Tom Howard is an accomplished manufacturing, operations, and financial executive with 37 years of professional experience building, leading, and improving organizations. His career has been distinguished by an uncommon ability to operate effectively across multiple business disciplines, including manufacturing operations, finance, supply chain management, ERP systems, capital projects, inventory control, strategic planning, and business process improvement. From managing complex manufacturing environments to advising senior executives and boards on financial performance, Tom has developed a comprehensive understanding of how the individual functions of an organization must work together to create sustainable results.
Today, Tom serves as Chief Operations Officer of Zoeller Company, where he oversees seven manufacturing locations across domestic and international operations, including facilities supporting vertical integration. His responsibilities extend across corporate supply chain and corporate controls while also placing him at the forefront of the company’s artificial intelligence initiative. One of the most significant examples of his operational impact has been the improvement of customer order lead times for core products from approximately six weeks to just three days. The achievement reflects the approach that has characterized Tom’s career: understand the process, identify the constraints, align people and resources, and create measurable improvements for both the organization and its customers.
Tom’s operational leadership is strengthened by an extensive financial background. Before transitioning into the Chief Operations Officer role, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Zoeller Company, working closely with the CEO, board, senior executives, and department leaders. During his tenure in financial leadership, he enhanced budgeting processes, strengthened internal controls, improved accounts payable and accounts receivable procedures, and refined month-end closing practices. He also developed budgets for operating expenses and capital projects, supported GAAP-compliant audits, protected organizational assets through effective controls, and provided executive leadership with informed analysis of budgets and financial performance.
That combination of financial and operational leadership gives Tom a particularly valuable perspective on business decision-making. Rather than viewing manufacturing, finance, supply chain, technology, and strategy as independent functions, he understands their interdependencies. His experience allows him to consider how an operational decision affects working capital, how inventory practices influence customer performance, how capital investments affect long-term competitiveness, and how technology can improve visibility and execution throughout an enterprise. This ability to connect strategy with practical execution has become one of the defining strengths of his executive career.
Technology and enterprise systems represent another important dimension of Tom’s professional experience. As a Senior Business Consultant with Godlan and previously as a Syteline Business Consultant with Fox Run Systems and Solutions, Tom implemented and trained organizations on the core modules of the Syteline ERP system. His responsibilities went beyond technical implementation, requiring him to work directly with management teams, understand organizational requirements, improve workflows, expand systems for new business purposes, and help employees successfully adopt new processes. His broader professional skill set also encompasses ERP, business process improvement, software implementation, MRP, forecasting, inventory management, and supply chain optimization.
Earlier in his career, Tom developed substantial hands-on manufacturing leadership experience at J&J Packaging. As Plant General Manager, he oversaw manufacturing operations involving more than 500 employees and an approximately $50 million annual operating budget while supporting major organizations and consumer brands including Duracell, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, Dial, and Beiersdorf’s Nivea products. He was responsible for achieving production, operational, and financial objectives while managing budgets, controlling costs, improving materials movement, supervising teams, and maintaining quality initiatives and documentation aligned with ISO requirements. This experience provided Tom with a practical understanding of the demands facing manufacturing organizations and the importance of balancing productivity, quality, people, cost, and customer expectations.
Tom’s career progression also reflects a deep understanding of supply chain, materials, systems, and financial management. As Materials Manager at J&J Packaging, he evaluated vendors, managed supplier relationships, oversaw purchasing and contract-management processes, and worked to maintain supplier quality and reliability. His earlier experience as Applications Software Manager strengthened his understanding of technology and its relationship to business operations. Prior to those positions, he served as Divisional Controller for Rexam Metallising, where he oversaw financial activities, reporting, regulatory requirements, and accounting standards. He also served as Chief Financial Officer for Harcourt Outlines and Harcourt Pencil Company, working with boards and senior executives on budgets, financial reporting, and organizational decision-making.
Throughout these roles, Tom has developed expertise that extends well beyond the boundaries of any single executive function. His professional capabilities include manufacturing and lean manufacturing, operations management, supply chain management, inventory and materials management, financial analysis and reporting, budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, project management, process improvement, ERP implementation, change management, logistics, strategic sourcing, production planning, and cross-functional team leadership. This breadth enables him to approach organizational challenges from multiple perspectives and to translate complex operational and financial information into practical business decisions.
Tom earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Indianapolis, majoring in Accounting and minoring in Economics. He further strengthened his professional credentials by earning the Certified Management Accountant designation in 1996. His financial education and CMA background have remained valuable throughout his progression from financial leadership into technology consulting, manufacturing management, and ultimately enterprise-level operational leadership. His professional experience has also provided international exposure, including Germany and Taiwan, complementing his leadership of manufacturing operations with domestic and international responsibilities.
As Tom approaches the later chapters of his active executive career, board and advisory service represents a natural extension of the experience he has accumulated over nearly four decades. He is particularly interested in opportunities involving manufacturing organizations and remains open to companies across a broad range of sizes. Rather than viewing board service simply as a transition toward retirement, Tom sees it as an opportunity to transfer practical knowledge to organizations and leadership teams that can benefit from an executive who understands the realities of operating a business from financial, technological, supply chain, and manufacturing perspectives.
Tom’s potential contribution in the boardroom is grounded in experience rather than theory. He has managed substantial workforces and operating budgets, participated in executive financial decision-making, advised boards and CEOs, implemented enterprise technology, managed supplier relationships, improved manufacturing performance, strengthened internal controls, and led initiatives involving emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. This breadth positions him to contribute thoughtful perspectives to conversations involving operational performance, financial stewardship, capital allocation, technology transformation, supply chain resilience, organizational risk, and long-term strategic planning.
Underlying Tom’s professional accomplishments is a practical philosophy centered on continuous improvement, responsible leadership, and the effective use of experience. He values organizations where people, processes, financial discipline, and technology are aligned around clear objectives. His interests outside of work include sports and, most importantly, spending time with his grandchildren. As he considers board opportunities, he brings not only the technical knowledge accumulated throughout a 37-year career but also the perspective of an experienced executive who recognizes that lasting organizational success depends on making sound decisions, developing people, adapting to change, and leaving an organization stronger for the future.
Character:
Tom brings a grounded, responsible leadership approach shaped by decades of accountability for people, operations, financial resources, and organizational performance. He demonstrates his values through a consistent commitment to continuous improvement, responsible stewardship, and creating sustainable value for the organizations and people he serves.
Knowledge:
He offers an unusually broad base of knowledge encompassing manufacturing operations, finance, supply chain management, ERP systems, capital projects, inventory control, process improvement, and enterprise technology. His progression through financial, technology consulting, plant management, and C-suite leadership roles allows him to understand both the individual components of a business and how those components interact.
Strategic:
Tom combines long-range business thinking with the practical experience necessary to translate strategy into measurable execution. Whether improving customer lead times, strengthening financial controls, implementing enterprise systems, overseeing capital investments, or leading corporate technology initiatives, he approaches strategic decisions with an understanding of their operational and financial consequences.
Communication:
Spending his career working across organizational boundaries with boards, CEOs, senior executives, department leaders, manufacturing teams, suppliers, customers, and technology professionals. His ability to connect financial, operational, and technical perspectives enables him to communicate complex business considerations in a practical manner that supports informed decision-making.
