Dean Mitchell

Dean Mitchell has over 35 years of experience in IT, ERP, CRM, Accounting, eCommerce, Manufacturing Software, Customer Service, Inventory Management, Field Service Sales, Technical Support, IT Repair Services, Third Party Logistics, After Market Parts, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Purchasing, and Computers.

Dean began their career in 1984 as the Director of Supply Chain Management at Unisys, where they implemented a Supply/Demand Planning system and converted the manufacturing strategy from build to stock to build to order, resulting in a $10M reduction in inventory and a significant improvement in delivery performance. Dean also consolidated planning functions to maximize production during critical material allocations of key memory and processors.

In 1995, they became the Vice President of Operations at InFocus (formerly Proxima). During their tenure, they significantly reduced material costs by consolidating vendors and establishing key supplier relationships, which resulted in a $2M annual cost savings. Dean also developed a Strategic Sourcing organization to support rapid product development and to identify key technology partnerships. Dean led the selection and implementation of an Oracle ERP system that resulted in more efficient manufacturing, lower inventory investment, and improved visibility to key performance indicators.

In 2001, they co-founded Mendtronix, a company to service the Audio-Visual industry. Dean led the company to become the largest independent service company in North America and negotiated agreements with key manufacturers to expand the service offering to cover over 90% of the projector market. Dean also deployed a cloud-based ERP system to automate the repair process, resulting in faster repair turnaround times and lower IT expenses.

In 2007, they joined Buhler as the Vice President Customer Service. During their tenure, they doubled revenues in five years by developing a proactive, customer-focused sales team. Dean also established a Technical Support team to address customer issues and developed and implemented a tracking system that resulted in a 50% reduction in issue resolution time.

In 2001, they also became the President of Zastro, LLC, where they have been ever since.

Dean Mitchell received an MBA in Management Information Systems from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management in 1984. Prior to that, they obtained a BA in Business Administration from Hamline University in 1983. In 1987, they obtained a CPIM certification from APICS.