Munro & Associates CEO Honored as one of Michigan's Leaders & Innovators; Candidate for Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year Award

TROY, Mich., Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandy Munro, CEO, Munro & Associates, Inc., has been selected as one of Michigan's Leaders & Innovators by Lawrence Technological University (LTU), WWJ Newsradio 950, the Great Lakes Innovation and Technology Report and Grant Thornton. The recognition makes Munro a candidate for the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year Award, which will be announced at the April 26 reception honoring this year's 53 Leaders & Innovators.

According to LTU, the Leaders & Innovators program recognizes Michigan-based men and women who demonstrate unique abilities or create ideas / products that help diversify and strengthen Michigan's economy. The nominees, who come from a variety of professional fields, are dedicated to making the state more competitive in the global marketplace.

"I'm honored to be named one of Michigan's Leaders & Innovators and to be among a group of professionals that are working to foster and fuel Michigan's economy," said Munro. "With its immense talent and established infrastructure, Michigan has great potential to be competitive in multiple global industries. I'm proud to be a part of the effort to help drive this change."

A catalyst, coach and change agent, Munro has helped some of the world's top manufacturers implement cultural change and lean design. With more than 40 years of experience in designing, building and processing components, Munro's dedicated focus on the tenets of lean design principles has helped manufacturers serving a variety of industries realize tremendous increases in profits and market share. Through his company, Munro & Associates, he has helped clients save more than $9 billion, as well as save and/or create tens of thousands of jobs.

Active in multiple industry organizations, Munro is the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Chairman of the Michigan Small Aircraft Transportation System (MI SATS), a board member for NCAM (National Council for Air Mobility), a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the Engineering Society of Detroit.

Founded in 1988, Munro & Associates Inc. is a world class consulting engineering firm based in Troy, Mich. with offices in Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia. The firm specializes in upfront, predictive methods to increase profitability by improving quality, reliability and value, while reducing total lifecycle costs. The Munro team delivers in-depth knowledge in product design, manufacturing, quality and technologies from a broad selection of industries.

Munro's diverse customer list includes Abbott Laboratories, ATK, Bentley, Boeing, Cardinal Health, Caterpillar, Chrysler, General Dynamics, Hussmann Corp., Lockheed Martin, Medtronic, Inc., Nikon, Raytheon, Rolls Royce, Rubbermaid, TACOM LCMC, Tata Motors and more. For more information, visit www.leandesign.com.

SOURCE Munro & Associates, Inc.