Our employees’ dedication and expertise have resulted in long-term customer relationships developing into partnerships.

Bruce Wylie, President
Bruce is a proven strategic and operational leader.  Prior to joining Clifford-Jacobs in April 2011, Bruce held key management and Board positions with a variety of growth companies for over 20 years.  Starting his career with Ernst & Young, a global tax and financial services firm, Bruce quickly moved into leadership roles there and with operating companies such Patriot Forge Co., one of the largest open-die forging companies in North America, and financial institutions such as BMO Capital Corporation, a subsidiary of one of the largest banks in Canada.  He has been a member of Boards of Directors of 15 private companies, 3 public companies and 2 not-for-profit organizations.  Additionally, Bruce holds the Canadian designations of Chartered Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator.  As Clifford-Jacobs continues to grow, Bruce’s background and expertise is taking us to higher levels of efficiency and most importantly, customer satisfaction. 

Jason Ray, Vice President of Sales, IMT Forge Group
Overseeing sales operations of the IMT Forge Group and IMT Machining, Jason constantly interacts with customers and manufacturers’ representatives throughout North America to forge partnerships of value–from an internal and external perspective–resulting in the production of top-notch standard and custom die forgings. He works on a constant basis to learn more about Clifford-Jacobs customers so the company can excel on a detailed level at meeting their needs. Jason’s sales efforts are helped by the fact that he started his career as an engineer, which he combines with the traits of hard work, customer service, and appreciation for good people that came from his small-town, Midwestern upbringing. The result is a strong ability to collaborate with customers in developing creative solutions to meet their needs.

Troy Mitchell, Sales Manager
Recently promoted to Sales Manager, Troy has over 13 years of experience at Clifford-Jacobs as a tooling engineer and most recently, a technical engineer focused on tasks for the aerospace industry, Troy began his career as a tool maker at Delux Industries, which specializes in making specialty dies for various manufacturing applications.  He received an AAS in Tool and Manufacturing Technology and a BS in Industrial Technology from Southern IL University at Carbondale.  After being deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2008, Troy retired from the Army National Guard after 22 years of service.  Troy’s broad-based and technical background helps to ensure that we are providing our customers the best forgings to meet their specific requirements.

Additional Key Contacts Assisting the Sales Department:

Jesse Lindley, Engineering Manager
Jesse plays a variety of roles in Clifford-Jacobs’s product engineering process, including managing and investigating new products, overseeing processing and playing a key role in every discipline of the product life cycle. Jesse also serves as deployment champion in the implementation of the company’s Six Sigma strategies–an initiative that will lead to important advancements in internal processes, and ultimately in the company’s products themselves. Having started at Clifford-Jacobs Forging as a draftsman in the early 2000s, armed with an engineering degree from the University of Illinois, Jesse has advanced through the company by demonstrating solid performance, and today offers a strong foundation for leading the engineering department.

Mike Snell, Plant Superintendent
Mike plays the central role in coordinating the people and equipment involved in the die forging process at Clifford-Jacobs. As demand increases, Mike ensures that his team is constantly improving on-time delivery, managing lead times and maintaining a high level of quality that is unparalleled.  Mike’s 27 years of experience at Clifford-Jacobs Forging has made him an expert on raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and many other issues that make the difference in maximizing quality and performance for customers.

Jeff Baker, Manager of Health, Safety and Human Resources
Jeff Baker, SPHR, is responsible for the areas of health, safety and human resources at Clifford-Jacobs.  This includes in-part, the areas of safety training, recruitment and selection of employees, labor and employee relations as well as benefits.  Jeff previously served in similar capacities for Flex-N-Gate Corporation’s Indiana operations, ACH Food Companies-Champaign and Illinois-American Water Corporation.  He was first exposed to the forging industry while serving as Manager of Employee and Labor Relations with ThyssenKrupp Crankshaft Company.  He attended Lincoln Trail College before graduating with a B.S. in Business Degree from Eastern Illinois University, majoring in Management with an emphasis in Personnel.  Jeff has earned a lifetime certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resource Certification Institute, the educational affiliate of the Society For Human Resource Management.  Jeff’s goal in leading the Health, Safety and Human Resources Department at Clifford-Jacobs is to build the type of company that is both good to do business with and work for.

Additional Key Contacts Assisting the HSHR Department:

Stan Burton, Secretary and Treasurer
As a key officer at Clifford-Jacobs, Stan brings over 25 years of financial experience to the team.  A graduate of Illinois State University with a B.S. in Accountancy, Stan oversees all facets of accounting and budgetary operations and plays an integral role in Clifford-Jacobs’ ability to maintain financial strength and viability, which has been key since 1919.