45 44 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine Millennium - Twentieth Edition BUSINESS, FINANCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS, FINANCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP GARY L. CONVIS MANAGING OFFICER OF NORTH AMERICA MANUFACTURING (RETIRED) Toyota Motor Corporation Bainbridge, WA Throughout his career, Mr. Convis has remained enthusiastic about helping others learn effective management techniques and supporting American manufacturers. Wellregarded for his creative output as well, he co-authored the 2011 book, “The Toyota Way for Lean Leadership,” which explores Toyota’s signature management style. Looking ahead, Mr. Convis aspires to utilize his position as an industry veteran to continue promoting efficiency and quality in manufacturing. In light of his fulfilling career, he credits his success to the values instilled in him by his father, including the importance of hard work, teamwork and a deep respect for those who do the work. He considers his authenticity and transparency to be key to his management and communication styles and advises others to focus on their conduct and to build strong working relationships with others. Alongside the love of his life, Debbie, Mr. Convis enjoys spending time with their seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. In his personal time, he also enjoys the outdoors by golfing, gardening and practicing landscape design. of the Dana Holding Corporation in 2008, and he accepted a position as the vice chair of the business the following year. While guiding the company through the worst of the 2008 and 2009 economic downturn, he was approached by Tesla to help establish its electric vehicle manufacturing facilities and ultimately helped them hire their longtime head of manufacturing. Before concluding his career, Mr. Convis spent four years as the chief operating officer of Bloom Energy, stepping down in 2015. Now retired from full-time work, he has worked on several boards assisting with their manufacturing performance. Currently, he acts as a director of Spyris Solutions, a position he has held since 2019. At the onset of his vocational journey, Mr. Convis pursued a formal education at Michigan State University, where he earned a BS in mathematics in 1964. In his senior year, he also studied the positive impact of manufacturing, engineering and construction on life in the United States at all levels. This interest led to launching his lifelong passion in automotive manufacturing and leadership in highly skilled teams. Gary L. Convis is a retired automotive executive who has celebrated over six decades of success. During his time in the industry, he played a key role in the expansion of Toyota Motor Corporation into the North American market in the 1980s and 1990s. His initial interest in manufacturing led him to the automotive industry, and he joined General Motors as a quality controller in 1964. He subsequently spent four years with Buick before beginning a 16year career with Ford in 1968. Mr. Convis made significant achievements at Ford, eventually becoming the youngest assistant plant manager in company history at that time. Mr. Convis left Ford in 1984 to become the general manager of New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors (GM). Driven by changes in the oil and gas industry that made small, fuel-efficient cars a market priority, he helped to restart a closed factory in California to fill a gap in General Motors’ existing lineup. Toyota then moved into this re-established plant, creating a new base for its American supply chain. Mr. Convis remained with the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. project until 2000, playing a key role in Toyota’s expansion and the establishment of its market presence and quality control processes in the United States. In 2001, Mr. Convis was named the president of Toyota’s Kentucky plant, becoming the first American president of the largest assembly plant for the company outside of Japan, an honor he considers to be a career highlight. His dedication to the company and embrace of its corporate ethics and high standards for quality led to him accruing additional responsibilities, including North American quality assurance, managing a new manufacturing plant locations team, and serving on the leadership selection and mentoring team. Recognizing his importance to the company’s growth over several decades, Mr. Convis ultimately became the managing officer of North American manufacturing operations in 2003. Building on his unique industry perspective and global manufacturing expertise, Mr. Convis went on to become the chief executive officer
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ5NDA2