Leadership Team

A fifth generation Kansan, Randy grew up learning the value of hard work on his family dairy farm near Erie, KS. He graduated from Kansas State University with a BS in Agricultural Economics and spent the first 10 years of his career as a commercial loan officer at UMB and Boatmen’s. He discovered a love for business management and manufacturing when he bought into Zephyr in 1993. Randy is passionate about helping others, whether our talented team of Zephyr employees and their families (fondly knows as “the Zephyr family” around here) or the men of Brothers in Blue Reentry where he serves on the Board of Directors. A pragmatic eternal optimist, he believes we can do anything if we keep our eyes up, our head down, and focus and set our mind to it! Despite her MU/KU roots, Randy has been married to his beautiful wife and feisty partner, Cheryl, since 1989 and considers himself beyond blessed to do life each day with his amazing family.

The ultimate multi-tasker, David enjoys his role as COO at Zephyr because every day brings a new challenge. His leadership and problem-solving skills are based on the experience he has gained since starting at Zephyr in 2004.  In his previous positions at Zephyr, David learned estimating, order entry, how to implement new equipment and refine processes, but his most valuable experience was learning to juggle the ever-changing and competing demands of Zephyr’s fast-paced manufacturing environment. His greatest skill is communicating and working with the Zephyr team to achieve the best results for our customers. His favorite part of his job is helping others be successful and achieve their full potential. David is an avid KU fan (much to Randy’s chagrin). He credits his work ethic to his parents’ example as he grew up on a dairy farm near Nortonville, Kansas. He is married to Jenny, the love of his life and best friend since 1992. They have 3 great kids who he is extremely proud of. He was thrilled to welcome their first grandchild in October, 2017 and over joyed when another arrived in August of 2019.  When he isn’t at work, he is in full grandpa mode and just can’t get enough of them!

Ryan has been an integral part of Zephyr since 1996, when he joined after earning his drafting certificate from Highland Community College. Starting as a draftsman, Ryan’s leadership skills quickly became evident, leading him to head up the Engineering department. Now as CTO, Ryan oversees Quality Control, Engineering, Process Improvements, and IT across the company. His passion for collaborating on new products and his dedication to Zephyr’s quality program are cornerstones of his role. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife Laura and with their children, and grandchildren. Ryan also enjoys golfing and is a devoted fan of the Chiefs, Royals, and Jayhawks.

Jason strongly believes (or values) in leaving people, places, and things better than when he found them. As the Chief People Officer for Zephyr Jason is passionate about developing others personal growth and supporting them so they can thrive. With over 27 years working at Zephyr, Jason brings his unique vision to this role. When he is not working his magic at Zephyr Jason volunteers for Reaching Out From Within, a prison based self-transformation group inside the Kansas Department of Corrections. 

Jason also enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and fitness.

Laura is the Chief Financial Officer and is a member of Zephyr’s Leadership team . In this overall financial management role, Laura oversees the Accounting/Financial department and Payroll. As a member of the Leadership Team, Laura partners with our management team and employees to build the company’s future.

Laura graduated from DMACC with an Accounting Specialist AAS degree. She started at Zephyr in 1993 in the accounting department and has served as office manager and human resources before assuming the responsibilities of Controller, then CFO. She has seen a lot of changes and managed a lot of growth as Zephyr has grown over the 31 years since she began her career here. Laura lives in Lansing with her husband of 42 years, Jim. They enjoy motorcycle trips and spending time spoiling their grandchildren.

In 2003, Jason started working for a division of LPF High Performance Coatings in Kansas City, MO.  Early on, he designed custom furniture, artwork, signage and other fun and impactful features for designers and architects in the Kansas City area looking to make unique statements within their projects.  He was involved from concept, design, sourcing materials, fabrication, finishing and personally installed many projects himself.  During this time, Jason learned to appreciate the process as much as the end result.  With the economy of 2008 all but eliminating the special features from many building or renovation budgets, Jason was offered a position running the Production Line for LPF which mainly focused on Commercial and Industrial Powder Coating.  And he never looked back.  Working for a small company, Jason has been responsible for many facets of the business from production management, employee development, administrative roles, etc. and ultimately was named President of LPF in 2018.  Jason loves to work.  He also loves to educate and share experiences with co-workers and customers.  His favorite quote is, “The biggest problem with Communication is the Illusion that it has taken place.”  He believes many of our common frustrations, whether personal or professional, are rooted in poor communication.  Therefore, when you get correspondences from Jason, especially on subjects he is passionate about, you might need a bookmark and fresh ice for your drink before you’re finished reading.  Jason gets the most enjoyment at work seeing an employee develop and be successful taking on new responsibilities.  Jason and his wife, Mendi, have five furry four-legged children, and love to spend time with their human family and friends by hosting large gatherings and feeding everyone. 

Starting in 2008, Kyle was added to the Zephyr team as a Draftsman. As Zephyr grew, multiple opportunities arose, and Kyle raised his hand to take on many that suited his skillset. He has been a Draftsman, Material Manager, Laser Nester, Scheduling Manager, Production Manager and now is in the position of Plant Manager. His love for watching people grow and leading people in a positive way is what makes his job so enjoyable at Zephyr. Kyle is married to his best friend, Allison. Together they have two decent children, Benjamin and Hudson. Outside of Zephyr you will hardly ever see Kyle without his children, they are his world. His other passion outside of Zephyr would be coaching and mentoring the youth athletes in Atchison. Along with a couple of friends, he has started an athletic training facility focusing on developing youth athletes, not only in sports, but in everything that sports teach. Resilience, teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, etc.

An avid sports fan, Zach brings his passion for sports to building a winning team at Zephyr. Zach is responsible for nurturing and growing relationships with our customers. He’s cool, calm, and always collected; skilled at listening closely to understand the full picture of customer needs and finding solutions that work for everyone. With experience working as an Equipment Manager for the Kansas State Football program, he’s a master of quick thinking under pressure and keeping a fast-moving team organized. He started at Zephyr as an intern during college working on the plant floor in each department. Zach brings his degree in Supply Chain Management and outside experience working for large companies in Kansas City to the table. Since joining the Zephyr team in 2017, he’s been involved in many aspects of Zephyr including quoting, drafting, shipping, logistics, sales, and customer service. Zach married his beautiful wife Sarah in July of 2020. They spend their weekends tailgating, visiting the lake, and grilling out with friends and family.