Nicolas Cerf, Vice President of Sales & Marketing

May 06, 2025 2:51 PM | Anonymous

1.      How long have you been a BAMA member? Since 2023
2.      What do you like most about being a BAMA member?Being a BAMA member brings a sense of community and collaboration in our area. It’s truly a network of professionals who are passionate about advancing the manufacturing industry.
3.      Tell us about your company.  Polypack specializes in manufacturing shrink wrap and corrugated packaging machines. We serve a wide range of industries, from food to pharmaceuticals. With over 65 years of experience, we take pride in delivering equipment that enhances productivity.
4.      What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date. Our greatest accomplishment as a company has been to stay on the forefront of innovation and sustainability in our industry. We continue to lead the way on sustainable packaging materials for shrink wrap and our machines manufacturing is done green initiatives in mind.
5.      What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?  The best advice comes from our customers. Their feedback allows Polypack to make machines built with their needs in mind.
6.      What is the most important skill you have developed in your career?  Adaptability is a key skill for our industry. The packaging industry is constantly evolving, and being able to pivot strategies and embrace new technologies has been crucial to maintaining success in sales and marketing.
7.      What are your hobbies or interests?  Polypack is proud to host the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum. It is a one of a kind museum focused on engin eering and innovation in automotive history.

Charles Vaccaro, Commercial Risk Advisor at The Baldwin Group

April 15, 2025 10:22 AM | Anonymous

1.      How long have you been a BAMA member?  Over 3 years
2.      What do you like most about being a BAMA member? Being able to talk with manufacturers and learn about their businesses. Every organization that I’ve spoken to in BAMA is unique in the products that they manufacture, how their manufacturing floors operate, and the ways they conduct business.
3.      Tell us about your company. We are an entrepreneur-led advisory firm delivering tailored insurance, risk mitigation, and employee benefits solutions for businesses and individuals.
4.      What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date?
In 2016, a close family friend succumbed to his lifelong battle with addiction. To honor his life, I worked with the Non-Profit recovery center he attended to demolish their existing outdoor patio deck, which was quickly deteriorating, & led the fundraising and construction of a 700sqft outdoor meeting area complete with a thatch roof. Nearly a decade later, it is still used by hundreds of individuals as a safe haven in their recovery journey.
5.      What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?  Faith, Consistency, and Hard Work Pays Off
6.      What is the most important skill you have developed in your career?  Simplifying the Complex – Being able to demystify insurance for my clients so that they completely understand what they are insuring, the impact it has on their business, and creating a roadmap for them to reduce their cost of risk and reduce the time they spend dealing with insurance.
7.      What are your hobbies or interests? You can usually catch me watching basketball or enjoying the outdoors while golfing, shooting clays, camping, or being by the water.

Uriel Arroyo, MBA, SPHR Vice President of Human Resources at GA Foods

March 18, 2025 10:57 AM | Anonymous

1.     How long have you been a BAMA member?
I have been a Bama Member for about 5 years now.
2.     What do you like most about being a BAMA member?
Community - BAMA fosters an exceptional sense of community, creating an environment where industry professionals come together to share experiences, knowledge, and best practices. More than that, the networking opportunities and camaraderie it cultivates are truly outstanding.
3.     Tell us about your company.
GA Foods, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, is a specialized provider of nutritious meals serving the unique needs of healthcare patients, seniors, children, the military, and emergency responders. Established in 1973, the company has grown from a local Florida business to a nationwide meal provider, delivering over 30 million meals annually across 40 states. We manufacture in Saint Pete and deliver across the nation.
4.     What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date?
I believe my greatest achievement is the ability I have cultivated to remain authentic in every role I play in life—whether as a husband, father, son, sibling, friend, neighbor, leader, or professional. I feel proud about this.
5.     What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? ‘’Do not mess with people. Always be nice no matter how far you get.’’
6.     What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? Influential (if we can call it a skill, lol). Creativity.
7.     What are your hobbies or interests?
I’m a huge fan of professional wrestling (WWE) and baseball (MLB)—I love watching wrestling shows, catching baseball games, and visiting different ballparks. One of my biggest bucket list goals is to visit every MLB stadium! Spending time with my family means everything to me. We love going out to eat, spending time at the beach, and watching movies at the theater—with lots of popcorn, milkshakes, and all the good stuff! One of my favorite things is watching old-school cartoons with my 8-year-old daughter, and by now, she’s a huge Dragon Ball Z fan just like me! We also love to travel, whether it’s going back to our beautiful island of Puerto Rico or traveling to new places.

Tammy Redmond, vice president & Owner of Ayanna Plastics & Engineering, Inc.

September 17, 2024 11:09 AM | Anonymous

How long have you been a BAMA member? 4 Years
What do you like most about being a BAMA member? I appreciate the community of people in manufacturing who all genuinely want to see each other succeed.
Tell us about your company. Ayanna Plastics & Engineering, Inc. is an ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified plastic injection molding company. Since 2001, Ayanna has focused on it’s core manufacturing strengths of mold design, mold building and part production. Ayanna serves a diverse and growing listing of industries including medical, industrial, consumer, aerospace, marine and defense. Our strategy allows us to offer globally competitive prices which reduces the risks of sourcing offshore for our customers. Based on design for manufacturing principles, our strategy for part design, mold design, mold building and processing allows us to consistently provide customers results that are so specific to their needs that many customers see us as an extension of their own company.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date? Without a doubt, my relationship with my husband and children. However, on a professional level, I share my greatest accomplishment with my husband who stands beside me to run a successful company. Our company has survived economic and political turmoil, a pandemic, overseas competition and the demise of our industry in our area. And, now, as our son becomes more and more involved in this endeavor we all share our excitement for the future together.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? There is power in silence. I truly believe in the value of listening and the power of showing results over sharing plans.
What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? Building meaningful connections with my family (most of whom I work with every day), team members and customers. These relationships are built on trust and our team knows that every decision, even the unpopular and tough decisions are made in the best interest of the company and them. Everyone on our team is truly part of the Ayanna family. And, just as importantly, our customers know our guidance is always based on what is best for them and not always what is most profitable for us.
What are your hobbies or interests? I love to be creative at home and work, from a flair for design so simply trying to creatively solve a problem. My husband and I both love animals and share our home with 4 mixed breed dogs and 2 cats. I’m always interested in learning and recently started taking a sewing class. When we travel, we spend time learning about the history and culture of an area so we enjoy it even more because of that knowledge.

Paula DeLuca, Director of Customer Success, ICG

August 20, 2024 9:23 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

1. How long have you been a BAMA member? I was the Business Advisor for BAMA for 2.5 years and with Innovative Consulting Group going on our second year as a member.
2. What do you like most about being a BAMA member? I love networking, meeting new people, and helping companies. My passion is manufacturing since that has encompassed the majority of my career. I have created many friendships from BAMA and feel a great sense of community. It’s a passionate group of people helping others.
3. Tell us about your company. ICG (https://www.icgtechnology.com) is the premier information technology (IT) and ERP software service provider in the manufacturing industry. As one of few companies hosting both IT and ERP under one roof, ICG is uniquely qualified to handle complex operational challenges for our customers and deliver the utmost value and performance every time. ICG’s team of consultants offers tailored support on IT platform and architecture, cybersecurity, IT & ERP managed services, private cloud hosting, ERP upgrades, manufacturing & financial consulting, shop floor & workflow automation, barcode & data collection, and more.
4. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date? Raising my sons to be good men with a strong work ethic.
5. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? Be your genuine self and always maintain your integrity.
6. What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? Always wear a smile, be fair, and strive towards continuous improvement.
7. What are your hobbies or interests? I love the beach, kayaking, music, and travel.

Benjamin Perez, CEO/President, TriNu Powder Coating

July 29, 2024 5:26 PM | Anonymous

1. How long have you been a BAMA member? I have been a BAMA member for 3 Months.

2. What do you like most about being a BAMA member? I appreciate the strong sense of community and the valuable networking opportunities that BAMA provides, which helps cultivate growth and collaboration among local manufacturers.

3. Tell us about your company? TriNu LLC specializes in sandblasting and powder coating services. We are committed to delivering high quality and exceptional results, ensuring that our clients receive the best solutions for their coating needs.

4. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date? My greatest accomplishment to date is successfully building TriNu Powder Coating LLC from the ground up, growing it into a trusted and reputable business in the industry.

5. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? The best advice I have received is “You don’t live to work; you work to live”.

6. What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? The most important skill I have developed is creating a workplace culture that encourages joy.

7. What are your hobbies or interests? In my free time, I enjoy learning the piano, which helps me to stay balanced and inspired both personally and professionally.

Robin Reynolds, Corporate Strategy Advisor, MicroLumen

June 17, 2024 5:35 PM | Anonymous

1. How long have you been a BAMA member? 4 years—since 2020.

2. What do you like most about being a BAMA member? The ability to access new knowledge in the industry—all the webinars, roundtables, networking events are fantastic!

3. Tell us about your company? MicroLumen (https://www.microlumen.com/) is the leading manufacturer of high performance medical products since 1987. Our high performance medical tubing is used in a wide rants of minimally invasive, critical applications including catheters, stent delivery systems, urological devices and drug delivery. We are a family owned company with over 300 employees. We pride ourselves on the quality of the products we provide to our customers and our commitment to our employees. We believe that taking care of your employees ensures happy customers.

4. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date? Personally, it’s my relationship with my husband and son. Professionally, it’s the feeling that I have contributed to the growth of MicroLumen to get us to where we are today.

5. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? “Assume Positive Intent”— Don’t immediately ascribe bad motives to people for their actions when you don’t agree.

6. What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? The ability to listen before taking action. Sometimes there are important things you need to know before making a decision, you just need to give people the space to tell you.

7. What are your hobbies or interests? Golf and scuba diving with my family. My husband and I just went to Raja Ampat in Indonesia this year on a scuba liveaboard. It was magical!

James S. Moore, CSCP, PMP, CCMC, CardioCommand, Inc.

May 13, 2024 3:03 PM | Anonymous

How long have you been a BAMA member? I have personally been involved with BAMA for many years however CardioCommand, Inc. has been a member of BAMA for 11 years.
What do you like most about being a BAMA member? What I like most about BAMA is it provides a forum to connect with other manufacturing industry professionals whom I can collaborate with on industry and community challenges.
Tell us about your company. CardioCommand, Inc. (http://cardiocommand.com) specializes in the development and manufacture of consumable medical products, advanced electronic cardiac monitoring devices, and pacing equipment. As an FDA-registered manufacturer, CardioCommand produces Class I, II, and III medical devices, and provides ISO 13485 certified Contract Manufacturing Services (CMS). We are also the proud manufacturers of petMAP (https://petmap.com) portable veterinary monitors.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date? Being a husband, father, and grandfather is my greatest accomplishment.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? The best advice I have ever received is that “being right is not enough.” I received that advice early in my career. I’ve learned that It’s not just about the accuracy of one's knowledge or ideas, but also about how they are communicated, how others are engaged in the process, and how decisions align with broader organizational goals and culture. Throughout my career, this advice has served me well.
What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? Good question… If you look at my LinkedIn profile (http://linkedin.com/in/jmoore) you will see 99+ endorsements each for Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Program Management, Lean Manufacturing, Team Building, and Process Improvement. Who am I to question what others have endorsed?
What are your hobbies or interests? My wife loves to travel so we spend time cruising, skiing, and visiting our children and grandchildren. When I’m not working, traveling, or involved in ministry-related activities, I provide faith-based career coaching to people seeking employment. I also serve on local and national boards of directors and advisory boards. Additionally, I support back-office operations for my wife’s consulting practice.

Kay McKenzie, CEO, Check Before Hire LLC

April 04, 2024 10:34 AM | Anonymous

1. How long have you been a BAMA member? I have been a member since December 2022

2. What do you like most about being a BAMA member? It is amazing how many kinds of Manufacturing companies there are in our backyards, and learning something new on every tour. I do get memorized watching robots and machines and how they work.

3. Tell us about your company. Check Before Hire, LLC offers Pre-employment Background Checks and Drug Screenings.

We believe!

CLIENT CARE FIRST... ALWAYS.Check Before Hire helps your business or organization build a firm foundation of trust and safety for your employees & customers.

4. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date? Starting a new life here in the USA and starting my business. America is the land of opportunity.

5. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? Do not take it personally in business! It’s not about you. Keep Learning something new.

6. What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? Make service & communication your priority, not success, and success will follow!

7. What are your hobbies or interests? Enjoying long relaxing rides with my husband on our motorcycles. Plus, it’s a must to have Flip Flop Vacation once a year.

Love to meet new people and travel to new destinations

Tim Robinson VP of Sales American Fabric Filter Co., Inc. Sifter Parts & Services Inc.

February 16, 2024 12:12 PM | Anonymous

How long have you been a BAMA member? 2 Years

What do you like most about being a BAMA member? The chance to network with other local manufacturers which have the potential to become vendors or clients.

Tell us about your company? We are a manufacturer and distributor of filtration and screening products used by many industries. We started out focusing on food processing and woodworking but have branched out to many other areas including building materials manufactures, tissue banks (used for transplants), pharmaceuticals and much more. Something in our product line is used in a majority of manufacturing processes and we keep coming across more industries that we can help.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date? Thriving through the pandemic due to our ability to use all the resources at our disposal to keep our people working. We pivoted our product line to help plug the gaps where we had lost business. There was so much uncertainty yet we found a way to not only make it through but to grow the business as well.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? Good times will come and when they do put something away for the bad times. This has helped us thrive through a major recession and the Covid crisis.

What is the most important skill you have developed in your career? The most important skill I have developed in the last 20 years of working here is to not be afraid to take calculated risks. Starting out we were extremely conservative with deploying capital so much so that it hampered some of our early growth. I now have the confidence that we can bring on new product lines and that we will be successful. As cliché as it sounds it is grit. You have to power through to see your goals realized so you should not hesitate to take the first steps once you have done your research

What are your hobbies or interests? I have young children so most of my hobbies revolve around them and the sports and school work. I love golfing, fishing and working out and as I get older fitness has really become a huge part of my life.