Educator.
Entrepreneur.
Engineer.
Opportunity for Reinvention
From the vibrant cities of Flint and Detroit, Andre witnessed firsthand the ebb and flow of the automotive landscape and experienced the challenges that arise from economic downturns. Andre embarked on a transformative journey from the automotive industry to construction and steel manufacturing after the Great Recession. Never allowing setbacks to define him, Andre used them as catalysts for personal and professional growth.
Dream it
•
Build it
•
Grow it
•
Dream it • Build it • Grow it •
MICHIGAN-MADE | PRE-1999
Andre’s career began in the birthplace of automotive: Detroit, MI. Andre’s career as an automotive quality control engineer earned him valuable expertise in ensuring the highest standards of quality and precision in vehicle manufacturing. After working quality control at General Motors (GM), he joined Johnson Controls (JCI) where he impressed future business partner and mentor, Oliver Isaac, who would offer him a life-changing partnership opportunity in Tennessee.
PLANTING ROOTS | 1999–2002
Manufacturers Industrial Group (MIG): Lexington, TN
Co-owned by partners Andre, Oliver Issac, Dick Habib, and John Zardis, this venture specialized in welding and manufacturing car parts primarily servicing JCI. Over 3 years, Gist earned majority ownership as CEO and Zardis as CFO. They were officially a minority-owned business in the state of Tennessee.
REGIONAL DOMINANCE | 2002–2008
The next 7 years marked the golden age of MIG as they expanded to a total of five plants across Tennessee in 2004, successfully integrating their production process. This catapulted them to the largest minority-owned business in the South.
By 2008, MIG’s seating parts were in 51% of cars on the road in North America.
NEW HORIZONS | 2008
The Great Recession of 2008 hit MIG hard. Instead of laying off masses of the team, Gist and Zardis went without pay in order to minimize salary cuts to 10%.
Lean thinking and strong leadership paid off — the company reached one billion dollars in sales in 2010.
“I understand and value the importance of
our relationships and will continue
to remain fair and true to
all employees, clients, partners.”
ANDRE GIST | INSPO