Meet Our Experts

Key team members

PLG’s consultants represent a broad spectrum of real world expertise across various industries, markets, and transportation modes with an average of 20+ years industry experience and 8+ years of consulting experience. PLG’s team approach to projects combines the right mix of domain and functional knowledge applied to every engagement, working closely with our clients to rapidly deliver practical and actionable solutions and insights.

We love speaking at events and conferences and bringing a level of focus to supply chain and logistics that helps our clients reach their business objectives.

Our Leadership

Graham Brisben headshot

Graham Brisben

CEO and Founder

Graham is the CEO and founder of PLG Consulting, forming the business in 2001 following a career in the railroad and trucking industries. His various operations and business development roles helped to identify the market need for objective, expert consulting services for shippers, transportation companies, financial firms, government entities, and other stakeholders in the world of logistics. 

Graham began his transportation career at Burlington Northern Railroad, performing operational and financial analysis in the areas of asset deployment and utilization, network optimization, and yield management. He later served as a Trainmaster at the Chicago, St. Louis, and Ft. Worth terminals, where he developed and implemented new management methods for railroad terminal operations.

Graham went on to serve as District General Manager for America’s largest bulk truck carrier, Quality Carriers, where he started and developed the multi-state Chicago District. In addition to full sales, marketing, operations, P&L, and safety responsibilities, he also started and managed new rail transfer and warehousing operations in Minneapolis and Chicago. Graham also opened and managed Canadian National Railway’s Chicago CargoFlo bulk transfer facility, and he helped CN implement new transload facilities in Detroit and Hamilton, Ontario.

Graham lives in Oak Park, Illinois with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa.

James Shefelbine

James Shefelbine

Executive Vice President

James is the Executive Vice President for PLG Consulting, bringing over 30 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial startups. His expertise is in developing and executing marketing and sales strategies, constructing new organizations and capabilities and redesigning processes while motivating teams to solve problems in innovative ways. James specializes in implementing core business processes that drive profitable and measurable results.

James led GE Transportation’s initiative to provide business solutions enabling clients to leverage data to achieve their strategic supply chain objectives through the use of analytics, optimization, and applications. Prior to GE Transportation James was the Vice President of Marketing for RailAmerica, managing all commercial functions to support RailAmerica’s forty-five short line and regional railroads operating in twenty-eight states and three Canadian provinces with over 7,500 miles of track.

As the Director of Sales and Marketing for CSX Transportation, James led their commercial organizations responsible for delivering profitable revenue growth and improving the customer experience. He led market share growth in non-traditional market segments by developing new transportation products, sales channels, and sales tools. James began his transportation career at Burlington Northern Santa Fe as a planning specialist, marketing manager and director of finance where he led capital investment strategies and optimization of network capabilities.

James lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife Kelly. He is a graduate of Hamline University.

ChrisBonura

Chris Bonura

Director of Client Services

Chris is the Director of Client Services for PLG Consulting, bringing supply chain expertise with a broad perspective derived from working in and analyzing multiple transportation modes over the last 20 years.  His areas of expertise include site selection and lease negotiation of logistics-related facilities; the acquisition of railroads, railroad property and assets; port and railroad strategy formulation; industrial real estate portfolio management, research, and entitlements; plastics packaging facilities; Foreign-Trade Zones; business continuity; grant writing; media relations and crisis communications.  Chris has concluded nearly $200 million worth of purchase and lease transactions involving supply chain assets.

His long tenure at the Port of New Orleans and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad led to major industrial development, focused nurturing investment opportunities on port property and along the rail network. Prior to his port and rail career, Chris was a business journalist covering transportation. Chris brings significant experience in business strategy, data analysis and assessment along with client project management and building team consensus.

Chris lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, with his wife and two children.  He holds a Master of Business Administration, graduating from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business in 2009.

Patti Quilling

Patti Quilling

Director of Finance and Administration

Patti is the Director of Finance and Administration for PLG Consulting whose main responsibilities include finance, accounting, and the organization’s smooth day-to-day operations. She brings a diverse skill set to the team, with experience at various accounting software companies, consulting firms, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Her roles and responsibilities in these organizations have spanned sales, consulting, and customer support.

At PLG, Patti oversees scheduling, contract administration, client billing and communication, internal systems maintenance, plus many other responsibilities that support the organization. Patti graduated from Wright State University with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.

Amy McManus

Amy McManus

Marketing Consultant

Amy is PLG Consulting’s Marketing Consultant, bringing over 20 years of strategic marketing and management experience to the organization. In 2012 Amy founded her independent consultancy focused on helping small to mid-size businesses improve their marketing effectiveness. Amy’s experience spans both B2B and B2C organizations in the consulting, supply chain, manufacturing, distribution, consumer products, and print finishing industries.

Having directed global marketing teams, Amy brings a wide range of corporate marketing experience to PLG Consulting. Her responsibilities are brand strategy & management, web and social media, marketing communications, advertising, and product marketing. Amy graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Join the people behind our success

You’re a project manager, subject matter expert, or analyst with a strong desire to help clients, work collaboratively,
and thrive on applying your skills and expertise to complex business problems and opportunities.
We have opportunities for both independent contractors and employed positions.

Our Featured Consultants

Joe Alagna

Senior Consultant

Marine

Joe has over 40 years of experience in sales and operations in international supply chains and transportation. He has delivered successful strategies for sales of national and worldwide shipping services for small organizations and large corporations. Joe brings a full understanding to clients of how international supply chains operate across the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean from the first purchase order to the ‘final mile’ delivery.

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Don Allee

Senior Consultant

Marine | Terminals | Intermodal | Chemicals

Don is a seasoned veteran bringing over 30+ years of experience in transportation economics, international trade, logistics and supply chain expertise to some of the largest ports in the world. He specializes in services to public/private port operators, terminal operators, and developers on all strategic aspects of operations and program management. He has managed facilities that receive/export dry bulk, containers, neo-bulk, break-bulk and project cargoes.

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David C. Anderson

Senior Consultant

Chemicals | Marine | Truck

David is a 41-year veteran of the petrochemical industry with executive-level experience at major chemical companies including TOTAL Petrochemical USA and ExxonMobil Chemical in addition to several consulting practices. His expertise spans the entire petrochemical polyolefin industry and end-use markets for olefins, polymers, and specialty derivatives.

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Jean Arndt

Senior Consultant and Project Manager

Rail | Oil and Gas | Chemicals | Mining, Minerals & Metals

Jean is an accomplished career logistics executive with over 40 years of experience in the rail, distribution, and transportation consulting industries. She has in-depth expertise in a wide variety of disciplines, including logistics/railroad network operations and transportation analysis; problem-solving and process simplification; systems design, and development and implementation.

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Russ Bernhardt

Senior Consultant

Chemicals | Rail | Marine

Russ has over 30 years of broad business experience with a focus on logistics and supply chain strategy and performance. His primary focus has been on U.S. rail freight negotiations, distribution strategy, manufacturing/packaging site evaluations, and benchmarking.

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Jim Bramlett

Senior Consultant

Truck

Jim is a seasoned logistics executive with a history of innovation, leadership, and business development. His experience at Yellow Transportation makes him one of the nation’s leading experts on LTL freight, helping them expand their product portfolio by $150M. He has broad experience helping companies improve their shipping operations through lean logistics processes and technology implementation.

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Tom Brandlein

Senior Consultant

Marine | Truck | Terminals | Mining, Minerals & Metals

With nearly forty years of experience in engineering, construction, and project management for both domestic and international clients, Tom’s multi-disciplinary roles have included coordinating permitting, legal, insurance, environmental, safety, operations, transportation, and accounting for world-scale bulk logistics terminals.

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Ron Cormier

Senior Consultant

Chemicals | Oil and Gas | Marine | Pipeline

Ron is a deeply-tenured, industry professional with 36 years of experience in upstream, crude oil & gas, midstream/NGLs, refinery processes/fuels, and petrochemical feedstocks/derivatives. His span of responsibilities and expertise includes engineering, operations, commercial, thought leadership, and P/L. He has worked for some of the largest brands in the hydrocarbon market, including Dow Chemical, Dow Pipeline, Sunoco, and Chevron.

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Tony D'Uva

Senior Consultant

Warehousing | Truck | Manufacturing | Chemicals

Tony is a career supply chain and logistics professional with demonstrated expertise in warehousing and transportation management. Tony has led teams in cost reduction initiatives in warehouse operations, transportation, customer service, and inventory control. He has driven teams in the development of SOPs, productivity standards, and KPIs to highlight cost and service opportunities in supply chain and distribution operations.

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Phil Fisher

Senior Consultant & Project Manager

Oil and Gas | Truck | Marine

Phil began his career in refinery construction and engineering before moving on to commercial and engineering leadership roles for Chevron’s byproducts business unit. He led sales for all of Chevron’s US refineries advanced to include refinery operations planning, capital investment strategies, investment analysis, cap and ops budgeting, and contracting.

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Sean Gerrity

Senior Consultant

Marine | Chemicals

Sean has over thirty-five years of working in the marine industry with extensive knowledge of marine transfer operations and the movement of hazardous liquid products on the inland river system. He has both tactical and strategic experience in developing and running terminal and barge operations, including; strategic planning, auditing, safety training, and customer relations.

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Jon Gilbert

Senior Consultant and Project Manager

Manufacturing | Truck | Rail | Chemicals

Jon is an expert in operations improvement, transportation, logistics and supply chain management. He has over 30 years of experience in truck freight, small package logistics and supply chain. Jon has strategically sourced over $150 million in dry van, TL, LTL, bulk, rail, and specialized logistics spending.

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Jeannette Goldsmith

Senior Consultant

Manufacturing | Site Selection | Economic Development

Jeannette is a site selection professional with experience in the North American aerospace, automotive, energy, and chemical industries. Jeannette’s background spans more than 20 years in site location consulting, incentive negotiations, and economic development consulting. Her specific experience includes a heavy focus on manufacturing (specifically, aerospace, logistics, advanced materials and automotive sectors), as well as office sectors.

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Bill Graham

Senior Consultant

Renewables | Oil and Gas | Pipeline | Green Energy

Bill has over 20 years of business development experience in the environmental services industry – specializing in renewable fuel production and distribution, transportation logistics, energy production, solid waste management, and site remediation. Bill’s additional areas of expertise and direct experience are in large‐scale facility siting, permitting and development, and project finance.

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Ben Guido

P.E., Senior Consultant

Rail

Ben is a registered Professional Engineer with over 40 years of experience in the rail industry. Ben has been the principal engineer on hundreds of rail projects, providing design guidance and construction oversight throughout the United States on a range of projects including industrial parks, manufacturing sites, new mainline corridors, build-in/build-outs, ports, and transloading facilities.

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Daniel Guido

P.E., Senior Consultant

Rail | Chemicals | Mining, Minerals & Metals | Terminals

Daniel is an experienced railroad professional with over twenty years of project management experience. He is responsible for railroad project scoping, due diligence, design, plan production, permitting, and construction execution.

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Phil Ireland

Senior Consultant

Rail | Oil and Gas

Phil is a senior-level executive in supply chain management, asset sizing, strategy, and network optimization achieved by working over 30 years with Canadian Pacific Railway. He has specific experience in developing crude by rail supply chain solutions including asset optimization and terminal development. Based in Calgary, AB, he brings special expertise in Canadian oil sands crude and the associated transportation, terminal, production, and refining needs.

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John Jansen

Senior Consultant

Chemicals | Oil and Gas | Truck | Renewables

John brings more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of bulk truck operations, marketing, pricing, and safety. With increasing levels of responsibility, John has led management teams to improve safety, increase loaded miles, reduce freight claims, introduce new technologies, and reduce driver turnover for some of the industry’s most respected carriers, including the two largest bulk carriers in North America.

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Eric Johnson

Senior Consultant and Project Manager

Chemicals | Rail | Terminals | Marine

For over 20 years, senior executive Eric Johnson has been analyzing, developing, and managing rail-based transportation services for bulk and liquid commodities, including fertilizers. Eric’s experience in supply chain and project management includes developing and managing a $200M portfolio of import/export business for CSX Transportation.

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Doug Kratzberg

Senior Consultant

Rail | Chemicals | Oil and Gas | Manufacturing

With extensive experience in railroad operations and commercial rail negotiations from his 37-year tenure at ExxonMobil, Doug is an expert in all aspects of rail operations, fleet planning, maintenance, storage, and rail accessorials management.

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Michael McGuckin

Senior Consultant

Chemicals | Rail | Marine | Terminals

Michael brings over 40 years of extensive logistics and supply chain management experience within the chemicals, plastics, and bulk commodities industries, including analyst, planner, and operations roles at Exxon Chemical Company. His transportation experience spans rail, marine, trucking, intermodal, and warehousing & terminal operations.

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Roger Nelson

Senior Consultant

Rail

Roger is a career freight railroad executive with over 50 years of experience in Class I, short line, and regional railroad management and ownership. Prior to joining PLG, Roger was the founder and managing partner of North American RailNet, Inc. (NAR), a privately owned short line railroad holding company with six railroads operating in ten U.S. states and the Province of Alberta, Canada.

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Jay Olberding

Senior Consultant

Oil and Gas | Chemicals | Truck | Private Equity

As PLG’s lead analyst on energy and bulk commodities, Jay plays a key role in research, analysis, and market forecasting in the flows of crude oil, NGLs, coal, petcoke, refined products, biofuels, and natural gas in North America. Jay is a mechanical engineer with direct experience managing the transportation of energy products. He has coordinated the distribution of millions of gallons of ethanol via rail and truck, as well as related terminal activities.

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Ed Palmer

Senior Consultant

Chemicals | Terminal | Warehousing | Truck

A solutions-driven logistical operations executive, Ed brings almost 40 years of practical experience from the shipper side with rail and truck procurement and operations. A veteran of chemicals, plastics, and coal transportation, among other industrial products, Ed’s broad experience in rail fleet acquisition, commercial negotiations, management, and maintenance delivers outstanding returns and improves complex and sophisticated logistical operations for enterprise organizations.

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Taylor Robinson

Senior Consultant and Project Manager

Manufacturing | Renewables | Warehousing | Green Energy

Taylor brings over 30 years of executive-level supply chain leadership experience driving large-scale corporate initiatives designed to streamline the value chain and enable growth. Taylor’s core competencies include S&OP implementation, strategic sourcing, logistics integration, due diligence, strategic planning, and risk identification/mitigation.

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Bill Rome

Senior Consultant

Oil and Gas | Pipeline | Mining, Minerals & Metals | Chemicals

With over 30 years of pipeline operations expertise, Bill has planned and managed tactical and strategic planning related to pipeline development. His expertise includes contract negotiations, engineering and construction services, field producer services, and the overall operations of gas control, technical services, pipeline operations, processing plants, liquid storage, and gas storage fields.

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Rob Russell

Senior Consultant and Project Manager

Intermodal | Rail | Manufacturing | Warehousing

Rob is a seasoned Transportation executive with over 20 years of experience via OmniTRAX and Union Pacific Railroad bringing his passion and expertise in both Class I and Short Line railroads and Intermodal to our client organizations. His core competencies include business development, industrial development, operations management, multi-modal logistics, commercial strategy, negotiations, and customer engagement.

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Robert Sawchuk

Senior Consultant

Chemicals | Oil and Gas | Marine | Pipeline

Robert brings over 25 years of experience in the chemicals industry with expertise in chemicals (specialty and semi-specialty), petrochemicals (NGL feedstock, olefins, aromatics), and refining (crude oil/condensates, refined products). He has a proven history of leading commercial organizations, engaging clients to generate results, and building strong relationships at all levels of the client’s organization.

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Mike Spahis

Senior Consultant and Project Manager

Chemicals | Oil and Gas | Rail | Truck

Mike is an accomplished career supply chain and logistics executive with over 35 years of experience in petroleum, chemicals, and metals distribution. As a hands-on industry veteran, Mike has been responsible for a $200 MM annual spend in the metals industry and a $150 MM annual spend in the petrochemical industry.

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John Tuttle

Senior Consultant

Rail | Truck | Intermodal | Chemicals

John brings 30 years of marketing executive experience with a history of working in the transportation/logistics/trucking/railroad industries focused on industrial products, including chemicals, oil & gas, and bulk commodities. His skills include marketing management, business strategy, strategic negotiations, business development, freight transportation, and pricing strategy.

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Jim Walters

Senior Consultant

Marine | Terminals | Rail | Truck

Jim is an accomplished bulk terminal executive with over 25 years of experience in operations management and terminal development. He has managed the transportation of over one million tons of materials annually by barge along the Illinois River and across ten terminals.

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