Team

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.

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.

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.

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, Merchant 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.

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 for over 35 years 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, West Region

Greg is LTI’s Regional Sales Director for the west region of the country. 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.

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.

Willis Smith

National Sales Director, VisionDesign

Willis Smith is National Sales Director of VisionDesign and is responsible for growing LTI’s interior décor business throughout the country. He is passionate about working with customers to transform their dining spaces using VisionDesign signs, paint, graphics, furniture, and other accessories. Willis is a graduate of Georgia State University.

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.