Home: The Excel Story: Excel Leadership

Excel Leadership

To lead this growth, Excel has installed an experienced and successful Fortune 100 team.

Steve Scharnhorst – President/Chief Executive Officer

As president, Steven oversees all operations at Excel Homes. Under his leadership and direction, Excel Homes is developing and implementing solutions based on customer needs, market conditions and Excel Homes’ growth strategies. A hands-on global organization leader with an entrepreneurial ownership approach, Steve is a top-performing executive who will take Excel Homes to new heights.

He has nearly 30 years of experience, including positions with GNB Technologies, Exide Corporation, and Optima Batteries, Inc. Prior to joining Excel Homes, Steve served as vice president of global manufacturing for Johnson Controls, the world’s largest product and service provider to the building industry. During his time there, his focus was on global manufacturing and developing supply chain resources to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. He was responsible for global manufacturing, purchasing and distribution operations.

Brent Werner – Chief Financial Officer

As chief financial officer, Brent is responsible for all financial and accounting functions for Excel Homes, aiding in its growth and development. He also serves as a vital link to the rest of the leadership team on all financial matters for the company.

Prior to his promotion to the CFO position, Brent served as corporate controller for the company. In this position, he reported directly to the CFO on all financial matters.

Before joining Excel, Brent held various other positions, including CFO for a south-central Pennsylvania site development contractor, as well as corporate controller and director of management accounting for the Irex Corporation. Brent also worked as a consultant, offering controller services to mid-sized companies.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Bucknell University and is a Certified Management Accountant. Brent’s experience, leadership and knowledge of Excel Homes’ systems and strategic initiatives will allow him to successfully advance the company’s financial position.

Rob Ebbets – Vice President of Shared Services

As vice president of shared services, Rob leads the engineering, order processing, IT and overall shared services functions. He also plays a vital role in strategic planning for Excel Homes.

Prior to his new role, rob was the Vice President of Marketing for Excel. He has been a pivotal member of the Excel team for 10 years.

With comprehensive experience and accomplishments in business management, Rob’s expertise in sales, marketing, product development, and acquisitions is a great asset to the company. He also has strong experience in industrial products, backed by an engineering degree and hands-on experience in a manufacturing environment.

Rob brings with him nearly 30 years of experience, including positions with Reemay, Inc., and DuPont, one of world's most dynamic science companies. Prior to joining Excel Homes, Rob served as business manager of the Johns Manville Corporation, a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building products and specialty products for commercial, industrial, and residential applications. During his time there, he had combined responsibility for all melt blown operations, as well as the fiberglass liquid filtration.

Jeff Degen – Vice President of Marketing

As vice president of marketing and communications, Jeff will develop and execute all marketing and communications initiatives to drive Excel Homes’ growth strategy. Working closely with the sales and product teams, Jeff’s leadership will effectively communicate Excel’s industry expert status to both builders and consumers.

Before joining the Excel team, Jeff served as the director of the marketing & category management team at Johnson Controls, a Fortune 100 company specializing in the manufacture of automotive parts. Later in his tenure, Jeff was promoted to director of global brands, where he managed consumer brand growth for Johnson Controls products across the globe.

During his 15 years at Johnson Controls, Jeff developed strategic integrated marketing programs to support all of the company’s brands with key retailers such as Wal-Mart, AutoZone, Costco and Sears. Jeff also helped grow Johnson Control’s market share from 18 percent to over 67 percent. Based on these achievements, Jeff was a three-time recipient of the Chairman’s Award for customer satisfaction, the highest employee award offered by the company.

With a degree in marketing and economics from the University of Wisconsin, Jeff looks forward to new challenges in the modular home industry and helping Excel Homes maintain its status as the number one modular home manufacturer in the nation.

Nicholas Kaczmarek – Vice President of Purchasing

As vice president of procurement and supply chain, Nick leads the procurement team in developing strategic supplier relationships, generating the greatest value available for all operations of Excel Homes. He works closely with operation purchasing teams to ensure proper material flow for all operations. By driving the lowest total cost of ownership through negotiating cost, quality, and delivery terms, the team continually strives to reduce materials costs, introduce new product options, and provide unparalleled efficiencies for Excel Homes’ customers. Within the executive team, Nick’s efforts contribute to Excel Homes’ short and long term growth and profitability business objectives.

With more than 17 years of experience in the procurement industry, including positions with top corporations such as Texas Instruments, IBM, WorldCrest and DSSI, Nick most recently served as the chief procurement officer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Nick has extensive experience in leading strategic negotiations and developing material and service category strategies. While serving Pennsylvania, Nick developed the overarching vision, mission, and goals for the Commonwealth’s large procurement team by redesigning performance standards and reviews, developing a value tracker system, creating and publishing key customer metrics, and leading the implementation of a supplier relationship management program.

John Gizienski – Vice President of Operations

As vice president of operations, Jack plans, directs and controls the manufacturing and operations functions at all divisional locations of Excel Homes. He works with the operations team to ensure that customer expectations are exceeded in the areas of quality, delivery and overall customer satisfaction. He also directs continuous improvement initiatives, drives cost reduction and facilitates the development and implementation of innovative processes to continually improve operational effectiveness.

Jack brings more than 34 years of cross-functional manufacturing and engineering management experience with industry leaders General Electric and Johnson Controls. Prior to joining Excel Homes, he served as the director of manufacturing for Johnson Controls. During his time there, he managed worldwide manufacturing operations through ten plants and distribution centers in the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and China.

Jay Kedia – Vice President of Business Development

As vice president of business development, Jay guides and develops sales strategies to meet customer needs, market conditions and Excel Homes’ growth strategies. His role includes oversight of the leadership process for identifying trends and opportunities for new business growth. As a member of the cross-functional leadership team, he is also jointly accountable for shortening the development cycle, applying appropriate “best practices” and minimizing costs.

Jay’s more than 13 years of experience includes positions with top-rated insurance company Mutual of New York and global power leader Cummins Engine Company. He also managed global sales for Optima Batteries, including a successful overseas assignment in Europe. Most recently, Jay served as director of national sales on the AutoZone account for Johnson Controls, directing all cross-functional teams to support and grow the top category of the nation’s market share leader.

Ray Cudwadie – Director of Commercial Sales

As director of commercial sales, Ray plans, directs and controls all commercial sales personnel and operations. He develops sales strategies to meet commercial customer needs, market conditions and Excel Homes’ commercial market growth strategy.

Ray brings to Excel Homes 24 years of commercial construction experience from DeLuxe Building Systems, Inc. He began his career as an engineering manager with a degree in architectural design. During his tenure in this position, he helped to develop and guided growth in the multi-family and commercial markets. Most recently, he was vice president of sales and marketing at DeLuxe. Ray is also an active participant on numerous industry and private committees, as well as advisory boards for local high schools.

In 2009, Governor Edward G. Rendell appointed Cudwadie to serve on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council, responsible for overseeing the commonwealth's building codes. Ray is the sole representative from the modular industry on the council.

Ken Reinard – Vice President of Sales

As vice president of sales, Reinard is responsible for Excel’s wide platform of customer-driven services and programs supporting the company’s network of builder and developer partners. With his unparalleled experience in the modular industry, Reinard drives the company’s mandate to help builder partners grow and succeed, which ultimately ensures Excel’s profitability and long-term growth.

Reinard’s career in the modular industry began in the 1970s with then industry leader Poloron Homes. From there, Reinard helped to establish Penn Lyon Homes, a company that was recognized by INC Magazine in the 1980s as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States.

In 1984, Reinard became a founding member of Excel Homes. Leveraging his vast knowledge and experience, he created and implemented some of the best customer service platforms and programs in the U.S.

With Excel firmly placed as an industry leader by the early 1990s, Reinard went on to manage projects throughout North America that changed the face of the modular industry. These projects included dormitories at a top state university, urban infill projects in our nation’s capital, housing development programs for Native American reservations, hundreds of condo’s on the Eastern Shore and hurricane relief projects throughout the Caribbean. Reinard continues to be a vital member of the Excel Homes team as we add new services and partners, increasing our market share.

Eric Merling - Director of Sales

As director of sales, Eric Merling is responsible for leading the company's sales team's growth efforts. This includes prospecting, qualifying, and absorbing new customers into Excel Homes' client base, managing the sales process from conception to delivery, and maintaining long-term relationships.

Before joining Excel, Eric held various other sales and marketing leadership positions, including vice president of sales and marketing with Coachmen Industries for their recreational vehicle and All American Homes divisions. Most recently, he served as general sales manager for Westchester Modular Homes. Eric and his team have a history of successfully establishing a loyal customer base by driving value into the sale process and maintaining long lasting distribution relationships.

Eric attended Valdosta State University in Valdosta, GA, and Millersville University in Pennsylvania. His professional accreditations include certifications by the state of New York and the Pennsylvania College of Technology's Modular Housing Training Institute.

Harold T. Monty Jr. – Director of Continuous Improvement

As director of continuous improvement, Hal plans, controls and indirectly supervises the activities of black belts, lean implementers and continuous improvement managers in the execution of the Excel Homes Manufacturing System (EHMS) activities. He also develops and maintains systems to monitor project performance and positively impact the manufacturing and operations functions at all divisional locations of Excel Homes.

With numerous black belt certifications and substantial professional training, Hal brings with him more than 24 years of experience. Highlights include positions with the DSM Corporation, Paramount Packaging Corporation, and National Standard Company, where he designed and implemented one of the nation’s first ISO quality management systems. Prior to joining Excel Homes, he served as the master black belt, internal consultant, for Carpenter Technology Corporation, a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty alloys. During his time there, he supported Carpenter’s engineered products and steel divisions by providing a highly effective range of transformational skills and services. His primary duties included executive mentoring, technical training, project management, change management and the enterprise-wide integration of process improvement and engineering technologies.

Mark Bremmer - Director of Material Procurement

As director of material procurement, Mark is responsible for identifying opportunities for corporate-wide sourcing, cost savings, cost avoidance, and value enhancement initiatives associated with material procurement. He manages these sourcing projects and positively impacts all operational functions for current and future locations of Excel Homes.

Mark has been in the modular industry since 1980 and has an extensive procurement background, with more than 25 years of experience. Mark joined the Avis America operations in December 1999 and has led his procurement team in consistently driving value throughout the organization. In his earlier role as the Avis purchasing manager, Mark was a key contributor in negotiations with our suppliers. He brings with him a wealth of industry expertise among all major categories of building materials.