Baldor Electric Co. (Ft. Smith, Ark.): Ryan Fitts was recently promoted to director of quality where he will lead and direct Baldor's Corporate Quality program with a focus on addressing customer concerns, particularly around lead times, on-time delivery and root causes of product quality issues. Fitts joined Baldor in 2011 as a member of the Lean Core Team. Since that time, he successfully led the project team that established the 210 motor plant in Fort Smith, Ark., and most recently was the company's director of logistics. He has a strong manufacturing background with prior experiences at both Whirlpool and Hallmark. Fitts holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Arkansas and an MBA from Washburn University.