Jim Kalnas CEO
Jim founded Partners Alliance in 1998. He has a BSIS, 27 years of Business development experience and 21 years of experience in the Technical Recruiting market. In 1989 he co-founded an engineering consulting organization that specialized in process control and embedded control systems. Jim founded Partners Alliance in 1998, recruiting Electrical Engineers and quickly expanded to all areas of engineering and operations. Most recently, Partners Alliance has expanded into Supply Chain, Sales, Information Technologies and Finance.
Dan Carroll CTO
Dan joined Partners Alliance in 2004 as our CTO. His extensive experience includes:
- Senior leadership roles in enterprise architecture, research and development, integration services, product and market research, client services, sales and business development.
- Hands-on, current development experience and architectural knowledge of the primary system platforms used during the past 30 years, including mainframe, client-server, PC, internet and mobile.
- Extensive product and service knowledge in computer systems, financial services, health care, virtual companies and staffing and recruiting.
Kerry Plunkett – Human Resources Specialist, Account Manager, Power Specialist
Kerry joined the Partners our team in 2010. Prior to joining Partners Alliance, she was the Director of Human Resources for Doble Engineering Company. She joined the company in 2002 and was responsible for transforming what had previously been a payroll-processing department into a strategic business partner for the company’s operations.
Additionally, Kerry has prior experience as a Human Resources consultant, authoring policies, training and coaching managers, and advising senior business leaders on Human Resources issues.
Bryan Cambell, BSEE – Technical Recruiter
Bryan joined Partners Alliance in 1998 as an engineering consultant. In addition to consulting, he has been a significant addition to our technical recruiting team for the past 6 years. Bryan has over 18 years of computer hardware, software, and system experience. He has provided leadership roles, worked on design teams, and developed software independently. He successfully designed, developed, integrated, and deployed products and systems in various challenging technical environments.
Bryan’s professional experiences includes:
- Programmed electronic controller for underground continuous miner machines (C language, VxWorks RTOS)
- Designed and programmed Graphical User Interface (in Visual Basic.Net) that retrieves production data files from underground mining machines
- Programmed Central Control functions for a People Mover transit system for the San Francisco International Airport
- Developed automation hardware and software for underground mining machinery
- Designed custom-made industrial power supplies
Bryan’s technical experience includes:
- C, C++, C#, VB.Net, PLC, VxWorks, iRMX
- Embedded Circuit Firmware/Hardware
- Power Electronics
Lawrence S. Matvey – Technical Recruiter
Lawrence has over 28 years of technical and managerial expertise. He has provided supervision, inspection, installation, support, and sales for mechanical and automation equipment. Lawrence has experience in managing project resources.
Lawrence’s professional accomplishments include:
- Supervised construction, installation and commissioning for a new continuous annealing line, electrolytic tinning line and dynamo annealing/coating line for electrical steels.
- Performed mechanical and automation equipment inspections to ensure they met contractual and performance specifications before shipment to site.
- Department Manager for installation and commissioning of process control systems for the steel and aluminum industry.
- Responsible for site management, technical support, scheduling, training, budgeting, resource allocation, and cost control.
- Responsible for sales, proposals, and estimating automation systems for processing lines and rolling mills in the steel and aluminum industry. Site manager for process control systems and mechanical equipment.
- Prepared and presented training courses and provided technical support for customers and service engineers.
Lawrence’s technical experiences include:
Digital Drives, Mill Master, Hydraulic Automatic Gauge Control, Shape Control, Tension, Profile, Roll Bending, Coolant, Roll Change, Furnace Control, Mechanical Equipment, and Hydraulic System.
Ellen Baniak – Technical Recruiter
Ellen joined Partners Alliance in September 2011. She brings over 17 years of human resource, recruiting, account management and leadership experience. Prior to joining Partners Alliance she worked for a regional chamber of commerce and was responsible for a full service staffing agency that was available for their members’ usage. She has worked extensively with manufacturing organizations yet has experience recruiting a broad range of positions including engineering, management, finance, human resources and IT.
Greta Guimond – Technical Recruiter
Greta joined Partners Alliance in 2011 as a Technical Recruiter bringing experiences as an Executive Sales Professional (J&J + Bristol Myers), HR Recruiter, Training/Development Coordinator & Project Manager (Entrepreneur / Consultant) in the manufacturing, chemical/resin, business, & healthcare industries. Greta brings to Partners strong analytical skills, social media networking techniques, expertise at multi-project administration, exceptional relationship management & an elevated degree of negotiation know-how all while forging for new business.
Fred Beighley – Technical Recruiter
Fred joined Partners Alliance in May 2011 as a Technical Recruiter. Fred has over 30 years of Electrical and Automation experience in the Steel industry.
- 15 years Electrical / Electronic Maintenance with US Steel.
- 17 years Engineering with Davy McKee, Trafalger House, Kvaerner and Voest Alpine.
Fred’s roles included, PLC programming, Site Start-up, Commissioning, Department Management, Project Management, Site Management and Sales support.
- 6 ½ years Electrical Coordinator and Engineering Project Manager with US Steel, both internationally and domestically.
Fred brings to Partners Alliance experience in all aspects of heavy industry projects from Sales, Engineering, Programming, Managing, Start-up, Commissioning and Training.
Melissa Johnson-McCalla – Technical Recruiter
Melissa joined Partners Alliance in August 2012 as a Technical Recruiter. She brings almost 15 years in the Power industry prior to beginning in the recruiting industry over 8 years ago. Varied experiences include:
- Substation Engineering and Design, Project Management, Contract development with utilities and consultant companies
- Extensively staffed for engineering disciplines within power industry, but also has experience recruiting for Oil/Gas Industry, manufacturing, management and finance
- Managed contractors during their employ with clients
- Account Manager experience which included, meeting with clients, conducting on-site career fairs and establishing staffing needs
- Long-standing relationships with clients
Matt Harding – Technical Recruiter
Matt joined Partners Alliance in March 2013 as a Technical Recruiter. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and brings extensive technical experience in the manufacturing of FDA regulated Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. Matt’s roles have included Capital Project Management, Process and Equipment Design and Validation, Process Controls, and Continuous Improvement. He has worked in various manufacturing settings including high volume sterile processing, manual assembly and test, and traditional chemical and specialty chemical plants.
Amanda Ridilla – Technical Recruiter
Amanda joined the Partners Alliance team, as a Technical Recruiter, in April 2013. She holds a BS in Organizational Development and an AAS in Business Management. She possesses a strong background in Workforce Planning, HR, and Staffing within the DoD and Government Contracting arenas. Her expertise encompasses the Engineering, IT, and Management disciplines with focus primarily on military, cleared, and technical talent. She has worked in critical and multi-faceted roles, ranging from budget and database management to marketing and advertising. Amanda brings a creative, enthusiastic, and proactive approach to recruiting, giving her the competitive edge necessary for success in today’s market.
