Stephen Lacey

P&L Responsibility • Cross-Functional Management • Cost Savings • Manufacturing Systems

Facility Optimization • Crisis Management • Risk Mitigation • Continuous Process Improvement

Having captained 25% of the plant budget while rectifying backlogs, improving processes, and spearheading operational turnaround, I have developed a powerful reputation for Engineering team performance development. My career has been marked by repeatedly strengthening manufacturing systems and functions, guiding cross-functional teams to accomplish enterprise goals. I am known for my ability to observe and quickly respond, implementing exceptional execution throughout the enterprise.

My hands-on approach to building and coaching teams ensures that the company’s values and mission are communicated and understood at every level of the organization. By identifying critical patterns and utilizing pattern variations, I can bring effective change to the performance culture of your organization. If you have dreamed of Leadership that can build and coach cohesive teams to deliver concrete profits for your business, let’s have a conversation to explore what the future of your business can be if I am on your leadership team.

Director of Engineering & Maintenance

Carolina Beverage Group, Fort Worth, TX 2021 – 2022

• Owned 25% of the plant budget while leading 32 FTEs.
• Hired a new planner to overhaul CMMS Records.
• Catapulted weekly preventative maintenance completion by 450%.
• In addition, boosted line capacity by 10%.
• Expanded production time by elevating OEE by 1.5%.
• Transformed an MRO inventory write-down from $50K/month to zero.
• Resolved 5 outstanding 3rd-party audit deficiencies in 1st 60 days, eliminating risk to ~$20M contract.

CTI Foods LLC, Saginaw, TX 2019 – 2021

Led a group of 50 personnel across 2 plants.

• Managed 30% of the site budget.
• Rectified a work backlog by 50%, skyrocketing weekly schedule compliance from 18% to 72%. 

Cereal Ingredients Incorporated, Leavenworth, KS 2017 – 2019

• Held responsibility for 24/7 operation of maintenance department and all utilities.
• Increased EBITDA 25% by scaling down cost of production on more than 3M pounds of product/month.
• Maximized critical parts inventory from 800K to 1.2M.
• Magnified testing lab capacity, surging sample processing 300%.
• Solved a systemic problem by installing an extruder in R&D lab that captured an additional $100K in annual savings.

Maintenance Manager/Engineer

MGP Ingredients, Atchison, KS 2010 – 2017

• Installed systems upgrade that delivered 40%+ increase in urgently needed capacity.
• With critical oversight, slashed downtime by 60%.
• Plummeted YoY overtime by 30% within 1st 6 months of new role and maintained these rates throughout tenure.
• Reconfigured transformer bank to operate at 57.7% during crisis instead of completely shutting down operations; these successful efforts avoided a potential loss of ~$2.5M over 3-week period. 
• Managed a team of 45 technicians, a maintenance planner, maintenance clerk and two supervisors. 
• Also responsible for a labor budget of $1.8M, and a $2.4M parts, services, and contract budget.

BS Electrical Engineering University of Arkansas Fayette