FORTE Announces the Following Appointments

MASON, Ohio, Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- FORTE, a leading distribution consulting and systems integration firm, is pleased to announce the following new hires and promotions: Mark Miller hired as Vice President of Strategic Account Sales, Thomas B. Rentschler Jr. hired as Vice President of Marketing, Derek C. Sorensen hired as Senior Consultant, Michael Howes promoted to Director, Software Engineering and Principal Architect and Robyn Poe promoted to Associate Director, Business Development/Sales Support.

Mark Miller, Vice President of Strategic Account Sales

With more than 25 years of supply chain experience, Miller will be responsible for managing FORTE's sales and business development teams and spearheading strategic growth initiatives.

In addition, he will be involved in the development of future product technology solutions.

Miller has an extensive and diverse background within the supply chain industry, having held operational leadership roles at PepsiCo, IMI Cornelius and IMI Bevcore. He has managed major distribution centers throughout North America totaling more than five million square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space with more than 100,000 stock-keeping units. In 2001, Miller led the site selection process of a start-up greenfield distribution operation, including the development of floor plan layouts and the selection and implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP), warehouse management systems (WMS) and automation solutions.

Most recently, Miller held executive leadership positions with several tier-one software technology companies, including High Jump/3M and AFS Technologies. In those positions he managed sales and marketing, professional services and future product roadmap direction for various supply chain technology solutions, including order management system (OMS), ERP, WMS, training management system (TMS) and DSD.

Thomas B. Rentschler Jr., Vice President of Marketing

Rentschler is a seasoned entrepreneur, creative director and marketing strategist who brings nearly 30 years of business-to-business marketing experience to bear on behalf of FORTE. He is responsible for building the FORTE brand in the supply chain industry, as well as implementing lead generation, media relations and social media programs.

As one of three principals and chief creative officer of HSR Business to Business, Rentschler helped build and ultimately sell one of the nation's most decorated and successful advertising agencies dedicated to b-to-b clients. Over the course of 20 years, HSR garnered every major award in the industry, including the American Marketing Association Effie Award for marketing effectiveness, while attracting an impressive list of Fortune 500 clients. BtoB Magazine named Rentschler one of the top creative directors in the country.

Most recently Rentschler has been a member of Queen City Angels (QCA), the first group of experienced, accredited investors committed to accelerating the growth of outstanding early-stage businesses in Cincinnati and the surrounding region. Members of QCA include many former founders of successful companies who are eager to apply their talent and expertise to mentoring, coaching and funding the right ventures. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.

Derek C. Sorensen, Senior Consultant

With more than 12 years of experience in supply chain consulting, Sorensen will lead a variety of client engagements, including supply chain strategy, facility design, inventory analysis, engineering analysis, material handling system design, distribution network design/analysis, equipment/software selection and development of strategic analysis tools.

Prior to joining FORTE, Sorensen was practice area team leader/senior project manager with TranSystems (formerly ESYNC) where he was responsible for defining engineering methodology and managing the delivery of consulting services. He previously served as senior associate at Miebach Logistics and manufacturing engineer at Keykert USA, a major automotive supplier of locking and latching systems. Sorensen's consulting experience spans a number of industries, including apparel, automotive, consumer products, pharmaceutical, service parts, retail distribution and food and beverage distribution.  He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Michael Howes, Director, Software Engineering and Principal Architect

Howes has more than 16 years of IT experience, the last six with FORTE, as manager, software development. His in-depth knowledge of software design methodologies, design patterns, service-oriented architecture and object-oriented design utilizing the Microsoft .NET platform has contributed to FORTE's industry leadership in supply chain execution software.

Howes is the designer, architect and product manager of FORTE's core technology platform, which integrates disparate systems within the distribution operation. In addition, he spearheads FORTE's analytics-based technology that provides quantitative solutions proven by simulation.

Prior to joining FORTE, Howes was manager, software development for R+L Carriers, where he led a team of 15 developers and software architects. His previous positions include manager, intranet/extranet development for U.S. Bank, lead web developer and system administrator for the Air Force Institute of Technology and manager, network operation and support for TeleSuite. He studied computer science at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Robyn Poe, Associate Director, Business Development/Sales Support

Poe has more than 20 years of experience in the supply chain industry, the last seven in business development roles with FORTE. Her reputation as an active listener, coupled with her dedication to follow-up, makes her particularly effective at aligning the needs of prospective clients with the services and solutions FORTE offers.

In her new role, Poe will lead the business development team in their efforts to identify qualified business opportunities, as well as support the development of strategic accounts. She will work closely with other department heads to deliver the outstanding results that FORTE clients have come to expect during the company's 30-year history.

Prior to joining FORTE, Poe held various operations and sales support roles at FedEx in the Phoenix, Cleveland and Cincinnati markets.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

About FORTE

FORTE (www.forte-industries.com) is the pioneering Design/Build firm in the distribution sector of the supply chain. FORTE provides client-side, network-wide engineering, systems integration and operations optimization services on a consulting-only or single-source turnkey basis for existing distribution facility upgrades or new greenfield operations. FORTE's expertise and services include logistics network optimization, facility sizing and design, material handling systems and supply chain execution software.  

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