RALPH J. GIACOMARRO, P.E., M.

ASCE
3945 Mantle Ridge Drive
Cumming, Georgia 30041
770-262-1901 Cell
rgf8f702@westpost.net
LICENSED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER/STRATEGY & OPERATIONS PROFESSIONAL
FACILITY MANAGER
Accomplished, results-oriented Licensed Structural Engineer/Operations and Facil
ity Manager who has enjoyed a highly progressive career within the Metals Manufa
cturing Industry. A consistent record of success in providing leadership, direc
tion, implementing organizational systems, reducing costs and improving methods
for engineering and manufacturing operations. Familiar and adept at all aspects
of plant management including planning, scheduling, process improvement, mainten
ance, shipping/receiving, security, safety and environmental compliance. Using a
unique combination of strengths as a structural engineer with a thorough unders
tanding of manufacturing processes has provided a communication bridge between c
ustomers, design engineers and product manufacturers maximizing the efficiency o
f bringing products to market quicker with reduced overall process life cycle co
sts.
Key Strengths: Structural Engineering Background | Organizational Systems | Faci
lity and Plant Operations | Leadership | System and Component Design | Inventory
Control | Quality Management | Competitive Analysis | Troubleshooting and Probl
em Solving | Measurement and Process Control | Safety and Environmental Protocol
s
Technical Skills: AutoCAD | Beam 2D Structural Analysis Software | AISI Cold Fo
rmed Steel Software | Excel | Allen Bradley PLC Programming Software | AMS Contr
ols XL-Link Software | Wiedemann Turret Programming Language
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
CHEROKEE METALS COMPANY, Norcross, GA 1988 Present
A leading $25M manufacturer of premium steel and aluminum systems and components
for the fast food restaurant, service station canopy, floating dock/marina and
flow rail/conveyor industries.
Vice President of Operations, 2007 Present
Responsible for all plant operations including production, maintenance and tool
and die for a 70,000 square foot manufacturing facility with up to 85 employees
(5 direct reports and 80 indirect reports).
Developed Fast Food Restaurant Retrofit Systems and Components; created organiza
tional structure and systems to facilitate management of drawings, bills of mate
rials, manufacturing processes and costing. Division went from start-up to appro
ximately $9,250,000 in annual sales in a period of 12 months.
Acted as Technical Liaison to Sonic Restaurants Incorporated, their architects a
nd design engineers as part of their corporate vision in retrofitting 3500 exist
ing stores and aggressively expanding construction of new stores into previously
untapped markets nationwide.
Developed and administered engineering design review process which resulted in c
ost efficient systems and components for customers, reducing product design and
lead times by 30 - 40%.
Evaluated and managed labor resources to coincide with current and forecasted pr
oduction requirements consistently meeting customer delivery deadlines while mai
ntaining a lean, cost effective production force.
Developed and implemented an inventory control system for Flow Rail/Conveyor and
Fast Food Restaurant Divisions resulting in a reduction of on-hand raw goods in
ventory by 50%.
Director of Engineering and Facilities, 1998 2007
Responsible for the engineering and design of systems and components for 5 compa
ny divisions and all manufacturing equipment, production lines, tooling and pro
cesses.
Developed Flow Rail/Conveyor Systems and Components; created organizational stru
cture and systems to facilitate management of drawings, bills of materials, manu
facturing processes and costing. Division generated approximately $300,000 in an
nual sales.
Developed plant layout drawings, evaluated space utilization, performed manufact
uring process studies and managed relocation of equipment and production lines t
o maximize efficiency resulting in significant decreases in time and labor.
Planned, coordinated and implemented the start-up of a 16,000 square foot second
manufacturing plant in OK.
Performed equipment and production line cost justification analyses purchased o
ne machine for $180,000 generating an annual savings of $55,000 in labor costs.
Researched, evaluated and implemented computerized order entry system and real t
ime production line monitoring system reducing scrap and equipment downtime by 4
0%.
Assembled immediate response team for equipment and production line downtime eve
nts, coordinated the troubleshooting process, developed plan of action and imple
mented necessary repairs ensuring customer delivery needs were satisfied.
Created PLC Programming for computer controlled equipment and production lines a
s part of retrofit and modernization of control systems decreasing equipment dow
ntime by 30 35%.
Developed and implemented OSHA Safety Program for entire plant including discipl
ine and enforcement policies reducing incidence of injuries requiring days away
from work to less than 3 and total number of workdays lost to less than 9 on an
annual basis.
Developed site plans and managed the construction of an in house 12 month long $
1,500,000 site improvement project including the acquisition of adjacent land, t
he addition of 20,000 square feet of manufacturing space and substantial parking
lot area improvements facilitating the growth of the business.
Plant Engineer/Project Manager, 1988 1998
Responsible for the engineering and design of systems and components for 3 compa
ny divisions, provided project management support to various projects and engine
ering support to the manufacturing segment of the business.
Developed Floating Boat Dock/Marina Systems and Components; created organization
al structure and systems to facilitate management of drawings, bills of material
s, manufacturing processes and costing. Division generated approximately $2,500,
000 in annual sales and experienced 300% growth and 150% margin increase.
Developed Outdoor Advertising Sign Systems and Components; created organizationa
l structure and systems to facilitate management of drawings, bills of materials
, manufacturing processes and costing. Division generated approximately $1,000,0
00 in annual toll processing sales (material provided by customer).
Provided customers with engineering support and recommendations on proper produc
t application.
Performed structural designs of components and systems utilizing AISC and AISI S
pecifications, created load tables and engineering reports for light gauge steel
members for submission to governing authorities.
Performed full scale load tests to validate engineering designs and to certify s
tructural performance.
Performed structural designs and managed installation of 6 marina projects gener
ating $1,000,000 in revenue.
CERNY & IVEY ENGINEERS, Staff Engineer, Norcross, GA 1988
Conducted forensic engineering investigations to determine the probable causes o
f distress or failure of various types of structures; Specialized in residential
and commercial building structures, retaining walls, cranes & crane booms and c
ommercial floating marina docks
BOSWELL ENGINEERING, Project Engineer, South Hackensack, NJ
1986 1987
SUMMIT PROJECT MANAGEMENT, Project Manager, Decatur, GA
1984 1986
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, Punter
1983 1987
Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos
EDUCATION
B.S., Civil Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 198
3
LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION/MEMBERSHIPS
State of Georgia Professional Engineer License #23727 (Structural I Exam), 1997
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Engineer in Training Certification, 1983
American Society of Civil Engineers, Member, 1998
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST