/Industrial Management graduate of Purdue University, Mr. Stakel is an expert in Demand-Based Direct Flow Manufacturing, Strategic Planning, Costing for Pricing and Pricing for Profit, and the improvement of the competitive posture of manufacturing companies.

Subsequent to graduating from Purdue University, Mr. Stakel served as an officer in the U.S. Army (Armor/Corps of Engineers).

An alumnus of Allegheny College, Mr. Wassell graduated from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Law Review. He returned to Erie afte practicing labor and employment law with a large firm in Cleveland.

A member of the Pennsylvania and Ohio bars, he has extensive experience in counseling and defending a wide variety of private and public employers. Mr. Wassell is an adjunct faculty member of Mercyhurst College, where he teaches labor-management relations. He is a frequent lecturer for business groups on personal matters. Mr. Wassell serves as vice-chairman of the Labor and Employment Law Group at Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett.

During his 15 years with Carlisle Engineered Products/Johnson Controls Inc. Harold Curtis held the positions of Quality Engineer, Quality Supervisor, Quality Analyst, and Senior Inspector.

While holding those positions he trained technicians and inspectors, ensured compliance, managed audits, and developed numerous procedures and process tests.

Other training includes:

• Failure Mode & Effects Analysis
• Production Part Approval Process
• Advanced Production Quality Planning
• QS-9000 Training
• Gage Control
• Short Run SPC
• Gage R&R
• Measuring Process Control
• ...and more

Max has over 30 years experience working with area manufacturers in a variety of consulting activities including: Human Resource, Legislative, Economic Development, Environment, Safety, Benefit, Wage and Salary Administration, Union Relations, and most significantly, Training.

Previous experience includes serving as: Assistant Director, Manufacturers Association of Erie; Executive Director, Erie Labor Market Private Industry Council; Works Manager, Erie Area Job Training Partnership; and Executive Director, Northwest Pennsylvania Training Partnership Consortium.

Max has a BA degree from Gannon University and is a Masters Candidate. He was appointed by Governor Shapp to the 1202 Commission on Higher Education Continuing Education Committee and Appointed by Governors Shapp & Thornburgh to the Pennsylvania Council on Vocational Education which he chaired for three years.

No further information available

Carl Moore has represented employers, insurance carriers and third party administrators for over 20 years in the area of workers' compensation.  In addition, he has participated as a speaker on issues involving workers' compensation for employers and insurance carriers. 

Mr. Moore is a member of the Erie County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Defense Institute. 

David M. Mosier is a partner in the law firm of Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C., where he engages in business, corporate and employee benefit matters.  Mr. Mosier is the chairman of the firm's Business and Tax Law Group.

Mr. Mosier graduated in 1978 with honors from John Carroll University, where he earned a B.S. degree in mathematics.  He received his J.D. with honors from Cleveland Marshall College of Law in 1981.  He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.  The Knox Firm sponsors prototype defined contribution (e.g., profit sharing, 401(k)) and defined benefit retirement plans and designs and drafts cross test or new comparability retirement plans.

The Knox Firm also advises and represents employee benefit plan sponsors, trustees, administrators and other fiduciaries.

Pete joined the NWIRC after a varied career in industry as an industrial engineer. He is an RAB registered quality auditor and specializes in auditing and implementing Quality Management Systems such as ISO 9000 and TS 16949.

Pete holds a BS from Allegheny College and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and has worked in the steel, electronics, rubber, plastics and equipment manufacturing industries.

In addition to his interest in quality systems, he has experience in project management, value engineering, work measurement, plant layout and job evaluation.

Susan Hileman joined the NWIRC in March of 2006 having previously worked as the Director of Development for Precision Manufacturing Institute, a facility which serves the manufacturing sector in northwest Pennsylvania with specialized training. Serving as Project Manager, she was instrumental in securing more than $4.5 million in grants and low-interest loans for PMI’s new state-of-the-art regional training facility for manufacturing as well as more than $500K in training grants for local firms. Prior to her employment with PMI, she was the Director of Employer and Training Services for the Northwest PA Workforce Investment Board and played a significant part in their foundational development under the newly instituted Workforce Investment Act. A dynamic speaker, Susan has trained nationally for the National Association of Job Training Assistance, as well as locally for the Venango Vision Leadership Institute, Clarion University, InVEST and many businesses.

As District Manager for the NWIRC Northwest Region, Susan incorporates her professional and educational backgrounds by assisting manufacturers in Crawford, Forest and Warren Counties with training assessments, business solutions and new opportunities for growth.

A veteran of the US Air Force, Susan earned an AS and BS Degrees from Clarion University and is nearing completion of her MS Degree from Mercyhurst College.

Email: shileman@nwirc.org

John is the Precision Manufacturing Institute Plastic’s Program expert and Applications Engineer for all Mold Design instruction.  A Six Sigma Green Belt, John teaches numerous TQM courses, with special interest in Statistical Process Control (SPC) as well as Pareto Charts, Full Analytical Criteria, Process Capability, Scatter Diagrams and Histograms.  He has instructed for numerous QC programs at manufacturing companies across the region.

A Project Engineer by trade, his background includes the Manufacturing Engineering Degree program at Alliance College and a Journeyman’s card in Tool and Die.  John’s role is to help organizations met or exceed customer expectations through process improvement while maintaining a cost-competitive position.

Bill is Director of the Mid-Atlantic Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, a.k.a. MATAAC, a non-profit headquartered just outside Philadelphia. He is one of eleven (11) Regional Directors of Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms—a federal program established by Congress in 1978 as part of the Trade Act. He is responsible for the administration of the program in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.

A graduate engineer, his career spans almost four (4) decades of diverse manufacturing, engineering, business and management consulting experience. Prior to his appointment in 1998, he held a variety of executive positions in industries including chemicals, plastics, energy, medical devices and automotive systems with public companies like Union Carbide, Air Products, Merck, ESB International, American Hospital Supply Corporation and several private firms. He has been a management consultant with one of the east coast's largest firms, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Business Council, is a past member of its Executive Committee and its Treasurer. He has also testified before Congress on the effects of the trade imbalance on America's small cap manufacturing sector.