David Apple’s primary focus is to successfully implement lean strategies and management while guiding companies to develop and sustain a culture of continuous improvement.

Expertise: Lean Manufacturing, Value Stream Mapping, Employee Engagement in Continuous Improvement, Culture Change, SMED.

Education: MBA from Georgia State University, B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Ben Cheeks connects manufacturers in his region to the services of GaMEP, Georgia Tech, and our partners.

Expertise: Leadership Development, Culture Change, Strategic Business Planning, Mergers and Acquisitions, Business Transition, Warehouse Distribution, Supply Chain, Plant Management, ERP Systems.

Education: MBA from Indiana University, B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in International Business from the International School of Management.

Adam Hayes is a Project Manager for the Strategy & Leadership Development Team. He works with clients to ensure their vision and strategic priorities are achieved and sustained. He is an accomplished executive and registered professional engineer with experience in manufacturing operations, facility management, product development, continuous improvement, and
supply chain management.

Expertise: Strategic & Business Development, Leadership & Team Building, Culture Direction, Regulatory Compliance, Financial Management, New Product Integration, Lean Manufacturing.

Education: MBA from Kennesaw State University, M.S. in Geophysical Sciences from Georgia Tech, B.S. in Civil Engineering from Clemson University.

Andy Helm uses his experience as an entrepreneur to help manufacturers generate new sources of revenue by implementing best practices in innovation, strategy, and technology.

Expertise: Innovation, Strategic Business Planning, Product Development.

Education: MBA from the University of Central Florida, B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Sankar Madhavaraman is a Project Manager, Industry 4.0 on the Strategy & Leadership Development team. He serves as the GaMEP Industry 4.0 expert with 17 years of process engineering and advanced manufacturing experience with a passion for technology and IIOT. Sankar has a proven track record of utilizing data, communication, and organization skills to deliver key business objectives through alignment and by leveraging next generation technology.

Expertise: Process Automation, Process Control, Process Engineering, Manufacturing IT/OT, Program & Project Management.

Education: M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Madurai Kamaraj University, Six Sigma Certified.

Ed Murphy assists manufacturing entrepreneurs in aerospace, industrial, and consumer product markets as well as early-stage companies, focusing on issues and opportunities facing business growth.

Expertise: Plant Management, Business Transition, Innovation, Product Development, Strategic Business Planning, Tech Scouting, Tech Marketing, Strategy Execution.

Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Western New England College, Graduate of Greater Boston Executive Business Management Program at MIT’s Sloan School. Certified Professional Engineer, Certified Economic Development Finance Professional.

Charity Stevens connects manufacturers in her region to the services of GaMEP, Georgia Tech, and our partners.

Expertise: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Plant Layout and Design, Plant Management, Total Productive Maintenance, Leadership Development, Culture Change, Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis.

Education: B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Mike Stonecipher specializes in strategic planning, leadership development, and managing projects that will enable top-line growth and deliver bottom-line results through process innovation, team development, and lean implementation. He also connects automotive manufacturing companies to resources at GaMEP and Georgia Tech as part of the GaMEP Automotive Manufacturing Initiative.

Expertise: Plant Management, Strategic Business Planning, Leadership Development, Problem Solving, Lean Manufacturing, Tech Scouting, Automotive Industry.

Education: MBA from Brenau University, B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, Lean Enterprise training through the Lean Design Institute at UT Knoxville, Finance for Executives training through Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Katie Takacs oversees the marketing and outreach efforts of Industry Services within the Enterprise Innovation Institute and manages the marketing services program for GaMEP, which helps small and mid-size manufacturers with their strategic marketing efforts.

Expertise: Marketing, Project Management, Social Media, Business Development.

Education: MBA from Nova Southeastern University, B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Florida.