10 Toro operations leaders
President & Chief Operating Officer, Vice President - Lean & Continuous Improvement (Manufacturing), Senior Managing Director, Manufacturing Operations and Director of Operations are current titles held by these Toro operations leaders. A reader can learn how operations leaders work at Toro from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Blaire Zook
LinkedInExperience: Director Of Operations · The Toro Company
Blaire Zook has been Director Of Operations at The Toro Company since March 2022, based in San Diego, California, with a headline of Managing Director of Operations (Multi Site). Blaire Zook held Sourcing Program Manager, Value Stream Manager, Group Manager and Process Engineer & 6 Sigma Black Belt roles at Solar Turbines from 2011 to 2022.
Blake Grams
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Global Operations · The Toro Company
Blake Grams was Vice President of Global Operations at The Toro Company from 2013 to 2021, Vice President Sustainability, Business Analytics and Process Improvement from 2021 to 2023 and VP, Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Sustainability (Retired) in 2023, based in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area. Blake Grams is now a Board Member at BankCherokee.
Derek Fralin
LinkedInExperience: Director of Operations · The Toro Company
Derek Fralin has been Director of Operations at The Toro Company since August 2022 and Director of Operations at ExMark since May 2022, based in Beatrice, Nebraska. Derek Fralin also held Value Stream Manager and Quality Assurance Manager at ExMark and South Value Stream Manager at The Toro Company, and lists skills in lean manufacturing and root cause analysis.
Edric Funk
LinkedInExperience: President & Chief Operating Officer · The Toro Company
Edric Funk has been President & Chief Operating Officer at The Toro Company since September 2025 and a Board Director there since July 2026, based in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area. Edric Funk also held Group Vice President Golf, Gounds & Irrigation, General Manager, Sitework Systems and Managing Director Center for Technology, Research & Innovation at The Toro Company.
Josh Pavlak
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Operations · The Toro Company
Josh Pavlak has been Senior Director of Operations at The Toro Company since January 2025, based in Tomah, Wisconsin, and held Director of Manufacturing Operations there from 2023 to 2025. Josh Pavlak held Sr. Plant Manager, Sr. Program Manager and Plant Manager roles at Oshkosh Defense, with a headline on operational excellence and P&L accountability.
Matthew Warren, MBA
LinkedInExperience: Senior Managing Director, Operations Excellence · The Toro Company
Matthew Warren, MBA has been Senior Managing Director, Operations Excellence at The Toro Company since July 2025, in Bloomington, Minnesota. Matthew Warren held Senior Director Supply Chain Operations, Senior Director Supply Chain Process Design, Senior Director Supply Chain Analytics and Director Supply Chain Operations Intelligence roles at Target from 2019 to 2025.
Michael Groeneveld
LinkedInExperience: Construction Group Operations Leader · The Toro Company
Michael Groeneveld was Construction Group Operations Leader at The Toro Company from January to September 2026 in Perry, OK, providing strategic direction for operational activities, and held Sr. Director of Operations and Director Of Operations there from 2015 to 2026. Michael Groeneveld is now Vice President of Manufacturing at Pierce Manufacturing.
R. David Harrison, Jr.
LinkedInExperience: Vice President - Lean & Continuous Improvement (Manufacturing) · The Toro Company
R. David Harrison, Jr. has been Vice President - Lean & Continuous Improvement (Manufacturing) at The Toro Company since November 2024, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and held Vice President & General Manager - Service Parts Business Unit there from 2021 to 2024. R. David Harrison also held Vice President & General Manager - Aftermarket & Product Support at Pierce Manufacturing.
Rose Charlotten
LinkedInExperience: Director of Operations · The Toro Company
Rose Charlotten has been Director of Operations at The Toro Company since December 2024, in El Paso, Texas. Rose Charlotten held Sr Operations Manager and Operations Manager at Amazon Business from 2020 to 2024, Plant Manager at Dairy Farmers of America and Plant Operations Manager at Pinnacle Foods.
Vida Butler
LinkedInExperience: Senior Managing Director, Manufacturing Operations · The Toro Company
Vida Butler has been Senior Managing Director, Manufacturing Operations at The Toro Company since April 2023, based in the United States, and also lists Managing Director of Operations there from January 2023. Vida Butler held General Manager at Amazon from 2021 to 2023 and Senior Director and Managing Director of Operations roles at Collins Aerospace.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's scope, one plant, a business's operations or enterprise operations excellence, to the decision you face. Check the dates on each Toro role to judge how recent their view of the work is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How did you plan capacity and staffing for the operations you oversaw at Toro?
- 02Which improvement efforts in your operations paid off most, and which did not?
- 03What made an operations change across Toro sites stick or stall in your experience?
Reaching Toro operations leaders
How can I contact one of these Toro operations leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: The Toro Company, based on profile data retrieved on October 24, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Toro operations leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Toro operations leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
Request a correction or removal