LEADERSHIP TEAM
With a diverse background including roles in Finance & Accounting, Operations, Sales and Project Management, and a degree in Finance from the University of Maryland, Mike Shippel brings a broad knowledge base to his leadership of Elevate Solutions Group.
Over the course of his distinguished career, Mike worked with CIBA Vision (Alcon) as well
as CPG companies such as Under Armour, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Vitamin Water, Ames True Temper, Campbell’s, Pepperidge Farm's, Sara Lee, Garmin, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson. He has also worked with such retailers as Home Depot, Target, Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot, Hobby Lobby, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
With a background in brand marketing, strategy consulting, operations and product management, and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia, Michael Sinclair brings 25 years of global experience to lead Elevate Solutions Group’s new client development.
During his career, Michael has been a CMO multiple times, a partner with a consulting firm where he helped companies improve their marketing and operations, and was Marketing Director with CIBA Vision (Alcon). He has worked with companies such as Alcoa, Avery Dennison, Bristol-Myers Squibb, ConAgra Foods, Dow Chemical, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Mölnlycke Healthcare, Suunto, U.S. Kids Golf, and Vodafone to elevate marketing into a company-wide discipline.
CHIP HEMBREE, VP of Manufacturing
A career plastic processor, specializing within the field
of injection molding, Chip has been in the profession for 40-years. As an operations manager he has been involved with running manufacturing facilities since the late 80’s with a special emphasis on developing people.
Over the course of his career, Chip has owned and operated his own custom molding business, worked as
an independent consultant overseeing six ground level startups. His injection molding background includes automotive, medical, construction, appliance, government contracts, packaging, and general custom molding. Chip has served in numerous roles from process engineering to top level management and is familiar with every aspect of the business of molding plastic parts.
​With a degree in Journalism, Chip is a licensed minister who can be found preaching the gospel on Sundays.
CHRIS GARDNER, VP of Sales and Marketing
Chris has been helping companies take their products to market for more than 30 years. After graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a three-year stint in Boston, his industrial design firm served a range of companies like Eastman Kodak, Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb, Chicago Pneumatic, and many more.
In 2012, he sold his consumer products company to a plastic injection molder in Ohio, where he served as the Director of Consumer Products division for nearly ten years. His dual role at Elevate Solutions includes sales and marketing - a testament to his passion for working creatively as a partner in both manufacturing and promotional pursuits.