Team
LTI has a team of employees dedicated to quality.
Team
LTI has a team of employees dedicated to quality.
This team includes members of the founding family and highly-skilled craftsman, many of whom have been with the company for 20 years or more. All of LTI’s team members are available to assist you.
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Partners in Your Success
LTI is more than just a supplier. We are leaders in education and collaboration, working hand-in-hand with every customer, from initial ideation to design and project completion.
Barbara Casey Lane
CEO and Chairman of the Board
Barbara Casey Lane is the CEO and Chairman of the Board at LTI. As a third-generation family member, Barbara spent the early years of her career at LTI (1980-1989) as Assistant to the CFO. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in English, her career path led her to several companies concentrating in the areas of product development and marketing, as well as operational systems and leadership development. In 2013, she returned to LTI, and as COO, she oversaw the operational side of the business, including all of production before being appointed to her current role in 2022. Barbara also serves as a member of the Jonesboro Design Review Commission.
Shawn Nicholas
Chief Financial Officer
Shawn is LTI’s Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for leading the overall financial direction of LTI. His diverse experience spans multiple industries, including cooling systems and compressors, light manufacturing and distribution, outdoor furniture, software technology, wholesale distribution, and public accounting. A graduate of Auburn University in Alabama, Nicholas has more than 28 years of financial and operational experience to the organization, including previous responsibilities such as general accounting, financial analysis and leadership, project management and plant management.
Eric Seay
VP, Operational Excellence
Eric Seay is LTI’s Vice President of Operational Excellence. In his role, he partners with department leadership on process improvements leading to efficiency gains, improved quality, and customer satisfaction. Eric’s 20+ years of experience includes the implementation of systems, processes, and controls to monitor and improve financial performance for companies, including Trulite Glass and Aluminum, Rinnai and Carlisle. He has also held roles in accounting and manufacturing management.
Eric earned his Industrial Engineering undergraduate degree from Kennesaw State University and his MBA-Finance degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt through the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Eric also served as a member of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Board of Examiners for the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Tracy Bennett
VP, Manufacturing
Tracy Bennett is LTI’s Vice President of Manufacturing. Tracy joined LTI in 1988 and currently leads production scheduling, maintenance, shipping/receiving and takedown departments for the company. Tracy is highly-focused on improving capacity and production efficiency in order to meet customer demand. He is passionate about delivering the highest caliber of product reliably on time to customers.
Tracy is a certified programmer on Bystronic laser equipment and is Six Sigma Lean certified.
Casey Hammonds
VP, Engineering
Casey is the VP of Engineering at LTI. He has been employed with LTI full-time since 1980, and prior to that, he worked for the company during the summers beginning at age 16. Through the years, Casey has been closely involved in the development and evolution of our product line. Working with production, sales, code authorities and our customer base, he strives to listen to and understand all requests and do our very best to incorporate them into our equipment design.
Brent Myers
VP, Human Resources
Brent is responsible for leading the overall direction of Human Resources for the company. He focuses on leading and developing programs to support strategic initiatives involving employee retention, talent acquisition and human resource process automation for LTI. In his 30 years of experience, he has worked for healthcare, retail and business process outsourcing companies, as well as manufacturing with glass fabrication, metal forming, automotive OEM and temperature control industries.
Johnnie Merchant
VP, Sales & Marketing
Johnnie is Vice President of Sales and Marketing and oversees sales growth and marketing efforts for LTI’s vast product line. With over thirty years of experience in the foodservice industry, Johnnie is passionate about building strong relationships with channel partners and end users to grow awareness and sales. He works closely with LTI’s sales reps with a focus on multiple market segments, including K-12, colleges and universities, healthcare, and B&I.
Audrey Casey Pearson
Chief Brand Ambassador
As LTI’s Chief Brand Ambassador, Audrey focuses on building brand awareness within the company, the foodservice industry, and the community. She is involved in planning employee relations activities, preparing for tradeshows, and enhancing LTI’s community engagement initiatives.
Audrey graduated from the University of Georgia in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. In the 1990s, she joined the family business, working alongside both first- and second-generation family members – her grandfather and father. Over the next couple of decades, she pursued other opportunities, including owning a small business from 2017 until 2022. She and her sister Barbara Casey Lane, CEO and Chairman of the Board, are co-owners of LTI.
Ted Arnold
Director, Customer Support
In his role of the Director of Customer Support, Ted oversees daily operations relating to the needs of our customers, working closely with the team to provide guidance and support from the initial sale through installation. Ted has been with LTI since 1984 and has a wealth of experience throughout the entire organization. He is passionate about supporting LTI’s mission of providing exceptional service to our customers.
Greg Chance
Regional Sales Director
Greg is a Regional Sales Director at LTI. He has been in the foodservice industry for over 30 years, spending time in operational roles with major companies such as Pizza Hut, Inc. and Target Corp. He joined the LTI Team in 2008 and enjoys the hands-on approach working with reps and customers to show them how LTI equipment can benefit their operations. Greg spends the majority of his time working with sales reps developing and implementing strategies to grow awareness and sales of LTI in the western part of the country. He strives to exceed customer expectations every step of the way.
Willis Smith
Director, Educational Sales
Willis is the Director of Educational Sales and is responsible for developing all serving counter and décor business through LTI’s representative organizations focusing on the education segments. He oversees LTI’s VisionDesign interior design service, which provides consultation and turnkey creations to enhance dining spaces with the inclusion of paint, signage and other accessories that are proven to increase customer participation. Willis Smith is a graduate of Georgia State University and previously worked for Delta Air Lines.
Jason Prange
Regional Sales Director, East Region
Jason Prange is LTI’s Regional Sales Director for the east region of the country. His focus is to drive growth and strengthen relationships with dealers, sales representatives, and consultants. He has a strong background in developing strategic initiatives and is passionate about fostering business partnerships in the foodservice industry. Prange holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a certificate in hospitality and tourism from Florida Atlantic University.
Janice Gaddis
Manager of Customer Service and Scheduling
Janice is LTI’s Manager of Customer Service and Scheduling and is responsible for overseeing the customer service team and shipping logistics. She works closely with the sales and production teams to help create efficiencies for workflow processes. She joined LTI in 1991 and has held several roles within the company, including receptionist, accounts payable and customer service. She attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Janice is passionate about supporting our customers to ensure an exceptional experience from the first point of contact through shipping.
Autumn Davis
Marketing and Communications Manager
Autumn Davis is LTI’s Marketing and Communications Manager. She supports the sales team by driving awareness of product offerings and innovations through reps, consultants, end-users and dealers across the country. She helps drive LTI’s brand growth and sales success through tradeshow coordination, advertising and public relations, social media, and community relations. Autumn serves on the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Leadership Clayton’s Advisory Council.
Tim Lane
Operational Excellence Manager
Tim is LTI’s Operational Excellence Manager. His focus is on internal process development, assisting the company-wide effort of continuous improvement. Working cross-departmentally, Tim supports the team at LTI in achieving their goals with more efficiency and effectiveness. With a collaborative, customer-first mindset, he aims to help the team win. Tim is a graduate of the University of Georgia and received a Mini-MBA in family-enterprise through Kennesaw State University.
Tessie Lanier
HR Business Partner
Tessie Lanier, LTI’s HR Business Partner, is responsible for talent recruitment, onboarding of new hires, policy interpretation, workers compensation and employee relations. She also manages and coordinates HR activities and special company events to help foster a positive culture for Team LTI.
Tessie graduated from Georgia College in 2016 and received a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. She also holds an HR Generalist certification and is pursuing SHRM certification. As a fourth-generation family member, she worked as an Administrative Assistant many summers and holiday seasons at LTI while she was in high school and college.