Mary Petrovich
Chief Executive Officer, AxleTech International

As Chief Executive Officer of AxleTech International, Mary Petrovich is responsible for global business performance across four locations with 500 employees and $300 million in annual revenues. Petrovich assumed this role in December 2002 when Wynnchurch Capital acquired ArvinMeritor's off-highway and specialty vehicle axle business. Under Petrovich's leadership, AxleTech has dramatically improved its market position and overall performance to establish an exciting platform for future growth. Significant improvements have included initiatives addressing cost competitiveness in purchasing and manufacturing as well as repositioning efforts aimed at capturing new markets and customers.

Petrovich has a record of turning under performing units into successful business enterprises. Prior to AxleTech, she was President of the Dura Automotive Driver Control Division with global profit and loss responsibility for three strategic business units having sales of $870 million. While there, Petrovich developed and implemented a turnaround plan to achieve double digit operating income within two years for a negative margin business unit. Other successes included launching two new growth programs projected to deliver $250 million in incremental business within two years and leading a company wide e-business strategy team.

Petrovich also spent seven years at Allied Signal in various leadership roles including Vice President of Operations and Supply Base Management for Allied Signal Friction Materials, Director of Supply Base Management for Allied Signal Automotive Products Group, Plant Manager for Allied Signal Safety Restraint System and Director of Cost Management for Allied Signal Automotive. She began her career at General Motors as a Manufacturing Engineer, and held financial and project management positions of increasing responsibility at Chrysler.

Petrovich is a well-recognized industry leader. She was named to Crain's Automotive News Top 100 Women in the Automotive Industry in 2000 and has been featured in professional books and videos including Noel Tichy's book The Leadership Engine and Robert Kaplan's Harvard Business School video Activity Based Costing and The Balanced Scorecard. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Woodward Company as well as the Advisory Council of the University of Michigan College of Engineering.

Petrovich holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Mark Blaufuss
Chief Financial Officer, AxleTech International

As Chief Financial Officer for AxleTech, Mark Blaufuss has global responsibility for all Finance and IT functions.

Prior to AxleTech, Mark worked for AlixPartners and served as CFO for a global supplier of injection-molded plastics.  Mark also spent seven years as CFO with Stonebridge Industries and prior that that served as Corporate Controller for JPE.  For the first six years of his career, he worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers as Audit Manager.  Through these increasingly responsible assignments, Mark has gained strong, proven manufacturing-base knowledge, as well as significant experience leading teams to achieve improved cash flow and profitability.

Mark graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Michigan State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Gary Alstott
Vice President of Purchasing and Brazil Operations, AxleTech International

As Vice President of Purchasing and Brazil Operations for AxleTech, Gary Alstott is responsible for developing global sourcing strategies, driving product cost reduction, and leading our program management function.  He manages resources based in Troy and our Oshkosh, St. Etienne and Osasco operations as we leverage best practices globally.  Dedicated Supplier Development resources are in place to assure our quality and costs are best in class. 

Alstott is also responsible for AxleTech’s assembly operations located in Osasco, Brazil.  Osasco produces AxleTech products for the South American market as well as major exports to North American and European customers.

While at ArvinMeritor^® for seven years, Gary Alstott most served as Senior Director of Procurement with responsibility for almost $1 Billion in annual global purchases.  He also led international and supplier development activities at ArvinMeritor’s Drive Axle, Driveline, Aftermarket, Transmission and Specialty Divisions.  Most recently, Gary served as Senior Director of Corporate Development for ArvinMeritor^®.  

For ten years prior to ArvinMeritor^®, Alstott held increasingly responsible positions in engineering, manufacturing, and sales headlined by management roles with two casting companies. 

Gary graduated with a B.S. in Engineering from Purdue University as well as an MBA and Juris Doctorate in Law.

Daniel Chien
Vice President, Worldwide Engineering, AxleTech International

Dan Chien leads the global engineering, product development, and value analysis activities for all of AxleTech’s commercial and military programs.

Prior to AxleTech, Chien spent eighteen years at ArvinMeritor^® in a number of roles of increasing responsibility up to Managing Director of Commercial Vehicle Suspension Systems.   He possesses leadership experience across a variety of key functions including engineering, procurement and general management.  

Chien also spent the first ten years of his career working in several off-highway powertrain engineering roles for J.I. Case and John Deere.    Most recently, he served as Vice President of Sales and Engineering for Liteflex, a lightweight suspension components business serving the heavy truck and automotive markets.  While at Liteflex, Dan directed sales activities to grow the business by 30%. 

Dan graduated with a B.S.M.E. from the University of Iowa.  Dan also earned a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Michigan State University.

Randall DeMorris
Vice President Human Resources, AxleTech International

As Vice President of Human Resources for AxleTech International, Randall DeMorris is responsible for development and implementation of Human Resources and Labor Relations strategies.

Randy has over twenty years of diverse and extensive HR leadership involving manufacturing operations, corporate development, labor relations, international recruitment, as well as HR/Labor Relations consulting in various industries on a wide range of HR organizational issues.

Randy received his Bachelors from Michigan State University and a Masters degree in Industrial Relations from Wayne State University.

Gerry Giudici
Vice President of O.E. Business Development, AxleTech International

As Vice President of O.E. Business Development, Gerry Giudici is responsible global leadership for all original equipment and remanufacturing sales, strategy, execution, and profitable growth.

Prior to AxleTech, Gerry Giudici served in senior leadership roles with two private equity companies. Gerry was the Vice President of Teksid Aluminum, Italy, a $1.2 Billion global automotive supplier of powertrain components and Senior Vice President of CHEP Global Automotive Services.

Gerry also spent five years at Lucas Varity and TRW Automotive, as Director of Global Business Development and Vice President of Planning for braking systems products.

Prior to Lucas Varity, Gerry spent three years at AlliedSignal, which included his turn-around role as Managing Director for a four-plant Italian seat belt and air bag operation. Gerry also spent fifteen years in international positions of increasing responsibility at Delphi Automotive and General Motors.

Gerry graduated with a B.S. in Industrial Administration from General Motors Institute and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Bill Gryzenia
Vice President Aftermarket Business Development, AxleTech International

As Vice President of Aftermarket Business Development, Bill Gryzenia has commercial responsibility worldwide for AxleTech's Aftermarket business.

Bill is uniquely qualified to lead this critical strategy for AxleTech based on his international industry experience achieving Latin American OE and Aftermarket growth for the Harnischfeger Corporation. He recently completed a five-year Latin American assignment directing activities for most of the company's operations in Chile and Argentina.

Bill earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and has an International Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago.

Patrick Laper
Vice President of Original Equipment Sales, AxleTech International

As Vice President of Original Equipment Sales, Patrick Laper has global responsibility for revenue growth and account management of the company's customer base across North America, Europe, South America, and South Africa.

Laper brings over thirty four years of relevant industry sales and engineering experience to AxleTech. Most recently, he was Director of Sales and Marketing for the Off-Highway Products business of ArvinMeritor^®/Meritor^®/Rockwell Automotive. For the past twenty-five years, Laper has held Sales and Product Planning positions of increasing responsibility within the Off-Highway and Specialty Truck industry.

From 1978 to 1980, Laper was with Clark Equipment as National Sales Manager and Market Development Manager. He started his career at Rockwell in 1970 as an Engineer and was promoted to Sales Engineer in 1978.

Laper holds an M.B.A. from the University of Portland and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Mike Burda
Vice President of Operations – Americas, AxleTech International

As Vice President of Operations – Americas, Mike Burda leads our Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Belvidere, Illinois, and Osasco, Brazil Manufacturing and Aftermarket facilities.

Mike has over 28 years of proven operational success including leading organizations through robust new product launch processes and successfully implementing and sustaining lean initiatives. Mike’s expertise in operations is instrumental to the future direction and success of AxleTech International.

Prior to AxleTech International, Mike was Vice President of Outboard Manufacturing at Mercury Marine. Mike also spent ten years with Honda as VP of their Power Products Division and Plant Manager at the Marysville Auto Plant. He spent seven years with Navistar in a variety of manufacturing roles including Manufacturing Engineering Manager, Production Manager, and Plant Manager. Mike has also had successful, diverse industry leadership roles in Manufacturing Engineering with companies such as GE Medical, and John Deere.

Mike received his Bachelors in Industrial Management form the Milwaukee School of Engineering and an MBA from Ohio State University.

Gilbert Vinau
Vice President European Operations, AxleTech International

As Vice President European Operations for AxleTech, Gilbert Vinau has full operational responsibility for the 165-person St. Etienne, France facility, which produces medium and heavy planetary axles, independent suspension axles, transfer cases, and wet disk brakes. He has served in this role for five years.

Prior to AxleTech, Vinau spent more than 10 years at ArvinMeritor^®, in various positions including supply chain director, material and logistics manager, finance and human resources director, controller (finance, information technology) and finance manager.

His accomplishments at ArvinMeritor^® include leading a successful business transfer from the United States to France; building employees commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement; redesigning the supply chain process – which resulted in improved customer delivery; developing partnerships with key suppliers; securing financing solutions for customers within export markets; and, leading an enterprise resource planning implementation without business disruption.

Prior to ArvinMeritor^®, Vinau served as corporate controller deputy for Casino's distribution and food manufacturing division, a retail catering and food processing company.

Vinau received an associate degree in sales and marketing, a bachelor of arts in finance and economics, and a master of business administration in finance and management from the Université Lyon in Lyon, France.