Leadership | Custom Powder Systems

Leadership

As the leaders of Custom Powder Systems, we believe our most important customers are our team members. How can we expect them to deliver their very best to you unless we first deliver our very best to them? Here are some of the incredible people that work hard each day to make the magic happen.

Senior Leadership

In 2005, Mac and his wife had the idea to start a business that was, above all, simply a great place to work. After many years of being in the workforce and owning another company, Mac wanted CPS to be the best place where he, his wife, his co-founders, and his employees had ever worked. And through their efforts to create and maintain a positive culture, he believes they’ve done just that. Mac loves watching people grow, mature, and do things they never dreamed they could do.

Mac began his first foray into IBCs over fifty years ago when we went to work at Tote Systems. Gaining valuable business knowledge and industry experience, he founded, ran, and grew several different companies through the years. Then, in 2002, Mac and his trusted team members, Bob & Scott, founded the powder handling division of Custom Metalcraft, a precursor to Custom Powder Systems.

Today, Mac spends half of his time sharing his talents with the company and the other half doing whatever he wants to do (like fishing). Instead of enjoying full-time retirement, Mac stays involved with the business. This helps to keep his mind sharp… and avoid boredom. Mac also loves football… which is no surprise when you discover that he was drafted by the Denver Broncos back in the day. (He opted to not pursue a playing career to avoid inevitable head trauma.) These days, Mac roots for his beloved Green Bay Packers. At the end of the day, he’s most thankful for the time he spends with his beautiful soulmate, Denise.

Denise has been with CPS since the beginning – quite literally. She was one of the founders of the company in 2005 and is currently the head honcho of the whole operation. Before CPS, she went from living on a farm in La Cygne, KS to working in sales and marketing for various agricultural input companies. Work eventually brought her to Springfield where she now lives with Mac, her husband of over 30 years.

In her time at CPS, Denise has learned that it truly takes a village to make something great, and sharing information is a critical key to success. She loves working with her bright, creative colleagues and believes that one of the organization’s greatest strengths is the relationships its members enjoy… both with customers and each other.

Outside of work, Denise lists walking with her dog, playing in the dirt, and doing yoga among her favorite activities. She hopes to one day travel to the Ajanta caves and Bodh Gaya in India. One of her favorite childhood memories was when her father took time off from work to see Jim Ryan run the mile at the KU Relays. And, if she were to choose any three people to have dinner with, it would be Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg to “soak up her wisdom”, economist Milton Friedman to “discuss open markets”, and her Great Aunt Louise to “ask questions about her life since she passed too soon.”

Prior to joining CPS, Doug spent two decades with Mihlfeld & Associates, a logistics consulting firm, in numerous capacities, including serving as president for seven years. While there, he had the good fortune to work with a talented team, expanding the organization from a domestic-based logistics company to a global provider with client offices on every continent. Not long after he eventually retired from that position, his neighbors, Mac and Denise, convinced him to bring his talents to their team.

Over the past few years, Doug’s responsibilities at CPS have mainly included working on special projects such as Synergy integration and assisting with new market development, as well as supporting the rest of the leadership team in whatever ways he can. He describes himself as a “jack of all trades, master of none,” and enjoys how the job keeps his brain busy. Doug has also found that his existing skills align very well with the company’s operations, and has appreciated watching and being a part of its impressive growth in recent years. His favorite part about the organization is the strong sense of collaboration throughout the team, and how learning and asking questions is highly encouraged.

In the spirit of personal connections, Doug enjoys laughing with his coworkers and values people who are honest, kind, and sincere. If he were to have his choice of any dinner guests, he would choose George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or any of the other founding fathers so he could learn and understand their amazing thought process whie crafting the union of this country. The other half of Doug’s life outside of work is occupied by his family’s horse farm. He happens to be an award-winning stall cleaner and has the dubious distinction of being able to strip, clean, and re-straw a stall in under 10 minutes – all while being occupied by his 1700 pound stallion named Ike!

After working in the dry material handling industry for years, Scott came to CPS from Rochester, Minnesota in 2005 to take a Design Engineer position. Today, his favorite part about the job is that the “diversity of projects invites creative solutions.” He also notes that the company has a commitment to never abandon a project – they will do anything and everything to make it work and make it right. Through the years, he’s learned the importance of being flexible and adaptable to clients’ needs while suggesting proven alternatives.

Scott considers his proudest moment to be getting his BS degree. He would invite Elon Musk, Alexander Hamilton, and Lee Iacocca to his dream dinner party. Some of his favorite childhood memories come from summers on his grandpa’s farm in Iowa. His favorite smell is tires (really) and his favorite sandwich is ham & cheese on a Hawaiian roll. If he could travel anywhere, Scott would choose Greenland. And, while he’s a Pinball hobbyist/fanatic, Scott claims to be a “horrible player.”

Though originally from Fairfax, VA, Jim considers himself to be a Missouri native after moving to the Show-Me State in the 1960s. After owning a design/build firm for 25 years (that supported companies like CPS), Jim made the switch to the other side of the process in 2019. Today, he’s responsible for mechanical and automation engineering. Jim enjoys being involved with the design and build division and the incredible people he works with.

Jim loves cars… and his family. He spends his spare time working on old-performance Ford vehicles. His favorite childhood memories come from visiting Washington D.C. and visiting the monuments and museums. Jim’s proudest accomplishment is helping to raise his two amazing kids. He would love to once again have dinner with his parents so they could all spend more time together.

One of the original CPS employees from 2005, DeAnn mainly sticks around because of the people she works with. She considers her co-workers to be her favorite part of the job and the company’s greatest strength.

DeAnn loves her family and says that gatherings, dinners, and picnics make up her favorite childhood memories. If she could have dinner with anyone, it would be with her daughters and her dad. If she could travel anywhere in the world, DeAnn would pack for Italy. Her favorite smell is lilac.

A native of New Jersey, George saw an opportunity to better his career by joining the founding team of CPS. This, combined with the prospect of living and raising a family in a great area, brought him to Springfield, MO. Today, he relishes the fact that he is surrounded by intelligent, smart, and bright people. George says he’s greeted with a smile or a big hello from members of his team every day.

George brings significant experience to CPS after working as the Chief Engineer for a company manufacturing custom powder conveying & metering systems. But now that he’s spent more than a decade working at CPS, he says, “It’s a good feeling to work at a company where everyone appreciates you.” He notes that while his work is tough, it’s satisfying to know that no job is ever left unfinished and that customers are always left happy.

Some of George’s favorite childhood memories stem from living in the country, playing outside, digging in the dirt, climbing trees, and racing the go-kart he built from scrap wood and nails. He also fondly remembers the moment his friend presented him with his black belt in Karate. He also has lasting memories of playing guitar with his church’s contemporary group, where he was surrounded by beautiful music, fantastic harmonies, and moving lyrics. If he could travel anywhere, George would visit South Africa to experience a whole new culture. As for his chosen dinner guests, he says “Chef Ramsay and my wife. The third person could be the one reading this.”

Ronnie joined the CPS team in 2008 when they needed help expanding their product line. Since then, he has enjoyed working with the good people at CPS… and he’s learned that collaboration is key. You don’t have to do it all alone. Ronnie believes that the company’s greatest strength comes from the ability to take each customer’s specific problem and come up with a solution.

On his days off, Ronnie enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his family. Some of his fondest childhood memories are of family gatherings on the beach and playing sports with friends. He still plays sports today, and he’s also into boating. Ronnie says his proudest moments were when his children were born, and he dearly misses the conversations with his mother, father, and father-in-law. If he could travel anywhere, Ronnie would visit Pearl Harbor.

Originally from Pakistan, Azhar has shared his exceptional skills with CPS since 2013. In his current role, Azhar is responsible for mechanical design and the development of custom equipment. His philosophy on the job is: “Just good enough is not enough. It has to work perfectly.” He loves that the company takes great care of its customers and that no two orders are the same, which means there’s always a new challenge. Prior to working at CPS, Azhar spent many years at companies that sold small custom equipment & parts and circuit board soldering & cleaning equipment.

Azhar enjoys a close relationship with his family, so his yearly five-day-long family reunion with up to 70 relatives is one of his favorite memories. His proudest moment in life would be the day he became a dad, and his chosen dinner guests would be his wife, mother, and father. Azhar loves to travel, having visited over 20 countries and 300 cities. If he could go anywhere, he would love to visit Singapore.

A Missouri native, Brian joined the CPS team in 2021 and is currently in charge of buying and managing raw materials and parts. His favorite part about the company is how individuals from different departments come together to coordinate and solve day-to-day challenges. He believes that the organization draws strength from the entire CPS team, from owners and management to shop employees all coming together to support every effort.

Brian is a fan of trout fishing and loves the smell of fresh-cut hay. He names his proudest moment as the day he married his wonderful spouse, and he would choose all of his grandparents as his ideal dinner guests. Regarding his favorite flavors, Brian loves the classics: ham & cheese sandwiches and vanilla ice cream.

After leaving his job at Ford Motor Company, Joe joined the CPS team in 2023 when he moved to the area from Michigan to be closer to family. So far, he has very much appreciated the caliber of people he works with, and believes the quality of work they do is the company’s greatest strength. The biggest lesson he has learned since starting is the value of having patience.

Family is a large focal point in Joe’s life, as he fondly remembers fishing and hunting with his father growing up, and considers having his son to be his proudest moment. Similarly, if he could have dinner with any group of people in the world, he would choose his late grandfather who passed when he was young, his late grandmother who made the best biscuits, and his parents back in Michigan. Currently, Joe is very happy where he has ended up, as he considers Missouri to be his ideal travel destination. He also names his favorite sandwich as a BLT, favorite ice cream flavor as strawberry, and favorite smell as pine.

Since joining the team in 2023, Aaron has loved the family-type atmosphere that is prominent at CPS, which makes it a pleasure for him to come to work each day. Having previously been a supervisor at a different stainless-steel tank manufacturer, he decided to bring his valuable talents and experience to us because he believed in the company’s direction. He appreciates that everyone at CPS pulls together to get projects done as a team, and has learned that maintaining an environment where everyone collaborates and holds each other accountable allows for creative forward solution-based thinking.

As a child, Aaron enjoyed going to Chiefs games with his family, and eventually went on to raise three incredible children of his own. Today, he is a literature fan, and would love to have dinner with Ernest Hemingway, Steven King, and Louis L’amour – three authors he considers geniuses in their genres. When it comes to food, he tends to have some controversial taste preferences, naming his favorite flavor of ice cream as mint chocolate chip and favorite sandwich as peanut butter and bologna. If he could travel anywhere in the world, Aaron would visit Ireland, and believes that there is no greater feeling than your knees in the breeze on a Harley.

Sales Team

Austin has been on the CPS team since 2021 and uses his sales & business management experience to bring more projects into the company, both from new and returning customers. Austin believes that the CPS team’s ability to think creatively and solve almost any problem is one of the organization’s greatest strengths. This is made possible by “the unity of the employees and their ability to work through problems both big and small to bring a project to fruition.”

In his spare time, Austin loves gathering with friends and meeting new people anywhere with food, drinks, and a nice view. His favorite childhood memories come from summers spent at the lake with friends and family. Austin was a competitive swimmer for 17 years. He’s also a USPSA shooter and an avid snow skier. Born in Kansas City, it should come as no surprise that Austin is a die-hard Chiefs fan. His proudest moment was becoming a father.

With over 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector and a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Central Missouri, Krishna’s career spans from planning clinical facilities to working in the microbiological quality control department at Merck Animal Health. This combination of clinical and pharmaceutical laboratory experience has led her to understand the value of contamination control and how contaminants affect humans and animals alike. She applies her diverse experience by advising customers on how to choose effective tools and equipment while proactively developing a customized plan for their specific facility and project.

Krishna joined the CPS team largely due to her connection with and admiration for Denise, having worked with her for over a decade. Her favorite part about the company is its strong moral backbone and commitment to “Always Doing the Right Thing.” She also loves the “creative super-nerd” environment and how The Art of Engineering is applied to every project. During her time with the company so far, Krishna has enjoyed learning more about the manufacturing process as a whole as well as all the intricacies and attention to detail that goes into building the equipment.

In her free time, Krishna is an avid gardener and chicken keeper, and proudly shows off her “Farm-her French manicure” after digging around in the dirt. This interest was sparked early on in her life after spending lots of time on her grandma’s farm as a child, eating raspberries while listening to the birds. In fact, if she could have dinner with any three people, her grandma, Ilene Reynolds, would be one of them so they could talk about gardening, prairie restorations, life, motherhood, and, most importantly, the secret to her amazingly flaky pie crust. Krishna’s other two choices for dinner guests would be Elizabeth I, to learn about her life and what it was really like to be the queen of England, and Mary Todd Lincoln, to find out which skills and attributes helped her navigate her husband’s career, the war, and raising her children. In line with her “history nerd” interests, if she could travel anywhere in the world, Krishna would like to visit Spain, Italy, and Japan and see the roots of humans. Krishna also names her proudest moment in life as when her son’s preschool teacher said he was “the nicest kiddo she’d ever taught” and that he was full of empathy and compassion for others – he’s such a cool person!

Since 2019, she has put her extensive experience in the stainless steel industry to good use while managing new and replacement parts for various pieces of equipment. Kimberly is thrilled to work for a company where the owners stay involved on every level. Their commitment to CPS employees adds a family feel to the operation.

Kimberly is also a nature lover, enjoying the smell of fresh flowers and dreaming of one day going on an African Safari. Her favorite childhood memory was when her dog, Honey, gave birth to six adorable puppies, sparking a lifelong love of animals. Kimberly also collects plants and has over 30 different types of succulents. She says that one of her proudest moments was when she won two third-place medals and one second-place medal at a national fitness competition after a year of strict diets and intense training.