Brian Beaulieu

ITR Economics

Miles Free

PMPA

Miles Free is Director Industry Affairs for the Precision Machined Products Association, where he handles Regulatory, Government Affairs, Statistical and Financial reporting and providing Technical Assistance in all areas of manufacturing. Prior to joining PMPA in 2003, Mr. Free was Director, Quality and Development, at Republic Engineered Products. He has created content using all forms of media, with numerous articles published,  over a million views on his blog  Speaking of Precision, and currently hosts two Podcasts for PMPA. He is a widely sought presenter on Problem solving, Quality, and Metallurgical topics.  Mr. Free holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Youngstown State University, and an MBA from Walsh University, where he taught Quality and Performance Management and Data Analytics in the MBA and Executive MBA programs.

Rick Grimaldi

Fisher Phillips LLP

As an experienced and accomplished labor lawyer, Rick also draws on a diverse
background in government relations and the media to help businesses become both
more successful organizations and better employers.

Having spent his career defending the interests of businesses around the world in labor relations matters, Rick is ideally suited to help clients maintain good, positive relationships with their employees. He is particularly skilled at helping to foresee and avert troublesome situations, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and representing employers’ interests during union campaigns. He has achieved positive results defending businesses in major discrimination litigation, union campaigns, collective bargaining, and arbitrations. Just as importantly, his ability to devise creative solutions around key provisions such as leave programs and performance management has sparked successful outcomes that have improved productivity and saved clients significant sums of money.

He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and is internationally recognized as an outstanding trainer and presenter by both clients and trade associations. He works closely with senior executives and management teams to provide hands-on and practical leadership and workplace training.
Rick has written and published extensively. He is the author of FLEX: A Leader’s Guide to Staying Nimble and Mastering Transformative Change in the Workplace (Wiley, 2021), an influential guidebook for corporate executives, and the forthcoming Age Appropriate: How to Leverage a Multi-Generational Workforce and Win the Market

Omar Nashashibi

Inside Beltway

Omar S. Nashashibi is the Founder of Inside Beltway, a nonpartisan lobbying and strategic consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Having worked in the nation’s capital for over twenty-five years, Mr. Nashashibi provides strategic consulting services to companies while also lobbying the White House and Congress on behalf of manufacturing, associations, emerging technology firms, nonprofits, and other sectors. He works with policymakers on trade, taxes, environmental and workplace regulations, supply chains, job training and identifying grants and funding to support projects. Having started his career in Washington D.C. in 1995, Mr. Nashashibi worked for the Office of Management and Budget, a branch of the White House, a large multi-state law firm, and founded a previous lobbying firm in 2005. He graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he studied Political Science and International Affairs.

David Osborne

Dale Carnegie

David Osborne is an Executive Consultant, Face-to-Face Trainer, Digital Team Facilitator & Producer, and Instructional Designer, working with Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc., including more than 22 of Carnegie’s International franchises. In 2017, he won Digital Trainer of the Year, and in 2022 he won Sales Trainer of the Year as voted by Carnegie’s global clients. David is certified to facilitate all Dale Carnegie Sales and Presentations programming and has provided sales training for over 300 companies in vastly different markets.  He is also certified to facilitate Dale Carnegie’s Communications, Leadership and Management programming.  He is passionate about helping others recognize and pursue their potential.  Prior to joining Carnegie in 2005, David spent 10 years in the Information Technology sector as a Business Analyst & Project Manager for hire.

Kendra Ramirez

KR Digital Agency

Kendra is CEO of KR Digital Agency, a leader in Digital and AI solutions, spearheading initiatives that drive digital and AI transformation in B2B markets.  Kendra is an AI advocate, serving on the Cincinnati AI Catalyst Committee and co-hosting the Greater Cincinnati region’s largest AI meetup.  With a track record of delivering 54 AI talks last year, her commitment to educating and engaging professionals in AI is her driving force.   She is globally recognized on LinkedIn.com’s homepage, recipient of the Women of Influence Award, John Barrett Entrepreneur Vision Award, Cincy Chic Woman of the Year, and STEM Influencer.  As the best-selling author of “Marketing Fusion” and “Micro Shift,” she shares insights on leveraging digital technologies and the importance of understanding your mindset. With over 15 years in technology companies, her leadership is focused on navigating change in sales, marketing, and recruiting for B2B clients..

Marcel Schwantes

Marcel Schwantes is a speaker, author, acclaimed executive coach, and an Inc. Magazine Contributing Editor with a global following. Marcel delivers presentations, workshops, courses, and coaching programs about the human side of business and how cultures of care, connection, and belonging power companies to thrive and outperform the competition. Marcel also hosts the popular “Love in Action” podcast, where he engages in deep conversations with the world’s top leaders, authors and scholars about the business principles of love and care – the podcast is heard in over 160 countries. 

Melanie Webber

Fisher Phillips LLP

Melanie Webber is a partner in Fisher Phillips’ Cleveland office and serves as chair for the firm’s Women’s Initiative and Leadership Council. She represents and advises clients in all aspects of employment law, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and leave-related complaints.

Over her career, she has represented employers on traditional labor issues—such as union organizing campaigns, unfair labor practice charges and labor arbitrations—before administrative agencies that include the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC).

Melanie believes in developing positive, proactive employee relations programs (including employee opinion surveys) with her clients and can guide them through employment practice, human resource and wage-hour audits.  

David Wynn

PMPA

David Wynn has an MBA from University of Tennessee. David has served as Technical Services Director for PMPA since July of 2024.  During his time training under Miles Free since February of  2023, David has deepened his knowledge of materials, especially steel.  Experiencing the process from melt to cold finished bar.  David is continuing to expand his knowledge of regulatory issues.  Helping members weed through the mountain of rules and red tape to find actionable solutions for our shops.  David is also the Chief Financial Officer of ABF Engineering in South Fulton, Tennessee that specializes in Brown and Sharpe and Swiss CNC.  David believes that everything and anything should be automated and is also a strong believer that to sustain continuous improvement you need to be a lifelong learner. David also has experience in computer programming, CNC programming and accounting.  Being a business owner David understands the issues our shops face everyday firsthand.  He can relate to your problems and help you find the resources you need to run your shop.