Business Advisors & Staff

Michael Aller

Director of Supplier Development

Mike Aller serves as Director of Supplier Development at FloridaMakes. His areas of technical emphasis and strategic engagement include helping Florida’s aviation & aerospace, defense and power generation equipment manufacturing industries strengthen their domestic manufacturing supply chains, as well as improve their resilience to adverse events and identify and capture new opportunities in commercial space, energy services and other fast-growing markets.

Tina Berger

Director of Talent Development

Tina Berger currently serves FloridaMakes as the Director of Talent Development and Executive Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Leadership Council. Prior to joining FloridaMakes, Berger was State Program Director of the Manufacturing Sector Strategy SP-NEG grant with CareerSource Florida and Manufacturing Sector Strategy Program Manager for CareerSource Brevard.

Rob Caldwell

Business Advisor at the First Coast Manufacturers Association

Rob is the FloridaMakes Business Advisor based at the First Coast Manufacturers Association in Jacksonville. He has more than 34 years of manufacturing experience leading complex cross-functional processes in the military aviation and commercial manufacturing sectors including leading the Navy’s largest aviation multi-product repair depot and full responsibility for the quality, environmental, and safety programs for a large commercial manufacturer.

Phil Centonze

Director of Client Engagement Services

For over 25 years Phil has guided and advised senior leaders, in manufacturing and across all sectors, in business performance improvement. He is focused on strategically-oriented performance improvement of organizations through implementation of proven methods.

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Micah Daugherty

Business Advisor at the South Florida Manufacturers Association

Micah Daughertt is a FloridaMakes Business Advisor based at the South Florida Manufacturers Association in Fort Lauderdale. Micah has used his 30 years of experience to implement process improvement solutions to a broad range of industries, including: aerospace, chemical processes, metals fabrication, machining, arms manufacturing and assembly, automotive, and food processing (to name a few).

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Paula DeLuca

Business Advisor at the Bay Area Manufacturers Association

Paula DeLuca is a FloridaMakes Business Advisor based at the Bay Area Manufacturers Association in Tampa. Paula has worked in manufacturing for more than 30 years, and has extensive experience in the aerospace, security & defense, electronics, automotive and medical device industries.

David Ferguson

Business Advisor at the Sarasota-Manatte Manufacturers Association

Dave is a FloridaMakes Business Advisor based out of Port Charlotte, serving manufacturing companies throughout Southwest Florida. Dave's career in manufacturing spans over 40 years, starting as a machine operator working summers through college then holding positions as Plant Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Project Manager, Manufacturing Engineering Manager, and most recently, General Manager.

Patti Gander

Business Advisor and Executive Director of the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Alliance of Mid-Florida

Patti is the mid-Florida Business Advisor working directly with the Polk Manufacturers Association/Manufacturing & Supply Chain Alliance. Patti has over thirty (30) years of manufacturing experience in aerospace, defense and electronics manufacturing. Patti is a seasoned manufacturing veteran holding the positions of vice president of operations, plant manager, general manager, and lean implementation manager.

Jay Hess

Business Advisor a the South Florida Manufacturers Association

Jay is a FloridaMakes Business Advisor based at the South Florida Manufacturers Association. He has more than 29 years of manufacturing experience, most recently as Executive Vice President of Operations with UNIPOWER LLC.

Daniel Krug

Business Advisor at the University of West Florida's Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council

Daniel is eager to assist and advise Northwest Florida’s manufacturing community about FloridaMakes services and opportunities through involvement with the Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council (NWFMC) and The Emerald Coast Manufacturers and Engineering Network (TeCMEN).

Amy Lee

Amy has over 15 years of leadership experience with manufacturing firms of all sizes: Fortune 5, mid-sized, and emerging technology start-ups. Her expertise includes strategic plan development, general management, business turnaround, product development, marketing, sales and sustainability.  She has led cross-functional business continuity planning (BCP), training, crisis management, and developing site BCPs.

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Mary Nutial

Business Advisor at the University of West Florida's Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council

Mary is a FloridaMakes Business Advisor supporting manufacturing clients in the Northwest Florida portion of the state. She has almost 30 years of experience in manufacturing, which included 15 years with Textron and 10 years with BOSCH. During her career, she has had the opportunity to be in leadership roles in areas such as plant operations, quality systems, plant layout, safety and environmental compliance, capital equipment and building projects, lean transformation, workforce development, organizational structure, ERP implementation, and product service/warranty.

Dan Sutter

Business Advisor at the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida

Dan is a FloridaMakes Business Advisor working with the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida. He started his career with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, where he spent 19 years at six different plants in the U.S.