Jeff Beamon

President

A native of North Carolina, Jeff Beamon received his Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University in Industrial Technology.  He went on to earn his Master of Science from Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1988 in Industrial Technology and Engineering.  Currently Jeff is pursuing his Doctorate of Strategic Leadership and theology at Regent University. Jeff’s hard work and aspiring nature led him to a position as a manufacturing engineer, which marked the beginning of an extremely successful career in manufacturing with Square D Company.

He moved to provide significant service and training on the Toyota Production System with Copeland Corporation for over a decade where he held several positions in Continuous Improvement, Operations and Plant Manager. Jeff’s tenure with Copeland allowed him to gain significant knowledge and experience in Lean Manufacturing and Transformation projects. By supplementing this experience with his strong interpersonal skills and thirst for change, Jeff worked to optimize management, operational and manufacturing systems by integrating these strategies into the organization.   These skills provided an impetus for his teaching and training others using this new methodology and groundbreaking techniques.

Jeff’s career then led him to North Carolina State University as a Lean Consultant. This opportunity allows Jeff to utilize his skills throughout the State of North Carolina to assist manufacturing, hospitals, military, etc. achieve improvements through implementation of the Lean Tools, Transformation, Strategic Planning, Six Sigma Green & Black Belt, and Team Building to continually improve these organizations to remain competitive in this Global Marketplace.

Coinciding with Jeff’s hard work, diligence, flexibility and reputation as an innovative thinker and change agent, his time is not limited to his career.  Jeff’s passion for engineering, desire to improve his surrounding communities, and his continuous quest for his own personal improvement, has led him to develop and demonstrate a profound commitment to fellowship and faith through participation in his community.  Jeff has served in other capacities such as United Way Volunteer, Trainer, and Deacon and several ministries at his Church.  Jeff continues to dive into new and exciting roles within the workplace and the broader community, challenging himself to embrace new opportunities.

Chris McGraw

Vice President Sales

A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Chris McGraw received an Associate degree from Lees-McRae College and his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University.  

Chris worked for 15 years in engineering and marketing with an international Fortune 500 company. He held positions from design engineer to application engineer to technical manager, and was directly involved with the planning and implementation of the company’s e-commerce plan. He traveled across the US and overseas for the company as a technical trainer and business leader. Chris has been published in many industry trade magazines, including Manufacturing Engineering, Cutting Tool Engineering, and Ceramic Industry.

Chris has worked for NC State University’s Industry Expansion Service for the last 19 years. He presently holds the title of Regional Manager and covers the 21 western counties of North Carolina. Chris has taught various lean manufacturing courses, including Lean 100, 5S and Value Stream Mapping. He has participated in more than 25 lean events as facilitator and instructor. He has done projects with companies throughout the area in six sigma, lean manufacturing, ISO 9000, cybersecurity, technical marketing, plant layout and other technical projects. Companies have reported millions of dollars in economic impact based on these projects.

Chris is active in his church and community. He has lead several committees in his church including those overseeing staff, finance and building projects. Chris has been a youth leader and Sunday School teacher. He has served as a board member of Bethany Christian Service and local sports organizations. 

Chris and his wife, Dana, live in the Asheville, NC area.

Tasha Fritz

Treasurer

Tasha Fritz, is the owner of The Savvy Sisters, LLC, a graphic design company, whose home-base is currently in Frankfort, Ky.  She has over 20 years of experience in finance.  Her mission is to continue educating her community on the importance of financial literacy and living within their means.  Tasha is a member of A Place of Change Ministries of Lansing, Michigan. 

Latoya Giles

Director of Creative Design

Latoya is a native North Carolinian and has 20 years of combined experience in executive administrative support and program coordination.  The latter part of her experience has been in higher education and the beginning in a Fortune 500 company.  Outside of her work experience, Latoya enjoys researching, traveling, and community volunteering.  

Brian Shepard

Director of Social Media

Brian Shepard is a veteran change agent with over 15 years of operations and leadership experience.  Brian grew up in the church and has been born again for as long as he can remember.  A native of North Carolina, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Human & Regional Geography at the United States Military Academy at West Point, which kicked off a life-long study of culture.  Brian started his career as an infantry officer in the US Army, holding leadership positions of teams ranging from 18 – 200 people and taking him all over the United States & several other countries.  His time in the military provided an unparalleled schooling on human and organizational behavior & culture.

Brian moved into the civilian sector where he has held various leadership and operational positions in manufacturing, including strategic sourcing, supply chain management, materials management, customer service, project management, and Six Sigma Black Belt at multiple Fortune 500 companies.  Here Brian was first exposed to the Lean philosophy and has never looked back. 

Brian is an ASQ certified Six Sigma Black Belt and is pursuing SME Lean Silver certification.  He has led improvement projects and kaizens in multiple facilities, which has fueled a passion for helping people make work easier by removing obstacles.  He has moved facilities, implemented major transformations, and solved complex problems.  He has trained and mentored hundreds of people in all Lean and Six Sigma topics, and coached many leaders in daily practice.

Brian resides near Raleigh, NC with his wife and four children.