Crain's Chicago Business

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • JUNE 6, 2022 13

EXECUTIVES OF COLOR IN MANUFACTURING People of color account for nearly 25% of the manufacturing workforce. Given the rich diversity of the Chicago area and the importance of manufacturing to the economy, that percentage needs to grow, and the senior executives profiled here are working to do just that. They’re teaming with nonprofits that arrange apprenticeships for underrepresented minorities, heading employee resource groups for people of color at their organizations, hiring more people of color and inspiring more young professionals by their very presence in a corner office. All this is in addition to their day jobs, which involve playing key roles at Chicago-area firms that make everything from candy to electronics to microphones to custom stone.

By Lisa Bertagnoli METHODOLOGY: The individuals featured did not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from the nomination materials submitted. This list is not comprehensive. It includes only individuals for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after a review by editors. To qualify for the list, nominees must be in a senior role and self-identify as being part of a racial or ethnic minority. They must use their skills to advance their organization or the manufacturing field, advance minority professionals at their company, promote inclusive practices and assume leadership positions outside of their companies.

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TOLA ALADE-LAMBO

MOHAMMAD AZIM

RONALD DAMPER

Vice president—food safety, quality & regulatory Ferrara

Chief operating officer Azumo

President/CEO Damron

Tola Alade-Lambo manages compliance, food safety, consumer affairs, supply-chain quality and regulatory functions at Ferrara for the United States and Mexico. She also focuses on process improvement, standardization and maintaining requirements for a facility organization of 4,000 employees. In 2021, she directed a cross-functional project to ensure bioengineering compliance for more than 500 Ferrara products, reviewing 2,000-plus ingredients and raw materials, along with packaging and graphic changes. Alade-Lambo has held positions in the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the Philippines. She was also Ferrara’s first-ever female plant manager overseeing all functions at the manufacturing site in Itasca. She volunteers with Lumity, a nonprofit supporting STEM education, and is on the board of the IQRA Foundation, a nonprofit working with adolescents across West Africa.

Mohammad Azim is responsible for all operational elements of Azumo’s business, including a global supply chain that spans Asia, Mexico and the United States; teams in both Chicago and Shanghai; and a growing list of contract manufacturing partners.

With more than 30 years of specialty film converting experience, he oversaw the design and installation of Azumo’s new production line for tablet LCD products during the challenges of COVID, secured a global partnership with the world’s largest electronics manufacturer and delivered first-quarter 2022 revenues that exceeded all of 2021’s. An advocate for hiring underrepresented groups in technical positions, Azim is president of the Wood Dale Foundation for Educational Excellence, an advisory board member of Wakefield Biochar and a member of the local Chicago COO Forum.

Ronald Damper oversees all areas of the company; he’s recently focused on furthering diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives through Damron’s Global Inclusive Innovation Group, which interfaces with its major customer, McDonald’s. He’s been a mentor in the manufacturing arena for African American and other disenfranchised groups, working with the Safer Cities program through the United Nations, designed to reduce crime by increasing employment, educational, financial, and health and wellness opportunities. Recent projects led by Damron’s senior management team (which is 83% African American and 67% women-led) include the installation of two tea-packaging machines (increasing production efficiency by 50%), the installation of an automated case erector and incline conveyor, and the buildout of approximate 800 square feet for production and warehousing. Prior to founding Damron, Damper held posts at GE Capital, Bankers Trust and Citicorp.

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14 JUNE 6, 2022 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS

NOTABLE 2022 EXECUTIVES OF COLOR IN MANUFACTURING SANDYA DANDAMUDI

JESSICA ASHLEY GARMON

MANAS MEHANDRU

N’GAI MERRILL

MA

President GI Stone

Chief operating officer and chief general counsel The Will Group

Chief operating officer mHUB

Chief operating officer Triangle Package Machinery

Manas Mehandru oversees the financial and facility operations of mHUB, a 63,000-square foot, hardtech innovation center that houses nearly 1,000 members manufacturing products. He sits on mHUB’s leadership team and is involved in securing grant opportunities, including $2.78 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and a group award of more than $1 million from the Department of Energy. In March, Mehandru led a strategic team to construct a $189 million initiative for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, shepherding 19 organizations through the financial modeling process to build a CleanTech Economy Coalition in Illinois. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Purdue and is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow.

N’Gai Merrill designs and implements Triangle’s strategic business plan and oversees day-to-day operations, including finance, management information systems, sales, marketing, human resources and engineering. Over the past two years, Triangle has achieved a 25% increase in revenues and a 60% increase in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.) Merrill helped increase operational capacity, improved inventory management processes, instituted Gemba walks (a lean management technique where managers walk production floors to better understand how workplaces actually work) and implemented town hall meetings with employees. Since joining Triangle, the percentage of minorities hired is 50%. Merrill is a member of the Association for Packaging & Processing Technologies and is active in the local and national efforts of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

Vice safet Ingre

Sandya Dandamudi is responsible for the overall operations of GI Stone, which supplies, fabricates and installs custom stone for clients nationwide.

Recent projects include Tribune Tower Residences, One Chicago, Cirrus Condominiums and Nobu Hotel Chicago.

For the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago renovation, GI Stone sourced 20,000 square feet of stone from Spain, Italy, Pakistan, Turkey and Brazil. During the pandemic, Dandamudi invested in new machinery and training so that none of GI Stone’s projects encountered material supply problems. Currently, Dandamudi is working with St. Paul Church of God in Christ Community Development Ministries’ three-month pre-apprentice program to help historically underrepresented minorities enter the trades. In 2021, Dandamudi was named vice chair on the board of trustees for the DuSable Museum of African American History.

MANUFACTURING MANAGER DEMOGRAPHICS AND STATISTICS IN THE U.S. Source: Zippia.com

Jessica Ashley Garmon is COO of The Will Group, which manufactures and distributes energy-efficient lighting and electrical products, and president of Industrial Electric Supply.

Her recent initiatives at The Will Group, where Black and Brown employees comprise 70% of the workforce, include spearheading a $20 million expansion in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood and running a program to help ex-offenders return to work.

Her philanthropic efforts include serving on the board of Tuskegee Next, which encourages the next generation of Black and Brown pilots, as well as with Purpose by Design, a mentoring program for teens in under-resourced communities. She is on the boards of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, the DuPage Housing Authority, Wheaton Bank & Trust, and the William & Mary Davis Foundation.

Manufacturing managers in the U.S.

94,150

Average age

Average annual salary

48.3

$104,985

G M F

2022

EXECUTIVES IN HR AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION Crain’s 2022 Notable Executives in HR and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will recognize accomplished human resources executives in the Chicago area for their ability to effect change in promoting diversity & inclusion.

NOMINATE NOW! Deadline is Friday, June 17 Nominate at

ChicagoBusiness.com/NotableHR-Diversity

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CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • JUNE 6, 2022 15

MARCUS PAYNE

JOHN PEÑA

ALTHEA RICKETTS

Vice president, global environment, health, safety and security Ingredion

President and general manager New Star Lighting

Associate vice president, corporate initiatives Shure

Under John Peña’s leadership, New Star Lighting (a division of 555 International) has become positioned as the No. 1 manufacturer in the LED lighting industry through consistent year-over-year revenue and net earnings growth. He has tripled the workforce and doubled the number of women working at New Star, which is known for manufacturing luminaires in hospitals, airports and laboratories. Peña also focuses on hiring locally and has developed a workforce that’s represented by the surrounding communities of McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Back of the Yards, Little Village and Lawndale. In addition to a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Stanford University, Peña received an MBA in international business from Emory University and a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering & mechanical from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Althea Ricketts oversees the company’s diversity and inclusion program, called Idea. Her responsibilities include identifying, structuring and managing a team of associates that develop mission statements, rules of engagement, and content for internal communications and external marketing. Under her leadership, Shure (one of the world’s largest audio-technology companies) has embarked on an aggressive program to develop specific task forces, called “Vibes,” that are dedicated to three key elements: WE Vibe (Women Everywhere), Pride Vibe (celebrating LGBTQ+) and Cultural Diversity Vibe (focused on global efforts). In her new role, she manages activities, such as Pride events, the Asian American Pacific Islander Summit, Women in STEM and the Lola M. Parker Foundation. In her 30 years with Shure, Ricketts has worked in international sales, strategic planning, global marketing and operations.

Marcus Payne leads Ingredion’s performance in areas that include safety, environmental controls and security for its 12,000 global employees. He leads a cross-functional pandemic team that manages impacts across its global supply chain; implemented breakthrough results in process-safety metrics (improving 48% year over year) and applied best-in-class manufacturing processes across more than 40 plant locations. He is an executive sponsor of Ingredion’s Alliance of Black Employees, a business-resource group for African American employees, and also co-chairs Ingredion’s Global DEI Council. Payne helped established partnerships with largely minority institutions, such as Chicago State University and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. He is a founding member and current board chairman of the Ideal Education Foundation, which awards scholarships to high-achieving black high school and college students in the Chicago area.

MANUFACTURING MANAGER WAGE GAPS Asian manufacturing managers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Hispanic or Latino managers have the lowest average salary at $91,821. $104,000 $101,000 $98,000 $95,000 $92,000 $89,000

Unknown White Black

Asian Hispanic or Latino

MANUFACTURING MANAGER EDUCATION LEVELS High school diploma 3%

Bachelor’s 67%

Other 3% Master’s12%

Associate 15%

Gender Male - 89% Female - 11%

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Race White - 75.2% People of color or unknown - 24.8%

Most common degree Bachelor’s - 67% Associate - 15%

Source: Zippia.com

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