In his eight years at the $180 million manufacturer, he led the factory of 600 people in implementing "Six Sigma" techniques. Efforts centered on set-up reduction, development and implementation of cells and focused factories, inventory reduction, and elimination of non-value-added activities.

As Chief Information Officer, Mr. Blades was responsible for developing a corporate approach to satisfy both changing information needs and incorporate new technologies such as client/server approaches, and decision support systems. Information approaches were focused on supporting business strategies and on using information to build strong bridges between the factory, the dealer, and the customer.

Prior to joining the Charles Machine Works in 1988, Mr. Blades worked for twelve years as a consultant in the manufacturing industry. Ten of these years were with Andersen Consulting, both in Houston and Tulsa.