William McManus is a senior level financial manager with extensive general management experience and a strong operations background coupled with sales and marketing sensitivity. McManus has served in senior management positions in the Automotive, Forest Products, Home Furnishing, Consumer Goods, Packaging, Capital Equipment, and Health Care industries. He has had full profit and loss responsibility for business units and has had a proven record of financial turnarounds, staff building, and cash flow management. He has extensive experience in developing and implementing financial strategies as well as creating and developing high quality operations and finance and accounting teams.

McManus is able to quickly assess the financial and business needs of an organization to successfully develop and implement a turnaround team to achieve that plan.  His education includes a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. He is also past Chairman of the Board of Finance of the City of Stamford, Connecticut.

Click here for McManus' CV.

A senior executive for premier consumer product companies, Dick Queen is highly accomplished in general management, sales and marketing, operations, finance, merchandising, product development and sourcing.  He has hands-on experience managing brand development, start-ups, turnarounds, acquisitions, divestitures and strategic business planning.  A results-oriented professional, Dick has over twenty-five years of business and management experience with the ability to consistently meet and exceed expected results.

Dick’s education includes:  an MBA from the Bryan School of Business at the University of North Carolina, a BS degree in Engineering from North Carolina State University and the Executive Program from Stanford University.

Click here for Queen's CV.

Seventeen years of profit driven CEO/COO experience has given Pete Hottois extensive domestic and international experience in multi-plant operations, M&A, joint ventures, sales & marketing, manufacturing, engineering and strategic planning in businesses up to $200 MM in volume.  Strong leadership and the ability to resolve problems analytically allow Hottois to build effective teams, obtain profitable results, resulting in making him the successful leader of seven turnarounds.

Hottois received both an MBA and BA degrees from John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio.

Anita Booe is a senior Financial Executive with a strong record of financial leadership. Her domestic and international 807/NAFTA management background includes:  finance, accounting, information systems, customer service and purchasing with extensive manufacturing exposure in costing and control systems. She has a successful track record of profit improvement and maximization of working capital. 

Fluent in Spanish, Anita received a BS degree in Accounting, with a concentration in Spanish from Greensboro College and currently maintains her North Carolina CPA certification.  She also received an Advanced Certificate from the Instituto de Fenix, Cuernavca, Mexico.

Lori Frascati is an experienced Vice President with expertise in product development, production, sourcing, distribution and quality.  Her leadership and technical skills have achieved dramatic turnaround results for numerous multinational corporations.  As a senior executive for a large apparel manufacturer, she restructured product development, quality, sourcing and production teams.  Benefits included reduced development time, reduced shipping times, reduced inventory, reduced manufacturing budget, improved margins, improved delivery receipts and improved morale. 

In addition, Lori is a financial consultant specializing in retirement and investment plans and is a Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Quality Auditor with the American Society for Quality.

Joe Cioni has 25 years experience as CFO in companies producing consumer and industrial products as well as three years as General Manager of a consumer product company.  A member of three successful turnarounds, Cioni has proven accomplishments in all aspects of general and financial management.

Educated at Johns Hopkins University, Cioni is also a CPA in the State of New York.

Throughout thirty years in the financial services industry, David Soutter has developed a keen ability to quickly assess the financial condition and viability of an enterprise.  He has negotiated and closed numerous senior and subordinated debt facilities, secured and unsecured, pre- and post- position.

An economics major from North Carolina State University, Soutter also received an MBA from the University of South Carolina.  He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina’s Executive Program and the University of Oklahoma’s National Commercial Lenders School.

Carter Graff’s career has been distinguished by his consistent success as a senior corporate executive in positions of leadership in manufacturing and service environments.  As a business generalist and visionary strategic planner, Mr. Graff has consistently affected business turnarounds through restructuring and implementing cost efficiencies.  Long recognized for his leadership capability gained in extensive hands-on domestic and international sales/marketing and manufacturing operation experience, he couples these strengths with excellent team building skills to create strong infrastructures, to lead operation consolidations and performance turnarounds, and to grow revenue while reversing market share losses.

Mr. Graff earned his MBA at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and his BA in English/Chemistry from Bowling Green State University. He also attended the Executive Development Program at Case Western Reserve University, Ohio.

Charles McClendon has earned an excellent reputation in operations in a wide variety of manufacturing industries including automotive, electronics and consumer products.  He is a seasoned operations executive with more than 20 years experience who has implemented new manufacturing concepts including: Kaizen, cell manufacturing, flow manufacturing, JIT, focused factory, profit centers, and quality circles.

He successfully completed the Siemens Graduate Training Program and obtained degrees in both management and engineering with a background in computer science from Auburn University.

An accomplished financial executive, Rick Saltz is currently the Principal in Business Innovative Strategies International - a financial consulting organization.  Prior experience in financial and administrative positions of increasingly higher responsibility at Fortune 500 and smaller companies reflect a record of excellence in developing, planning, analysis and operational systems that contribute to significant improvements in profitability.

Saltz received both an MBA in Finance from the Johnson Graduate School of Management and a BS in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell University.

Fred Pruden has twenty-eight years of pharmaceutical manufacturing experience with a progression of duties and responsibilities involving senior management of production, quality, logistics, engineering, materials management, IT and product-process development.  Positions have required hands-on involvement, autonomy and self-motivation in directing operations, technical support and regulatory compliance.

Pruden received a BS degree in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina.

William McManus is a senior level financial manager with extensive general management experience and a strong operations background coupled with sales and marketing sensitivity. McManus has served in senior management positions in the Automotive, Forest Products, Home Furnishing, Consumer Goods, Packaging, Capital Equipment, and Health Care industries. He has had full profit and loss responsibility for business units and has had a proven record of financial turnarounds, staff building, and cash flow management. He has extensive experience in developing and implementing financial strategies as well as creating and developing high quality operations and finance and accounting teams.

McManus is able to quickly assess the financial and business needs of an organization to successfully develop and implement a turnaround team to achieve that plan.  His education includes a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. He is also past Chairman of the Board of Finance of the City of Stamford, Connecticut.

Click here for McManus' CV.

A senior executive for premier consumer product companies, Dick Queen is highly accomplished in general management, sales and marketing, operations, finance, merchandising, product development and sourcing.  He has hands-on experience managing brand development, start-ups, turnarounds, acquisitions, divestitures and strategic business planning.  A results-oriented professional, Dick has over twenty-five years of business and management experience with the ability to consistently meet and exceed expected results.

Dick’s education includes:  an MBA from the Bryan School of Business at the University of North Carolina, a BS degree in Engineering from North Carolina State University and the Executive Program from Stanford University.

Click here for Queen's CV.

Seventeen years of profit driven CEO/COO experience has given Pete Hottois extensive domestic and international experience in multi-plant operations, M&A, joint ventures, sales & marketing, manufacturing, engineering and strategic planning in businesses up to $200 MM in volume.  Strong leadership and the ability to resolve problems analytically allow Hottois to build effective teams, obtain profitable results, resulting in making him the successful leader of seven turnarounds.

Hottois received both an MBA and BA degrees from John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio.

Anita Booe is a senior Financial Executive with a strong record of financial leadership. Her domestic and international 807/NAFTA management background includes:  finance, accounting, information systems, customer service and purchasing with extensive manufacturing exposure in costing and control systems. She has a successful track record of profit improvement and maximization of working capital. 

Fluent in Spanish, Anita received a BS degree in Accounting, with a concentration in Spanish from Greensboro College and currently maintains her North Carolina CPA certification.  She also received an Advanced Certificate from the Instituto de Fenix, Cuernavca, Mexico.

Lori Frascati is an experienced Vice President with expertise in product development, production, sourcing, distribution and quality.  Her leadership and technical skills have achieved dramatic turnaround results for numerous multinational corporations.  As a senior executive for a large apparel manufacturer, she restructured product development, quality, sourcing and production teams.  Benefits included reduced development time, reduced shipping times, reduced inventory, reduced manufacturing budget, improved margins, improved delivery receipts and improved morale. 

In addition, Lori is a financial consultant specializing in retirement and investment plans and is a Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Quality Auditor with the American Society for Quality.

Joe Cioni has 25 years experience as CFO in companies producing consumer and industrial products as well as three years as General Manager of a consumer product company.  A member of three successful turnarounds, Cioni has proven accomplishments in all aspects of general and financial management.

Educated at Johns Hopkins University, Cioni is also a CPA in the State of New York.

Throughout thirty years in the financial services industry, David Soutter has developed a keen ability to quickly assess the financial condition and viability of an enterprise.  He has negotiated and closed numerous senior and subordinated debt facilities, secured and unsecured, pre- and post- position.

An economics major from North Carolina State University, Soutter also received an MBA from the University of South Carolina.  He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina’s Executive Program and the University of Oklahoma’s National Commercial Lenders School.

Carter Graff’s career has been distinguished by his consistent success as a senior corporate executive in positions of leadership in manufacturing and service environments.  As a business generalist and visionary strategic planner, Mr. Graff has consistently affected business turnarounds through restructuring and implementing cost efficiencies.  Long recognized for his leadership capability gained in extensive hands-on domestic and international sales/marketing and manufacturing operation experience, he couples these strengths with excellent team building skills to create strong infrastructures, to lead operation consolidations and performance turnarounds, and to grow revenue while reversing market share losses.

Mr. Graff earned his MBA at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and his BA in English/Chemistry from Bowling Green State University. He also attended the Executive Development Program at Case Western Reserve University, Ohio.

Charles McClendon has earned an excellent reputation in operations in a wide variety of manufacturing industries including automotive, electronics and consumer products.  He is a seasoned operations executive with more than 20 years experience who has implemented new manufacturing concepts including: Kaizen, cell manufacturing, flow manufacturing, JIT, focused factory, profit centers, and quality circles.

He successfully completed the Siemens Graduate Training Program and obtained degrees in both management and engineering with a background in computer science from Auburn University.

An accomplished financial executive, Rick Saltz is currently the Principal in Business Innovative Strategies International - a financial consulting organization.  Prior experience in financial and administrative positions of increasingly higher responsibility at Fortune 500 and smaller companies reflect a record of excellence in developing, planning, analysis and operational systems that contribute to significant improvements in profitability.

Saltz received both an MBA in Finance from the Johnson Graduate School of Management and a BS in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell University.

Fred Pruden has twenty-eight years of pharmaceutical manufacturing experience with a progression of duties and responsibilities involving senior management of production, quality, logistics, engineering, materials management, IT and product-process development.  Positions have required hands-on involvement, autonomy and self-motivation in directing operations, technical support and regulatory compliance.

Pruden received a BS degree in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina.