Management : Triumph Structures - East Texas

Bryan Johnston
President

Bryan Johnston was named President of Triumph Structures – East Texas in 2010 and is responsible for all aspects of the business. Previously, Mr. Johnston served as the company’s operations leader for three years. He joined the Merritt Tool Company in 2001, which was acquired by Triumph Group in 2009, as a Program Sales Manager. He spent five years in this assignment and was responsible for customer service and customer relations. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Johnston was an investment advisor for Edward Jones and a financial analyst for GE Capital.

Mr. Johnston earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University. He is an active community volunteer, having served on several boards for youth sports (soccer, softball and baseball), the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce board and the Boys & Girls Club of Kilgore board. In addition, he has volunteered as an election judge for Gregg County during numerous elections.

Susan Bickel
Finance

Susan Bickel brings more than 25 years of accounting experience to her role as Controller of Triumph Structures – East Texas. She is responsible for all accounting and finance functions for the company. In addition, she has management oversight of the human resources function. Ms. Bickel joined the predecessor company, Merritt Tool Company, as Controller in 1997. Previously, she worked for Norris Cylinder for 10 years as its Controller.

Ms. Bickel holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Mississippi State University. She is an active supporter for Habitat for Humanity and World Changers, and participates in various mission projects for these organizations. 

Larry Simmons
Operations

Larry Simmons brings extensive industry experience to his position as general manager for Triumph Structures – East Texas, a position he has held since 2004. He was hired in 1978 as a machinist for predecessor company Merritt Tool Company and has worked his way up through the organization to his current position.

Mr. Simmons earned his Certified AIW Leader designation from Boeing in 2001. He has served on the Texas State Technical College’s Advisory Board Committee and is a current board member of the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC).

A.P. Merritt, Jr.
Sales and Marketing

A.P. Merritt currently is the head of business development and customer relations for Triumph Structures – East Texas. Prior to the acquisition by Triumph Group in March 2009, he served as CEO/President of Merritt Tool Company, a family-owned business established in 1928 by his father, A.P. Merritt, Sr.

Mr. Merritt joined the firm in the late 1960s after completion of business degree from University of Houston. Under his leadership, the company was transformed into a premier, modern aerospace machine shop. He was recognized by the Small Business Administration as “Small Business Person of the Year - 2008” for the Dallas/Ft. Worth 72 county district in Texas. Mr. Merritt has also been a lifelong active member in the community, serving on numerous local civic, church, bank, municipal and county boards.

Lyle Hopp
Customer Service

Lyle Hopp has more than 30 years of experience in production control. He was named to his current position in 2011and oversees all production control activities including customer service for Triumph Structures – East Texas. Since 1997, he had served as the company’s customer service and scheduling leader, responsible for production scheduling and customer interaction. Prior to that, he worked for FEMCO as its Production Control Manager. Previous positions within FEMCO include Welder, Assembly Supervisor, Warehouse Support, and Assistant Production Manager.

B.J. Bullard
Quality

B.J. Bullard responsible for all aspects of quality for Triumph Structures – East Texas, including systems, procedures and certifications. He has served as the site’s Quality Assurance Manager since 1991. He joined the company in 1985 as an Assistant Quality Assurance Manager. Mr. Bullard began his career working as a tool and die machinist for Letourneau, where he built tooling to support the company’s machine shop.

Mr. Bullard has studied at the University of Texas at Tyler. He has served as past chairman and remains an active member of the American Society of Quality (ASQ).

Mike Arrendell
Operations

Mike Arrendell has been responsible for all manufacturing activities at Triumph Structures – East Texas since 2004. This includes assembly, deburr, CNC and manual machining, developing quotations and estimations, training and process control and maintenance. He joined predecessor company Merritt Tool Company in 1981 in lathe machining and went on to supervising all mill production at the facility. Earlier in his career, he worked for WKM Industries in various shop operations, including deburr, machining, and mills/lathes.

Mr. Arrendell attended Houston Baptist University in Houston, Texas. He also has participated in numerous training and management enrichment programs during his tenure with the company.

Howard Korff
Engineering

Howard Korff has deep industry experience in machining. Since 1990, he has served as the company’s Senior Programming Manager, responsible for CNC programming. He joined the predecessor of Triumph Structures – East Texas, Merritt Tool Company, in 1978 as a machinist. Prior to joining the company, he worked in machining lathe/mill for LEAMCO as well as FMC corporations.

Mr. Korff holds an associate’s degree from Kilgore College and has taken numerous training courses in CNC programming and post processing. In the community, he has been an active in youth sports, coaching local baseball and soccer teams.

Randy Beall
Purchasing / Supply Chain

Randy Beall was named Purchasing Manager of Triumph Structures – East Texas in 2011 and is responsible for overseeing all of the company’s purchasing activities. He joined the predecessor company in 1997 as a Shipping and Receiving Supervisor. After two years in that assignment, he became a Purchasing Agent, responsible for direct buying and vendor relations. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Beall was an Environmental Engineer for Safety-Kleen Corporation, where he initiated and directed all permitting activities, environmental training and performance of internal audits. Before that, he was Safety-Kleen’s Project/Facilities Manager and handled inventory control, fleet safety, scheduling and shipment duties.

Mr. Beall holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler.

Jim Gardiner
Continuous Improvement

Jim Gardiner is the responsible for all continuous improvement and safety coordination efforts at Triumph Structures – East Texas, a position he has held since 2008. He started with the predecessor company 1979 as a machinist, and then worked in assembly of aerospace components for 10 years before being named the lead for the Assembly department. Earlier in his career, he worked for Trane as a machine operator and as an Account Manager for Color Time, where he handled training, collections and sales.