Management Team

Over 100 years of Experience

The lead talent at Novation Industries brings over 100 years of combined product development experience so that you can be rest assured that your project is being managed and cultivated by an extraordinarily talented group of executives.

Chris Metz, CEO
Chris has provided Novation Industries (formerly WM Plastics) leadership for more than 25 years.  He was instrumental in developing the quality processes and high standards that the company embraces today.  His work as VP of Operations, President, and eventually CEO has brought the company steady and strong leadership continuity, one that transcended from his father’s vision. The company’s steady growth culminated in the construction of a new facility in 2001. Chris’ leadership has been a critical influence in positioning the company for growth into the future and has transcended into the recent expansion and rebranding efforts. 

Scott Baxter, President
Scott brings to Novation Industries more than 30 years of senior-level operations management experience including experience with overseeing start-up engineering and manufacturing operations within fortune 500 companies. He is a results-driven senior executive with a demonstrated ability to think strategically and implement tactically to achieve success. Scott brings focus to continuous improvement throughout the organization including LEAN manufacturing, sourcing and supplier management, team building, project management, and new business development. Scott holds a Masters in Business Administration, a B.S. in Industrial / Mechanical Technology and an A.A.S. in Mechanical Technology.

Guillermo Sarabia, General Foreman

Sarabia has provided 25 years in the plastic manufacturing industry in cross functional teams in various roles on all facets of production. He enjoys working on mechanical things, solving production problems, and organizing work areas.  He has worked at Berry Plastic Corp., ITW Hebron and  ECHO Inc., while focusing on the supervisory side of production, development , training and coaching.

Lee Shawback, Director of Manufacturing

Lee has been continuously improving the injection molding industry for many years in the Midwest, serving a variety of companies and industries along his journey. He has held a variety of positions throughout his career in manufacturing:  various engineering positions, Quality Management, Director of Operations, Engineering Management, VP Engineering & Quality, Sales & Marketing and COO. Being able to create, design and make and improve the processes has been a driving force throughout his career in manufacturing.

Dave Weinstein, V.P. of Sales & Marketing

Dave brings 20 years of commercial experience in business development, marketing, product development and operations management. Prior to joining Novation, Dave was the Co-founder & Vice President of Kube Systems, a start-up B2B focused electronics brand where he held sales, marketing, and product development responsibilities. He was also founder of the hospitality business unit of Harman International Industries, Inc. (A Samsung Company), where he drove the organization’s entrance into the hotel guest room space. Dave has served in national sales and operations roles with Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Lexus) and Bang & Olufsen America. He began his career in the late 90’s with Bose Corporation.

Christopher York, Quality & Technology Specialist

Chris has 18 years of manufacturing experience and quality with six years in quality focused controls engineering. He developed lab processes for inspection equipment and deployed partially and fully automated inspection cells on the shop floor. He attended the four year program at TMA for tooling design, bringing the ability for Quality Assurance to design fixtures and gauging equipment. Chris worked on bringing the best technology to the quality lab and exceeding customer requirements for in-process inspection with automation and SPC controls.