Stephen B. LeGrand

Marc J. Schniederjans is the C. Wheaton Battey Distinguished Professor of Business in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has served on the faculty of three other universities. Professor Schniederjans is a Fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI). His prior business experience includes owning and operating his own truck-leasing business. He is currently a member of the Institute of Supply Management(ISM), the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS), and Decision Sciences Institute (DSI). Professor Schniederjans has taught extensively in operations management and management science. He has won numerous teaching awards and is an honorary member of the Golden Key Honor Society and Alpha Kappa Psi business honor society. He has published more than 100 journal articles and has authored or coauthored 18 books in the field of management. He has also presented more than 100 research papers at academic meetings. Professor Schniederjans is serving on numerous journal editorial review boards, including the Journal of Operations Management and Production and Operations Management, as well as on advisory boards. He is serving as an area editor for the journal Operations Management Research and is an associate editor for three other journals. Professor Schniederjans has also served as a consultant and trainer to a variety of business and government agencies, such as Dow North America, Ralston Purina Corporation, and the Ontario Hydro Electro Corporation.

Stephen B. LeGrand is the Vice President of Global Operations for the Irrigation Division of Valmont Industries, Inc. Valmont is the global leader in designing and manufacturing poles, towers, and structures for lighting and traffic, wireless communication, and utility markets and is a provider of protective coating services. Valmont also leads the world in mechanized irrigation equipment for agriculture, enhancing food production while conserving and protecting natural water resources. Stephen is responsible for operations of the division’s mechanized irrigation product lines, with manufacturing in the United States, Spain, Dubai, Brazil, China, and South Africa, and with warehousing operations in Australia, Mexico, and Russia. He has been an operations professional for more than 25 years, with experience in M&A, managing manufacturing, supply chain management, and the recruitment and development of international professionals. Before joining Valmont, he served as the Director of Worldwide Operations for the Power Systems Division of the Kohler Company, where he led global operations in Singapore, China, France, India, and the United States. Stephen has a strong background in lean manufacturing, Six Sigma (DMAIC), supply chain management, quality, manufacturing engineering, production, customer service, and safety. Before joining Kohler Power Systems, he served as Operations Manager, Production and Inventory Control Manager, and Scheduling Manager for divisions of Newell Rubbermaid, gaining experience in acquisitions while helping manage operations in Mexico, Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, and France within the retail and B2B industries. Prior to his eight-year association with Newell Rubbermaid, Stephen’s experience included 11 years in the defense electronics industry for Rockwell International and Hughes Aircraft companies, where he held positions in engineering, production, materials, and quality, producing radar systems for military aircraft (F-18, F-14, and F-15) and manufacturing global