ABOUT US

CEO

Jean has been with ACE METAL CRAFTS COMPANY since 1983, joining as a sales rep and progressing over the years to Vice President of Sales and Marketing, then to President and to her current role as CEO in 2003.

Throughout her tenure, Jean’s passion for developing conscious leaders and helping team members thrive has advanced the success of the company, and produced a culture with a foundation built on trust. Her extensive sales and leadership experience has taught her that taking great care of customers on the outside starts with taking good care of people on the inside.

Under Jean’s leadership, ACE has been honored numerous times for outstanding business practices, workplace culture, and industry and community outreach, most recently being honored with an award for a Psychologically Healthy Workplace from the American Psychological Association. ACE METAL CRAFTS COMPANY was also named to the Fab 40 by Fabricator magazine and is an active member of manufacturing associations: AME, TMA and FMA.

In addition to her role at ACE, Jean serves on the board of directors of Berthold Electric Co. in Chicago and the Board of Advisors of Irmco, Inc. in Evanston, IL. She is a member of the IMEC board of director’s and recently served on the finance committee for the Village of Hawthorn Woods. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from University of Wisconsin-Platteville and her MBA in finance from Northern Illinois University.

President

Keith Stout joined ACE METAL CRAFTS COMPANY in 1992 and has been the leader of the company’s lean journey. After working in sales engineering, Keith joined the team on the production floor and began delivering on ACE’s promise of customer-first commitment and continuous improvement, the core of the ACE culture. Stout holds a mechanical engineering degree from Northern Illinois University.

Keith is a passionate supporter of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence and is a past board member of the (USA) Midwestern Region.

Chief Relationship Officer

Following successful work with Whirlpool, Ryerson and Inland Steel, Deb joined ACE METAL CRAFTS COMPANY in 2000 as the Sales & Marketing Manager. During her tenure at ACE, Deb’s responsibilities have grown to include developing and executing the company’s strategic plan, creating and implementing company policy and guidelines and developing and meeting company revenue and profitability goals.

This comprehensive new business development strategy has been accomplished with a goal of fostering a customer-first culture, reflected by a dramatic increase in ACE’s revenue over a two year period, with significant corresponding improvements in customer satisfaction, despite market conditions and volatile steel pricing.

Deb’s most rewarding accomplishments, however, are the strong and lasting relationships she’s built with customers and ACE team members. Working to develop a culture at ACE of teaching, coaching and personal development, for customers and team members alike, is truly an accomplishment in itself.

Deb has a B.S. from Illinois State University and is an active member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI).

Chief Financial Officer

After beginning his career with a boutique CPA and financial planning firm, Gary joined ACE in 2003 as an accountant until his promotion to CFO in 2011. He contributed to ACE in this position through 2016 – applying critical, strategic, and analytical thinking to his technical expertise to empower team members. 

As he returns to Ace Metal Crafts Company in 2020 as CFO, Gary continues to support ACE’s commitment to teamwork, openness, and accountability. Gary leads with a focus on people, technology, and processes – coaching to develop teams, optimizing technology to improve speed and accuracy of financial reporting, and streamlining processes to maximize efficiency.

With expertise in GAAP, ERP software, and other relevant technology, Gary has a unique ability to build upon the strong foundation ACE has established to accommodate future growth.

Gary earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from Northern Illinois University in 2000, followed by an MBA from Northern Illinois University in 2008.  

VP – Manufacturing

Angela began her career at ACE after receiving her BS from Illinois State University in 2011, starting in the purchasing department before moving into a team leader position. Now, as the VP – Manufacturing, Angela is challenged with helping ACE realize the commitment to continuous improvement through the combined goals of creating more customer value, growing ACE’s business and eliminating waste from every process.

To succeed at this role, Angela brings an empathetic, active-listening and highly responsive attitude that is greatly appreciated by her team members and customers alike. Her enthusiasm for growing the business is echoed in the desire for a life-long career at ACE METAL CRAFTS COMPANY as a member of a truly unique and outstanding team of people. Angela has a B.S from Illinois State University and an MBA from Elmhurst College.

VP – Quality

“Design for Manufacturability” are three key words which help to define Kevin’s role at ACE and his customer-first commitment. Kevin and his team of engineers work to make customer’s designs and dreams a reality. Customers trust Kevin to lead the team and successfully value engineer, plan and manufacture custom/complex metal solutions – with the goal of delivering on our promises, no matter how aggressive or difficult the challenge is.

As leader of ACE’s engineering team, Kevin works to inspire collaboration and mutual respect, building upon each member’s skills and talents to be the best they can be.

Having worked at ACE since 1989, Kevin’s experience spans most every department: from purchasing, estimating and planning to shop floor supervision and operations before becoming VP of Engineering. This experience helps to form ACE’s commitment to Value Engineering services, which seek to decrease costs while improving manufacturability and delivering equipment that meets or exceeds the customer requirements and specifications.

Kevin has a Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Manufacturing from Southern Illinois University and is a LEAN manufacturing, Emotional Intelligence, Metallurgy, Fabrication and Machining process expert. Active in the AME (American Manufacturing Excellence, AWS (America Welding Society) and FMA (Fabrication Manufacturing Association) Kevin is committed to sharing his knowledge to help develop new and innovative fabrication processes and techniques.

VP – Information Systems

Ray has been with ACE METAL CRAFTS COMPANY since 2010. His unique ability to analyze and solve complex problems in his first role at ACE as a project engineer led him to subsequent positions, including layout engineer and project manager. Ray’s leadership and commitment to continuous improvement has resulted in the successful implementation of ACE’s ERP system.

Ray’s technical acumen, team focused mindset, and strategic skills embody ACE’s core values—consciously combining deep customer understanding with process and technology excellence.

Ray earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

VP – Operations Machining

Joining the ACE team in 2019, Gino brings an important Lean and Continuous Improvement perspective, providing greater fabrication and machining value for our customers. With over sixteen years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, and product marketing, Gino delivers a well-rounded leadership approach to ACE, including his unique insight into small business problem solving.

Gino received an Engineering degree from the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign. He received his MBA from University of Illinois at Chicago with concentrations in Entrepreneurship and Management.

Sales Manager

Jeff’s passion for serving customers has made him an integral member of the ACE team since 2009. As an Account Manager, Jeff’s expertise in developing and cultivating customer relationships brings ACE’s customer-first promise to every account.

By becoming part of the customer’s work family, Jeff provides an essential understanding of his customers’ needs, working tirelessly to ensure he and his ACE team deliver on their commitments.

Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Augustana College, where he first excelled at being a team player, as an outfielder on the baseball team. The Augustana Vikings finished 4th in their Division III region during Jeff’s junior year, the highest ever ranking for the school.

Value Stream Leader

Marty joined the ACE team in 1985, joining his father who worked as a polisher. Over the last 31+ years his career has spanned a wide range of experiences. From starting “at the end” in shipping and receiving to working his way through numerous roles: punch press operation, estimating and flat laser operation to VP of Production and now as a Value Stream Leader – Marty has always worked to help fellow team members bridge the gap between what they envision and what they can achieve.

Marty is the perfect example of someone really living ACE’s values – in and outside of work. His calm demeanor, listening skills and willingness to talk through tough situations to produce positive results are what ACE customers and team members really appreciate, when speaking of Emotional Intelligence [EI].

Fluent in English and Spanish, Marty credits the many EI books and courses he’s studied while at ACE, in part, for his ability to create a peaceful outlook on life while building strong relationships with team members, customers, family and friends.

Pacemaker Value Stream Leader

Coming from a strong background in lean manufacturing and engineering, Rebecca joined the Ace Metal Crafts Company team in 2021. Graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering while also balancing college soccer, Becca drew from her childhood love of walking the shopfloor with her dad and began her career as a Project Engineer within the stainless steel manufacturing industry. Rebecca expanded her expertise working with two Chicagoland manufacturers, leading teams in Kaizen, value stream, and continuous improvement efforts.

As a Pacemaker Value Stream Leader with ACE, Becca directs the departments in the front of the shop, from initial stages to near completion – leading efficiency, project management, and problem-solving. Leading with LEAN, Becca enjoys her role, and ensuring the five ACE values are part of the team culture.