WASHINGTON, N.C. — Fountain Powerboat Industries, Inc. has appointed Sam McPherson as executive vice president of operations, according to a press release from the company. In the newly created position, McPherson is responsible for all aspects of operations including: engineering, purchasing, materials management, manufacturing, production planning and scheduling. ??

Before joining Fountain, McPherson was a senior Lean-Six Sigma Enterprise and Public Sector Consultant responsible for providing operations, enterprise, extended enterprise level Lean and Lean-Six Sigma, training and product development for key commercial, state and government clients within the state of North Carolina.??

"Sam is a winner of the prestigious national Shingo Prize in manufacturing excellence as an expert Manufacturing Excellence Examiner and an expert in lean manufacturing techniques," said Reggie M. Fountain Jr., chairman and CEO of Fountain Powerboats in the release. "He has consulted on manufacturing and production techniques with Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and Crown Holdings. Through his consultancy for Fountain, Sam became the lead manager in the day-to-day development and implementation of Fountain's entire production process."

"Sam's quality management and production improvements deployed through lean manufacturing techniques and applications throughout various departments have demonstrated the potential to lower labor costs, improve efficiency in materials procurement, and reduce/eliminate redundant flow of documentation," said David Knight, president of Fountain Powerboats. "He is involved in every step of our production on a daily basis and I am confident he will continue to streamline every stage of our operations."

"It has been a pleasure to work with Reggie and David," said McPherson. "Transforming Fountain's production process into a lean manufacturing practice is a significant opportunity and I look forward to continuing my work at Fountain as part of the senior management team."

Before jointing Fountain Powerboats, McPherson held a number of management positions with Crown Cork and Seal, Inc. As a division manager, McPherson had full P&L responsibilities, staff accountability and coached cross-functional teams in utilizing Lean Manufacturing methodologies.

McPherson holds a B.S. in Industrial Operations Management, from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.