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Meet Mike
Mike Gross has over 30 years of manufacturing experience and brings a broad leadership perspective to business operations. But he also understands the importance of regular interaction on location with the employees performing the process and is approachable with employees at all levels of an organization.
Prior to resuming his consulting, Mike was the Executive Vice President for Daicel Safety Systems America, a manufacturer of automotive airbag inflators and components, overseeing integrated management systems, supplier development and purchasing, manufacturing planning, shipping and receiving, quality assurance, environmental health and safety, and regulatory compliance administration. He was part of the startup team for this site and was steadily promoted to different roles over 17 years with peak employment of over 700.
Mike started his career at ALCOA Warrick Operations at a Metallurgist in the Cold Mill with responsibility to characterize coil sheet thickness, a critical beverage container dimension, utilizing statistical inference. From there he went to Commonwealth Aluminum with several roles including Staff Development Metallurgical Engineer, Staff Process Metallurgical Engineer in Finishing, Staff Quality Engineer, and finally Technical Manager over 8 years, with responsibilities for metallurgical process development, control, and quality systems. Just prior to starting his career with Daicel, Mike worked for a short time as a Management Systems consultant at a Hydro Aluminum extrusion billet facility, developing procedures and systems, as well as integrating existing documentation in preparation for ISO 9001 registration.
In January 2020, Mike became a Part Time Instructor at Western Kentucky University - Owensboro for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Mike and his wife Karen reside in Owensboro, KY and are parents of four adult children.
Education
Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology (1994)
Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology (1988)
Completed coursework for a Master of Science in Statistics, Colorado State University
Publications
Effects of Mg, Ce, S, and LA on Graphite Stability in DI (ductile iron) During Extended Holding, 1996 AFS Transactions
Certifications
Management Systems Implementation Lead Consultant #205717, Exemplar Global (scopes: Safety, Environmental, Quality, Medical Device)
Certified Quality Engineer #20759, American Society for Quality
Certified ISO 9001 Lead Implementer (#QMCI 1075361-2020-12, Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified ISO 13485 Lead Implementer (#MDQMLI 1075361-2020-12 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified ISO 14001 Lead Implementer (#EMLI 1075361-2020-12 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified ISO 45001 Lead Implementer (#OHS-LI1075361-2020-12 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor (#QMLA 1075361-2022-01 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified ISO 13485 Lead Auditor (#MDQMLA 1075361-2022-01 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified ISO 14001 Lead Auditor (#EMLA 1075361-2022-01 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified ISO 45001 Lead Auditor (#OHS-LA1075361-2022-01 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)
Certified Trainer #CT05005-12-2020 Professional Evaluation and Certification Board
Certified Quality Auditor #71000, American Society for Quality
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (LSSMBB) #28110711, Management and Strategy Institute
Six Sigma Lean Black Belt Professional (LBBP) #27682286, Management and Strategy Institute
Affiliations, Honors, and Awards
Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, member
American Society for Quality, Evansville-Owensboro Section
American Society for Materials, Western Kentucky Chapter
Exemplar Global
Profession Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB)
Academy of Mines and Metallurgy, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Ogden College of Science and Technology Advisory Board, Western Kentucky University
Order of Cardinal Mercier Board of Directors, Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Honorary Knight of St. Patrick, Missouri University of Science and Technology
