Management Team

Mike Fitzpatrick, President & CEO

Mike was born and raised in the machine shop business. His father started the company in 1953 with just two machines and an intense drive to build a successful company. As a young man, Mike learned that in order to grow the company, he had to build a responsible, flexible team that could easily anticipate the challenges of the industry and continuously adapt to new technologies, new processes, and the needs of customers.

Today, Fitzpatrick Manufacturing Co. is one of Michigan’s largest contract manufacturers with more than 96 machines, an 80,000 square foot facility, and an elite team of roughly 70 employees. Besides being our dynamic business leader, Mike’s responsibilities also include quoting and working with customers to determine the best way to manufacture a part.

Kevin LaComb, Business Development Manager

Kevin LaComb was truly trained in the “Fitzpatrick Way.” Since starting with Fitzpatrick in 1994 as a co-op in high school, Kevin has held numerous positions on the manufacturing floor and now in the business office. With bachelors and masters degrees from Lawrence Technological University, Kevin is our Business Development Manager in charge of determining the needs of new customers and writing standards to ensure the customer receives a consistently high level of service. Around here, he’s referred to as the “Communication Czar of Customers.” Kevin excels at working with customers to determine the most economical design from a manufacturing point of view. He also oversees shipping and logistics for many of our out-of-state customers, and he’s one of our customers’ main contacts for job quotes.

Derek Owings, General Manager

Derek Owings is also a prodigy of the “Fitzpatrick Way,” having started at Fitzpatrick Manufacturing in 1993. Before becoming our General Manager, Derek was a working manager with extensive experience on our shop floor. He’s an expert in turning applications including CNC turning programming and processing. Derek also has advanced knowledge of tooling applications, and customers rely on him for quoting along with Mike and Kevin.

 Dave Fernholz, Plant Manager

Over thirty-two years ago, Dave Fernholz started with us as a co-op in high school. Today, he is our Plant Manager and in-house expert on processing, fixture, and tooling design. He’s also a master with cutting tools, Solid Works, and the Gibbs cam. When a customer has a difficult-to-process job, Dave is our go-to guy. He is also the person who watches over the shop floor to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Tim Murphy, QC Manager

Tim Murphy also started with Fitzpatrick Manufacturing as a co-op in high school. (If you’re beginning to see a pattern here related to employee retention, it’s no coincidence). Tim has been with the company for over 25 years and has college-level training in metrology and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T). As the architect and manager of our Quality Management System, Tim leads a team of 7 inspectors. He has extensive training in GD&T, AS9100, and ISO (in fact, he’s a certified ISO auditor). Tim is also a CQT by ASQ. That’s short for “Certified Quality Technician by the American Society for Quality.”

 Brigitte Mayer, Office Manager

Since 2003, Brigitte Mayer has been our Office Manager. With an extensive background in office management in the manufacturing industry, Brigitte maintains the effective organization and smooth operation of every aspect within our business area. Those who call or visit our facility know that Brigitte excels in customer, vendor, and employee relations. She's great to talk with, and she makes sure all transactions are handled with efficiency and charm. She's also a Certified Notary Public.
 

 Barb Fitzpatrick, Controller / CFO

Barb Fitzpatrick is great with numbers. A licensed CPA since 1991, Barb has many years of accounting experience in the manufacturing sector. As the Controller and CFO at Fitzpatrick Manufacturing, Barb maintains all aspects of our finances and makes sure that the company stays on a path of continuous growth.