Bios
Albert
(AL) A. Frink
Nominee, Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing & Services
The Department of Commerce
Al
Frink is a Small Business Executive Who Has Successfully Led and
Grown an Internationally Recognized Manufacturing Company
Frink
was Selected by the President because:
·
He is an excellent and persuasive communicator.
· He understands both the challenges and opportunities facing
manufacturing and will be a credible voice to others in the sector,
particularly small and medium sized businesses.
· Within the industry, his company has distinguished itself
through innovation and quality product.
· He is a champion of export. He is his company’s chief
advocate and salesperson, opening up foreign markets and responsible
for all international accounts.
· He is a committed and dedicated volunteer, public servant,
particularly on cultural and educational issues within the Hispanic
and Native American communities.
Frink
Co-Founded and Grew a Start-up Manufacturing Company:
·
Frink co-founded Fabrica International in 1974 with a $100,000 Small
Business Administration (SBA) loan
· Frink helped grow the company to $60 million in annual
revenue by 2003
· Frink helped build the company to over 400 employees
· Fabrica has never had to resort to any major lay-offs
· All of Fabrica’s operations – including manufacturing
and distribution are located in the United States
· Fabrica boasts 30 years without an operating loss and achieved
double digit growth in revenue between 1992 – 2002
· Fabrica develops, manufactures and sells high-end luxury
carpet and rugs to retailers, interior designers, furniture stores
and other markets, and is considered best in class, rated #1 carpet
mill in the United States for quality and fashion
· Fabrica was acquired by The Dixie Group in 2000.
Frink
is an Active Member of His Community in Many Roles:
· Former Member, Exporters’ Textile Advisory Committee,
The Department of Commerce
· Former Member, Board of Directors – The Latino Coalition
· Member, Orange County Hispanic 100
· Member, Board of Directors – YMCA Orange County Metro
· Member, Board of Directors – Pacific Symphony Orchestra
· Member, Board of Directors, Lincoln Club – Orange
County
· Member, Advisory Board, Carpet and Rug Institute
Frink’s
Awards and Achievements Include:
· 2004 Inductee to the prestigious Small Business Administration
Hall of Fame
· Silver Trumpet Award, the industry’s most prestigious
award from the Southern California Floor Covering Association
· Distinguished service Award, Native American Preparatory
S
Arthur D. Wainwright
Don
Wainwright was born March 29, 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended
public schools in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, Missouri and
graduated from Kirkwood High School. He attended the University
of Missouri on a scholastic/athletic scholarship under the tutelage
of Dan Devine. Their teams won the 1960 Orange Bowl against Navy
and the 1962 Blue Bonnet Bowl against Georgia Tech. He earned his
Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering.
After
graduating from the University of Missouri in 1965, Wainwright worked
over a year for the Westvaco Corporation in the capacity of a technical
research engineer before joining the United States Army Artillery
and Missile School staff as an artillery instructor during the Vietnam
War. He returned to civilian life in 1967 assuming a position as
engineer/manager of Westvaco Corporation.
In
1969, he joined Wainwright Industries in St. Louis, Missouri assuming
the position of plant manager and was promoted in 1973 to Vice President/Director.
In 1976, he was elevated to the position of Chairman/CEO, which
he holds today. During Wainwright’s 32 year tenure, the company
has implemented Total Quality Management and many unique personnel
programs, including an all salaried work force with a regularly
at/or above 99% attendance record, developed the concept of company
“Team Wainwright” uniforms, profit sharing programs,
and has been instrumental in numerous improvements in the manufacturing
efficiency of the plant. The company has received numerous awards
for outstanding product quality and total customer satisfaction.
In
1994, the company won the coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award. In 1996, Industry Week Magazine named Wainwright Industries
on of the ten best plants in the country. Also that year, Wainwright
received the Governor’s Quality Award for outstanding quality
leadership. The company was named 1999 Missouri Industry of the
Year.
Wainwright’s
past and present civic and public involvement includes positions
as director of BJC Investment and Pension Committee, director of
Boatmen’s and Mark Twain banks, director of AAIM Management
Association, director of Associated Industries of Missouri director
of St. Louis Health Care Network, and gubernatorial appointments
to the Industrial Educational Development Committee, a member of
Washington University’s National Engineering Council and the
University of Missouri’s Dean’s Engineering Advisory
Council, and director and chair of the overseer’s board for
the Baldrige Award for the Commerce Department. He was elected Vice-Chairman,
then Chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers for 2001
and 2002 respectively.
He
has been a guest lecturer throughout the United States, Europe,
and Asia. Wainwright has traveled overseas with the Governor representing
the Hawthorn Foundation, being instrumental in developing the economic
growth for the state. He is a member of the Third Baptist Church
of St. Louis, Missouri and is married to the former Mary C. Pillsbury
Ms. Karen Buchwald Wright
CEO, President and owner of Ariel Corporation
Biographical
Information:
Born on July 4, 1954 in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Karen grew up in rural
Knox County. After graduating from Mount Vernon High School in 1971,
Karen earned her B.A. from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.,
in 1974. For the next six years, she worked with various companies
in the Minneapolis area gaining experience in public relations,
marketing and communications. In 1980, she moved back to Mount Vernon
and began her career with the Ariel Corporation and raised four
sons. Her position within Ariel included organizing trade shows
throughout the world, marketing and brand recognition, trade advertising
and communications. In 1997, she was named Vice President of Administration
and added the responsibilities of personnel and corporate philanthropy.
In 2001, Karen was named CEO of Ariel and in 2002 became President
as well.
In
her position as CEO and President, Karen has provided exceptional
leadership and direction for the company. Since her appointment
as CEO, market share has increased 15 percent and she has significantly
increased the company’s presence internationally and in other
developing niches.
Company
Profile
Karen’s mother and father, Maureen and Jim Buchwald, along
with several others, founded Ariel Corporation in 1966. Their work
is a wonderful example of the classic American success story: A
small family business that is now on of the largest employers in
the county. A mechanical engineer, Jim Buchwald speculated the development
of high-speed engines provided a unique opportunity. He decided
to design and build a compressor for natural gas gathering unlike
any previously manufactured. The compressor was an unqualified success
and market indications led to the design and manufacture of a broader
product line. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, new compressors were
developed and by the 1990s, Ariel was manufacturing compressors
for a diverse global market. More than 20,000 Ariel compressors
are in service world-wide in refineries, gas fields, pipeline service
and gas gathering. Ariel’s world standard gas compressors,
outstanding service and exceptional customer support have made it
the world leader in gas compression