Lunch and Learn: Driving Business Value Series - November

Arlene Dalida is the founding Partner of Inexa Solutions, bringing large corporate experience to the small business sector. Inexa Solutions engages partner clients with the philosophy of delivering not just assessments and advisory services, but actual operational results that fit within the scope of small business realities.

Before establishing Inexa Solutions to help early and second stage companies, Ms. Dalida had extensive experience in Strategic, Financial, and Supply Chain Management in diversified industries, previously holding director, vice president, and CFO positions at FedEx Supply Chain Services, La-Z-Boy Manufacturing, and Comerica Bank among others. In former Consulting roles, Ms. Dalida worked with a wide range of businesses in multiple sectors including manufacturing, chemical, services, and retail.

Currently, Ms. Dalida is the CFO and Supply Chain Executive for Stowe Cargo Systems, a local early stage manufacturing company. She also holds the part-time CFO role for Inforum (a non-profit research/education organization). Previously, Ms. Dalida launched her own small business, managing it through an accelerated growth stage and ultimate sale.

Arlene Dalida has a BBA degree from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy, along with an Executive Certification in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Georgia Tech University.

Alex Drost is a vice president at Cascade Partners. He is responsible for supporting the analytical, research and transaction execution capabilities of the firm. Mr. Drost is a CPA and has a Masters of Science in Finance from Walsh College with a concentration in investment banking and corporate finance. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with dual majors in Accounting and Finance from Northwood University.

Jeff Huston has 25+ years of automotive industry experience with full P&L responsibility. He spent 15 years leading the Johnson Controls (now Adient) Toyota business until departing to become the
President and COO of ConForm Automotive, a privately held tier 1 automotive supplier. He successfully sold the company in 2016 and is now the Vice President of Asian OEM customers at Lear. Prior to JCI, Jeff spent 10 years at Ford Motor Company in various leadership roles of increasing responsibility. Jeff’s experience gives a unique perspective on how to navigate and operate within the OEM, large publicly traded tier 1, and the private sector. Jeff has held executive positions in program management, engineering, manufacturing, and quality where he was involved with several cradle-to-grave and Greenfield start up projects in the United States and internationally.

Jeff earned his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan with a concentration in operations. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Steve Savoy has 25+ years of consulting and industry experience leading global teams in business strategy, manufacturing, supply chain, and program management. He helps leaders and their teams design their way forward into unknown and often uncharted waters. Assists clients as they navigate the complexity of business today through development and effective implementation of relevant strategies. As a hands-on partner with clients, Steve helps teams execute quickly and teaches new skills to enhance the capability of the organization.

Before consulting, Steve held executive positions in engineering, manufacturing, and program management where he was involved with the development and delivery of multiple products and services. He led numerous Lean implementation projects, established product development processes, created & implemented business strategy and streamlined project management systems.

Steve earned his Masters of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management with a concentration in operations. He also holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science with a concentration in applied mathematics from the University of Michigan. Steve is also an experienced moderator and engaging speaker.