Manufacturing: Problem-Solver
David Share
Director of Operations, PCS Co.
Master of Science in Management, ’94
From the time David Cher joined Rochester Hills-based heavy equipment manufacturer Avon Gear in 1998 until he completed a seven-year run as the company’s president in 2015, the company’s annual revenue swelled dramatically from $5 million to over $50 million. “When I got there, essentially it was a one-customer business,” Share says. “Not only were we able to diversify, but I brought in new customers through the business and made it successful.”
Share oversaw similarly explosive growth while serving as vice president/operations manager at Clinton Township-based Anderson Cook/MRA Industries in the ‘90s. He most recently brought his talents to Fraser-based die and mold-making supplier PCS Co., where he oversees manufacturing operations.
Share traces some of his professional problem-solving success back to his education at Walsh, where he completed a Master of Science in Management degree in 1994. Sometimes taking three night classes concurrently while working his day job, he says Walsh taught him the importance of being prepared.
“You can’t attack a problem or an issue in business unless you have the proper preparation, the research, the understanding of the problem, a problem statement and then analysis and resolution,” he says. “Walsh did a great job of doing that.”
Finance: Prioritizing Education
Jim Westbury
Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis,Technology Credit Union
Master of Science in Finance, ’96
Jim Westbury lists many accomplishments over his lengthy career in financial services. Most recently, he sourced $150 million in new deposits in just four months at the San Jose, California-based Technology Credit Union, where he currently works as vice president of financial planning and analysis. But Westbury is proudest of his efforts to educate others about his field. That ties directly back to his time as a tutor at Walsh, where he obtained a Master of Science in Finance in 1996.
He’s since gone on to volunteer as a mentor with Breakthrough Silicon Valley, a nonprofit that prepares under-resourced students for college and career success. “It’s just very awe-inspiring when you’re sitting at a table explaining a concept to students and all of a sudden their eyes pop out and you can tell that the light bulb goes on,” Westbury says. “They get really excited and start smiling.”
He draws a parallel to his experience at Technology Credit Union, where he oversees budgeting and much more for a company with more than $3.7 billion in assets. But he says his biggest priority is keeping credit union members well informed.
“In the times when I was working for public banks, you had to focus more on the stockholders,” he says. “Here, the focus is on the members, and that’s really what I appreciate.
“Are we helping our membership understand their financials, and are we helping them achieve their financial goals?”
