Franke's Wood Products

Office: (937) 642-0706

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Leadership

  • Franke's Wood Products
  • About Us
  • Leadership

    • Chris Franke

    President
    Chris is a 1983 graduate of The Ohio State University, through the Fisher College of Business; obtaining a comprehensive business education while specializing in Production and Operations Management. Chris joined the family business after graduation, and has spent 40 years across all facets of the business...
    READ MORE

    Michelle Franke

    VP of Operations
    Michelle joined the family business in 1988 to support the company’s needs due to their continued growth trajectory. Throughout Michelle’s 35-year career, she has provided her strategic mindset to all facets of the organizatio....
    READ MORE

    Kevin Franke

    VP Sales and Product Design
    After high school, Kevin enrolled and began taking coursework at Columbus Technical Institute for computer programming. During this time, the family business, headed by Bill, began transitioning to accelerated growth. Eyeing an opportunity, and fulfilling the need of the family business...
    READ MORE

    David Litzke

    Regional Sales Manager
    Dave is a 1988 dual degree graduate of Marietta College, obtaining a BS in Sports Medicine as well as a BA in fitness management. After graduation, Dave joined Honda of America in which he accumulated 27 years of experience through a multitude of responsibilities...
    READ MORE

    Luann Mollohan

    Senior Manager, Logistics and Customer Service
    Luann joined Franke’s in 1999, as a general laborer with minimal manufacturing experience. Luann quickly excelled, working through various production lines. Building on her success, she was promoted to production floor supervisor, where she further proved her value to the organization...
    READ MORE

    Garrett Franke

    Director of Sales and Marketing
    Garrett is a 2017 graduate of The Ohio State University through The Fisher College of Business, receiving Magna Cum Laude distinction. Throughout his education, Garrett received a comprehensive business education while specializing in Operations Management...
    READ MORE

    Annie Homstad

    Accounting
    Annie is a seasoned financial professional, amassing her knowledge through extensive education and tenure within the banking industry. Annie holds a BSBA, and MBA from Franklin University (Columbus, OH) with accounting and finance specializations...
    READ MORE

    Joe Koch

    Senior Manager, Raw Material Sourcing and Processing
    Prior to joining Franke’s, Joe worked at General Casting (Foundry) for 12 years. During his employment, he was an outside crane operator as well as spent time in the painting booth...
    READ MORE

    Daphne Tapp

    Office and Safety Manager
    Daphne found her home at Franke's in 2020 as our swiss-army knife executive assistant. Given her broad experience, Daphne was brought in to alleviate the workload (internal and external) for Franke's ownership team, vastly improving efficiency and agility...
    READ MORE

    Anna Wiant (Franke)

    Human Resources Manager
    Prior to joining Franke's, Anna received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, as well as a Minor in Spanish from Cedarville University, graduating with Cum Laude distinction. Post college, Anna spent 13 years as a practicing nurse under the OhioHealth umbrella...
    READ MORE

    Matt Angel

    Production Supervisor
    Matt began his career at Franke's Wood Products in 2013 as a tier 3 laborer. Over the next 5 years, Matt excelled on the projects allotted to him and gained invaluable experience across all of Franke's manufacturing lines...
    READ MORE

    Gary Jackson

    Senior Manager, Maintenance and Production Flow
    Gary is our longest tenured employee at Franke’s Wood Products, joining Franke’s in 1988 as a general laborer. Gary continued to expand his manufacturing expertise through years of impact on various production lines...
    READ MORE
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    Chris Franke: President

    Chris is a 1983 graduate of The Ohio State University, through the Fisher College of Business; obtaining a comprehensive business education while specializing in Production and Operations Management.
    Chris joined the family business after graduation, and has spent 40 years across all facets of the business, including:
    · Laborer
    · Production/Operations Management
    · Sales and Marketing
    · Finance/Accounting
    · Strategic Planning and Capital Investment
    · Community Involvement, including participation on multiple boards, and volunteering/speaking at local schools
    Upon the retirement of William (Bill) Franke, Chris was appointed by the board to fill Bill’s place as operating President/CEO. Chris leads the business while embracing a Servant leadership philosophy, believing in building strong relationships across all levels of the organization, as well as all external stakeholders including clients, suppliers, and community.
    Outside of the office: Chris extended his education by graduating with honors from Ashland Theological Seminary and obtaining a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling. Chris balances his role as President while providing marriage counseling services for the local community.
    In addition, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife of 40 years, 5 children, and 3 grandchildren. While Chris has accumulated many roles and ventures throughout his life, he has never wavered in maintaining dedication to his family while ensuring they were never a secondary priority.
     
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    Michelle Franke: VP Operations, Safety, and Administration

    Michelle joined the family business in 1988 to support the company’s needs due to their continued growth trajectory. Throughout Michelle’s 35-year career, she has provided her strategic mindset to all facets of the organization, such as:
    · Office Manager
    · Account Payable/Receivables
    · Bookkeeping
    · Laborer (including operating heavy-duty equipment)
    · Operations and Safety
    · IT
    · Quoting
    Throughout the years, Michelle has prided herself on finding process improvement opportunities. During her tenure, Michelle also attended Devry University and gained multiple IT certifications. Today, Michelle heads Franke’s Operations, Safety, and Administrative functions. Michelle works closely with production leadership to maintain a lean manufacturing environment while ensuring lead times and quality specifications are met or exceeded for clients. In addition, Michelle oversees plant safety and leads the direct engagement of all OSHA related activities. Michelle also works closely with our accounting team, while also leveraging strategic grant programs for safety, sustainability, and ergonomic improvements.
    Michelle has lived an involved lifestyle outside of work, as she has coached and refereed local youth sports (softball/soccer). In addition, Michelle has carried her passion and expertise for small businesses into a side charter, providing small business consulting since 2006. Outside of work, Michelle utilizes her production experience at home, often planning and successfully executing a wide range of home improvement projects. When Michelle finally has time to relax, she enjoys spending time with her wife Shelley, and the plethora of fur-babies she has cared for throughout the years.
    Close

    Kevin Franke- VP Sales and Product Design

    After high school, Kevin enrolled and began taking coursework at Columbus Technical Institute for computer programming. During this time, the family business, headed by Bill, began transitioning to accelerated growth.
    Eyeing an opportunity, and fulfilling the need of the family business, Kevin pivoted his career aspirations and came aboard. Throughout Kevin’s 40-year tenure he has worked across a multitude of functions, including:
    · Laborer
    · Production/Operations Management
    · Inventory Management/Purchasing
    · Product Design and Package Engineering
    · Quoting configuration
    · Sales
    Currently, Kevin oversees all sales operations and is the chief product design engineer. During Kevin’s career, he has developed innovative packaging designs such as: fastener free crating, light duty cores for the conveyor belting industry, and has developed the many customizations/optimizations Franke’s customers have come to rely on to protect their products in transit.
    In addition to Kevin’s commitment to his career, he has spent countless hours supporting the community through his passion for service:
    · Sat on the Board of Directors at UCO Industries for 9 years (largest disability employer in the State of Ohio)
    · 34 years of coaching wrestling/football across 3 Union County Schools (numerous awards, including 2 time Central Ohio Coach of the Year for wrestling)
    · Served on Board of Directors for Union County Outreach (disadvantaged housing program)
    · Active in local church (including singing in the praise band, and ran the Missionary Outreach program)
    Outside of work and his various community commitments, Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife Amy, three children, and various hobbies (making wine, Bengals/Buckeye football, fishing, karaoke).
    Close

    Dave Litzke: Regional Sales Manager

    Dave is a 1988 dual degree graduate of Marietta College, obtaining a BS in Sports Medicine as well as a BA in fitness management.
    After graduation, Dave joined Honda of America in which he accumulated 27 years of experience through a multitude of responsibilities, including:
    · 21 years within Honda’s Corporate Wellness Center
    o Managing the fitness department
    o Special Project Oversight, including new facility planning
    · 6 years managing corporate oversight services
    o Including safety, workers compensation, etc
    After Honda, Dave leveraged his experience and joined NEX Transport (a tier 1 supplier to Honda). With the transition, Dave took on more responsibilities by designing and operationalizing NEX’s Corporate Wellness Program.
    After 30 years practicing in his field, Dave decided to make a career change and pivot to sales while joining Franke’s in 2019. This change enabled Dave to leverage his extensive interpersonal skills he obtained through years working across the Honda network while supporting the growth efforts of Franke’s. After successfully making the transition, Dave was advanced to his current oversight role as Franke’s Regional Sales Manager.
    Outside of work Dave lives a life of service for his wife of 24 years, Mandy, and their 17 children (2 homegrown, and 15 heart grown). In between the workload of supporting a large family through countless extracurricular activities, Dave enjoys his time in church and golfing.
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    Luann Mollohan: Senior Manager, Logistics and Customer Service

    Luann joined Franke’s in 1999, as a general laborer with minimal manufacturing experience. Luann quickly excelled, working through various production lines. Building on her success, she was promoted to production floor supervisor, where she further proved her value to the organization.
    Given Luann’s production expertise, and unique interpersonal qualities, Franke’s decided to transition Luann to the office as the key liaison between their production operations and end customers.
    Since, Luann has excelled in her position, continuing to expand her duties while always carrying a customer-first tenacity. Daily, Luann ensures a seamless execution between production, customers, shipping, and our internal stakeholders.
    With 24+ years of service, and an immeasurable impact on the company, Luann is one of Franke’s greatest assets.
    Outside of work, Luann exemplifies her caring tenacity across all walks of her life. With limited bandwidth between spending time with her 4 children and 8 grandchildren, Luann always tries to find time to cheer on her Pittsburgh Steelers (to much dismay of her coworkers on Monday mornings), Nascar, and her annual cruise trips.
     
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    Garrett Franke- Director of Sales and Marketing

    Garrett is a 2017 graduate of The Ohio State University through The Fisher College of Business, receiving Magna Cum Laude distinction. Throughout his education, Garrett received a comprehensive business education while specializing in Operations Management. By leveraging an advanced pathway in the college and program, Garrett was able to gain Green Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma prior to graduation.

    Garrett began his professional career at Oracle as a Sales Development representative, moving to Boston upon graduation. During his 4-year tenure, Garrett was promoted 3 times, and obtained multiple awards of achievement including Oracle Club excellence. Garrett’s last position at Oracle was as an outside field sales representative for Oracle’s Cloud Technology Division.

    In 2020, Garrett accepted an offer to join Adobe as an Enterprise Account Director within their Customer Experience (Martech) division. Ultimately, Garrett was promoted to Strategic Enterprise Account Director, managing Adobe’s largest portfolio of clients within their Manufacturing Industry segment.
    In 2023, Garrett decided to pivot his career path by moving back to Columbus and joining Franke’s, extending their history to a 4th generation of family management. Garrett has taken over as the new Director of Sales and Marketing, leveraging his extensive experience in business development to better position Franke’s for future growth in the digital age.

    Outside of work, Garrett enjoys spending time with his wife Emma and their pets, as well as passing time with his various hobbies (football, video games, camping, snowboarding).
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    Annie Homstad: Accounting

    Annie is a seasoned financial professional, amassing her knowledge through extensive education and tenure within the banking industry. Annie holds a BSBA, and MBA from Franklin University (Columbus, OH) with accounting and finance specializations. Prior to Franke’s, Annie spent 17 years working for JP Morgan Chase, as well as Huntington Bank as an External and Internal Auditor, respectively.

    Joining Franke’s in 2020, Annie has proven an invaluable asset to the organization. Through Annie’s expertise and strategic analysis, Franke’s has been better able to optimize investments, cashflow, as well as continued adherence to regulatory compliance.

    In addition to Annie’s technical skills, she has developed and exemplified her seasoned communication abilities as the primary point of contact for customer receivables.
    Out of the office, Annie enjoys: traveling, walking, and reading her murder mystery novels.
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    Joe Koch: Senior Manager, Raw Material Sourcing and Processing

    Prior to joining Franke’s, Joe worked at General Casting (Foundry) for 12 years. During his employment, he was an outside crane operator as well as spent time in the painting booth.
    Joe joined Franke’s in 1998 as a general laborer. Throughout Joe’s tenure, he has personally performed every duty across Franke’s production lines including certification on all automated machinery. As Joe’s knowledge expanded, and his consistent work ethic continued to permeate, the management team has awarded Joe multiple promotions over the past 25 years.

    Joe’s management duties have spanned titles of: Floor Supervisor, Production Manager, and is currently the Senior Manager of Raw Material Sourcing and Processing.
    Joe epitomizes consistency and loyalty, continuing to be the first in and last out after more than two decades of service.

    Outside of work, Joe enjoys spending time with his family (wife, children, and grandkids), as well as fishing and growing his collection of Budweiser memorabilia.
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    Daphne Tapp: Office and Safety Manager

    Prior to joining Franke’s, Daphne accumulated a broad repertoire of experience across regional manufacturers and businesses in central Ohio. Throughout her professional history, Daphne compiled experience in: Auditing/sales reconciliation, gas station management, assembly line manufacturing (Honda), Warehousing (Midwest Express), Quality Assurance (Nestle), as well as recruiting and customer service roles. In addition, Daphne has taken coursework to further her knowledge in business management.
     
    Daphne found her home at Franke’s in 2020 as our swiss-army knife executive assistant. Given her broad experience, Daphne was brought in to alleviate the workload (internal and external) for Franke’s ownership team, vastly improving efficiency and agility. Since 2020, Daphne has excelled in her role and has further advanced her career to the role of Office Manager. In her current role, Daphne has assumed responsibility for the majority of Franke’s purchasing and internal reimbursements, as well as direct management of Franke’s strategic programs, including: OSHA compliance, Heat-Treat Certification, Safety/Onboarding Training, as well as Workers Compensation.
    Outside of the office, Daphne enjoys focusing her time on photography as well as other mediums of art (epoxy, painting, etc). In addition, Daphne enjoys stand-up comedy and has a concerning interest in murder shows to pass the time.
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    Anna Wiant (Franke): Human Resources Manager

    Prior to joining Franke’s, Anna received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, as well as a Minor in Spanish from Cedarville University, graduating with Cum Laude distinction. Post college, Anna spent 13 years as a practicing nurse under the OhioHealth umbrella, (Grant and Dublin-Methodist) further expanding her medical, empathetic, and interpersonal skills.

    In 2022, Anna altered her career trajectory and joined Franke’s, ushering in the 4th generation of family leadership. She has a passion for connecting with and serving people, leveraging the soft skills she obtained through years in the medical field. Anna is continuously working to improve processes and employee satisfaction. Her communication skills has helped open the door for non-native Spanish speakers through her bilingual capabilities. Anna spends her time: recruiting/screening/interviewing job applicants, managing time and attendance, managing compensation and benefits, training new employees, all while operationalizing leadership priorities into functional programs.

    Anna’s favorite part of the job is promoting a happy and productive workplace where people feel heard, valued, and home. “I want every employee to know that I’ve got their back, because they are the ones that keep this place happening,” said Anna.

    Outside of the workplace, Anna enjoys watching/attempting to join her three kids and husband in their baseball, wrestling, and football activities. She is always drinking coffee and listening to music (any genre depending on the day). Family, fishing, bonfires, and summertime are some of her favorites… and life has taught her to enjoy every good day to the fullest!
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    Matt Angel: Production Supervisor

     
    Matt began his career at Franke’s Wood Products in 2013 as a tier 3 laborer. Over the next 5 years, Matt excelled on the projects allotted to him and gained invaluable experience across all of Franke’s manufacturing lines. Ultimately, Matt progressed through Franke’s tier system while gaining certifications across multiple equipment classifications and was eventually promoted to assistant floor supervisor with managerial support duties.
     
    In 2018, Matt took on a new charter and joined Advanced Industrial Manufacturing as a supervisor within their parts department. During his tenure, Matt oversaw 8 personnel while gaining further certifications across CNC, painting, and welding.
     
    In 2022, Matt rejoined Franke’s as a production supervisor. Matt has continued to excel in this role and is responsible for direct oversight of all manufacturing lines, while leading Franke’s Quality Assurance program.
    Outside of work, Matt enjoys camping with his kids while making it back home in time to cheer on the Cincinnati Bengals.
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    Gary Jackson: Senior Manager, Maintenance and Production Flow

    Gary is our longest tenured employee at Franke’s Wood Products, joining Franke’s in 1988 as a general laborer. Gary continued to expand his manufacturing expertise through years of impact on various production lines. Throughout the years, Gary found his niche and developed an adept ability for developing and fixing machinery. By 2012, Gary advanced to the role of head of production/vehicle maintenance, as well as leading production flow design.
     
    After 24 years of service, Gary undertook a new charter at Air Technologies for the next three years. During his new venture, Gary expanded his span of knowledge in electrical design/implementation, as well as motors.
     
    With Gary’s new skillset, he rejoined Franke’s in 2015, reassuming his duties overseeing maintenance and production flow. Since, Gary has received additional responsibilities by assisting with product design, as well as spearheading new advancements in manufacturing technology (ex CNC).
     
    Gary has exemplified organizational loyalty with 30+ years of service, proving invaluable to Franke’s and their customers who have benefited from Gary’s innovative disposition.
     
    Out of the office, Gary enjoys riding his Harley, fishing, and camping.