Building Business Leaders
Leadership
Our strength is our ability to work together across divisions, business units, and new acquisitions. The leadership team is the foundational support for all our companies providing expertise in Finance, Legal, HR, Culture Ownership, IT, Marketplace and Web Solutions, Acquisitions, and Operations.
Chris Grace
President and Chief Executive Officer
As the leader of the Grace portfolio of businesses for the past twenty years, Chris sold his equity interest to create the Company's ESOP in 2018. He continues to serve as CEO of Grace Stakeholder Investments. Chris drives strategy, planning, goal setting, and financial results to grow the business and increase the wealth of the employee shareholders. He enjoys creating value by acquiring new companies and folding them into our organizations. He is dedicated to helping employee-owners achieve financial security by giving them the opportunity to jointly own and manage their businesses.
Sandra Grace
Director of Mexican Operations
Born and raised in Reynosa, Mexico, Sandra's love for manufacturing started in 1992 in the Automotive Industry. There she gained experience in multiple functions across diverse platforms. From these experiences, she found her passion in Inventory Control Management. She showed strong leadership skills and was eventually in charge of six locations. This primed Sandra for the prominent role she has now, as Director of Mexican Operations. She oversees the Company's Mexico manufacturing plant, ensuring products ship to the sister companies in Germany and the USA.
David Wirthlin
Chief Financial Officer
After beginning his career as a certified public accountant and management consultant, David eventually served as CFO of four entrepreneurial companies over twenty-five years before joining Grace Stakeholder Investments. He successfully led these four entrepreneurial companies through operational growth and myriad transactions to finance expansion. He capitalized these businesses through bank credit facilities, private equity transactions, and initial public offerings. David also participated in the structuring and executing of several acquisitions, preparing him for the "growth through acquisition strategy" of Grace Stakeholder Investments.
Syble Poole
Director of Information Technology
Syble started with Grace over thirty-four years ago on the production floor. In those first eleven years, she was in various departments, gaining knowledge in manufacturing. From that experience and her can-do attitude, management tapped her to lead an ERP systems upgrade. Realizing this was her specialty, she became the IT manager. Now, as Director of IT, her team designs and implements strategies and infrastructure and mitigates security risks for all businesses within Grace Stakeholder Investments.
Krista Kingsbury
Director of Human Resources
biography coming soon
Tim Heikes
Director of Operations - Contract Manufacturing
In his leadership role, Tim provides mentoring and strategic guidance to an already exceptional team that delivers value to the company through manufacturing excellence. Tim directs the actions of the medical division, contract manufacturing, and our sign construction businesses. Skilled in quality, Tim and his team developed processes to achieve ITAR registration and ISO quality standards in the department where he started. Through his professional development, including a degree from the University of Kansas, he facilitates organic and acquisitional growth plans as part of Grace's acquisitions team.
Tami Pfeifer
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS - CONSUMER GOODS & ECOMMERCE BUSINESSES
Tami manages a collection of US-based companies and brands. As a leader, she directs a group of experts responsible for the financial success and growth of these varied brands. Since joining in 2008, her leadership skills and experience have led to improvements in processes, the execution of growth plans, increased brand awareness, and enhanced shareholder value. In line with the company's vision, Tami is committed to coaching team members and assisting them in reaching their career objectives. She actively participates in the acquisition process, from conducting due diligence to managing the onboarding process. Tami graduated from Arkansas Tech University with a degree in Business Management and Administration, adding to her solid professional foundation.
Marcin Ziomek
Director of European Operations
Marcin is a skilled business professional with extensive experience in business and people management. Marcin attended the University of Hamburg, Germany, where he received his MBA. Since taking over the general management of Microplane's European business in 2008, Marcin has driven brand development in the individual EU markets, focusing on the direct distribution model. In keeping with Grace's business philosophy, he has a passion for empowering employees and creating a level of team engagement that has contributed to substantial business growth and employee stability. Leveraging his professional business consulting experience, Marcin has steered the Microplane brand to market leadership across Europe.