we want to
make your
ideas a reality.
Years combined industry experience
growing customers
Valuations of portfolio companies
we pride ourselves on being honest
Honesty is about owning your strengths and your weaknesses — we’d rather be honest and work toward the goal, than hide behind pretenses.
we understand there is no i in team
In the supply chain ecosystem, collaboration means more than working together — it means relying on each other to build something greater than the sum of its parts.
yoga isn’t one of our services, but we are quite flexible
People change and systems have to adapt. Innovation means more than doing something new; it means never stop inventing and reinventing processes.
meet the izba team
Aaron Alpeter, CPIM | Principal and Founder
Aaron is a graduate of Unilever’s prestigious Supply Chain Management Program where he spent 5 years gaining direct experience working in planning, manufacturing, international logistics, and continuous improvement.
He’s personally built or rebuilt over a dozen startups and has held C level leadership positions at companies as Hubble Contacts, Sustain Natural, The Flex Company, and Mirror and has advised companies as diverse as The Farmer’s Dog, Grove Collaborative, Banza, Ettitude, Sunsoil and Kind.
Aaron lives in North Carolina with his wife and three kids and loves kayaking.
Consulting
Jennifer Polce | Vice President, Client Strategies & Solutions
Jennifer is a motivated and seasoned operations and supply chain professional. Having co-founded a start-up business, her entrepreneurial background makes her uniquely placed to help deliver rapid growth and bring organizations to their next phase of development.
She is driven to create a seamless multi-channel experience for brands and their customers. Her expertise lies in international logistics, multi-channel retail optimization, business process improvement.
In her previous company, a fast-growing consumer electronics start up, Jennifer worked to develop and manufacture a range of interactive licensed products for brands such as Star Wars and Disney. On top of manufacturing, she created a global fulfillment plan which allowed the company to expand to 14 countries globally through distribution, retail and warehousing partnerships in less than 2 years.
In her free time, she is hiking, exercising or out with her 2 dogs.
Margarita Bello | Vice President, Client Strategies & Solutions
Margarita is a highly adaptive professional with a proven track record of success in operations, product development, and quality assurance.
Innovative, versatile, solutions-oriented leader driving improvement and efficiency. Extensive experience leading innovation and developing processes and packaging with a technical and business approach to execute strategic priorities. Excellent skills in team building, cross-functional collaboration, and performance management.
Margarita lives in Texas with her husband, two kids, and dog. She loves to travel with her family.
Ahmed Zedan | Vice President of Technology
Ahmed is a seasoned entrepreneur whose extensive background in technology makes him an invaluable asset to any business endeavor.
He has a proven track record of scaling companies to $100M ARR through strategic leadership and has played a pivotal role in facilitating company acquisitions. With experience in building robust technology platforms and serving on multiple boards, Ahmed offers a global perspective, having worked internationally to enhance business operations across diverse markets.
Lauren Pitts | Director, Supply Chain & Operations Consulting
Lauren joins izba with 15+ years end to end Supply Chain expertise, in areas such as project & new launch management, supply & demand planning, S&OP, ERP implementation, and procurement & negotiations. She has worked in various sectors, including interiors, generators, personal care, beauty, and pharmaceuticals.
Stephen Miller | Director of Consulting
Stephen is a logistics and supply chain professional who has had experience in both startup and corporate environments. He built a supply chain for a multi-channel apparel company, developed a DTC subscription service, and helped modernize an out of date logistics model for a mid-sized brick and mortar chain.
For a little over 8 years, Stephen was a co-founding member of a startup apparel company called SustainU. They saw success in professional sports and collegiate licensed apparel that were sold both wholesale and direct to consumers. They also provided full scale private label opportunities for dozens of companies. He built an adaptive domestic supply chain from the fiber up while hurdling supply shortages, factory closures, and rapid growth.
After Stephen’s startup was acquired, he moved into a logistics role with a large corporate company where he overhauled their transportation management system. This generated better data for more effective carrier RFPs, more accurate financial reporting, reduced transit times, and lower transportation costs. This ground work also helped the company’s logistics department scale with rapidly increasing sales during and after the Covid 19 pandemic.
Stephen lives in Louisville, KY with his wife and two children. He enjoys being outdoors in any capacity, ideally fly fishing or white water rafting.
Shreya Maddireddy | Manager, Supply Chain Consulting
Shreya is an industrial engineer with a focus in supply chain and a passion for humanitarian logistics.
With versatile experience in operations and customer experience at both large and small high growth startups, she utilizes effective project management and data-driven decision making to push continuous improvement. By keeping an entrepreneurial mindset, she has been able to pursue innovation, take calculated risks, and successfully support businesses through hyper-growth periods. Shreya’s experience in international freight, warehousing, direct-to-consumer sales, and customer experience gives critical perspective in how to navigate complex supply chains.
Shreya is from Atlanta, Ga, and in her free time, she loves to play with her dogs, travel, try new crafts, and listen to live music. You will almost always see her with her Fuji camera.
Nick Stachel | Manager, Logistics & Strategy Consulting
Nick graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Business degree focusing on Supply Chain Management and Finance.
After graduation, Nick worked for JB Hunt Transport growing a strong foundation in transportation and logistics.
At JB Hunt, Nick helped spearhead his office’s transition into a specialty branch which oversaw the transportation of hazardous goods throughout the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nick utilized his network of trusted freight providers and shipped millions of pounds of hand sanitizer across the country.
Aside from his study and work in supply chain, Nick swam competitively for 15 years, including collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh. Nick has the drive to help others succeed and is a vital asset within our Freight Program.
Nick currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA, but is a strong Philadelphia sports fan. In his free time, he loves riding bikes and being outside.
Umer Saadat | Senior Analyst
Umer is a supply chain enthusiast with versatile experience in both traditional and e-commerce supply chain eco-system.
He has worked with some world-renowned food manufacturing and delivery services like PepsiCo International, Nestle, and Delivery Hero (Foodpanda). Umer is data driven professional who loves the statistical side of operations. He has done his bachelors from the National University of Sciences and Technology, (NUST) with a major in mechanical engineering and a minor in management.
Umer lives in Pakistan with his parents. He enjoys being outdoors in any capacity, like hiking and exploring new places.
Bilal Majeed | Supply Chain Analyst
Bilal is a dedicated professional with a strong passion for supply chain management.
Having an engineering degree and an MBA focused on Operations and Supply Chain, his professional journey includes diverse experiences in the manufacturing and food delivery industry.
Bilal currently lives in Sargodha, Pakistan with his family. Beyond his professional pursuits, Bilal is not only an enthusiastic traveler and foodie but also a fervent sports fan, finding joy in both playing and watching cricket. His commitment to continuous learning aligns seamlessly with his eagerness to contribute his skills to the dynamic world of supply chain management.
Hamid Babar | Supply Chain Analyst
Hamid is a computer science graduate and experienced supply chain professional with a strong background in end-to-end logistics and supply chain analytics.
Ahmed Ali | Supply Chain Analyst
Ahmed Ali is a supply chain Analyst at Izba. He is an MBA graduate with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and has extensive experience in supply chain optimization and project management.
Sultan Altamash | Supply Chain Analyst
Sultan is a supply chain professional with a strong interest in optimizing supply chains and managing projects.
Sultan Altamash, based in Multan, Pakistan, holds an engineering degree and an MBA with a specialization in Operations and Supply Chain Management. With a diverse career spanning fertilizer, pharmaceuticals and textile, Sultan has demonstrated a strong ability to streamline processes and drive operational efficiency. A dedicated professional committed to lifelong learning, he is also an avid swimmer and football enthusiast who actively contributes to advancements in supply chain management.
Client and Team Support
Warren Harper | General Manager
Warren is responsible for the development of people, processes and strategic client management at izba.
During his career, Warren has worked with Eli Lilly in a wide range of positions and at Phibro, a private company which was taken public during his time there.
Through this experience he has developed a strong international business and cultural perspective and broad overview of the global landscape. Warren is passionate about developing people and growing businesses and looks forward to working with you and your business team.
Warren is a cowboy at heart and lives with his wife in New Jersey.
Scott Alpeter | Director of Partnerships and Talent
Scott brings more than 30 years of organizational team building and leadership to the izba group.
He has spent much of his career as a sales representative in the wholesale picture frame industry. He has rebuilt and strengthened teams in the automobile industry and at a boutique law firm. Scott has also managed groups both large and small in the private sector, in the nonprofit world and also in many service-related capacities. He has a passion for bringing people together and forging success through diversity, positive attitudes and teamwork. Scott has a business degree from Otterbein University where he also served as a track and cross country coach for many years.
He and his wife Mary live near Columbus, Ohio and are the proud parents of 5 children and grandparents of 6 wonderful grandchildren. Outside of work, Scott enjoys golfing and planning family gatherings.
Martin Madeo | Chief of Staff
With an MBA, a Project Management Specialization and over eleven years of
professional experience, I’ve built my career in the fintech world, mainly
working for LATAM and emerging markets companies. My experience is
diverse, ranging from scrappy startups to big-name Oil & Gas companies, all
the way to tech giants on NASDAQ.
Eliza Seymour | Marketing Coordinator
Eliza is responsible for coordinating izba’s marketing efforts. She oversees the newsletter, podcast, and social media.
She graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor degree in Atmospheric Science and has also developed a love for event planning. Eliza enjoys helping others and stepping into new roles when needed.
Eliza lives with her husband Brent in Southern Indiana. She enjoys cross stitching, video chatting with her niece and nephews, watching the weather channel and hiking to waterfalls.
but don't just take our word for it...
but don't just
take our word for it...
client testimonials
board of advisors:
Jonas Busse
International Trade
Jonas has spent the last 10 years fully immersed in international trade. Originally from Denmark, he began his career in Europe managing the inland freight moves for imports and exports.
After moving to the US, he continued in operational air freight roles between the US and Europe working with both public sector, Military, and corporate clients for freight as diverse as temperature-controlled shipments to exotic cars. For the past several years, Jonas has worked on the sales side of freight forwarding for companies such as Kuehne + Nagel and Mainfreight where he has interacted with countless startups of all sizes and across all verticals.
Mike Smith
Manufacturing
Mike draws upon 30 years of world-class foods manufacturing experience in general management, large-scale transformation, leadership performance, organizational development, employee engagement, labor relations, technology innovation, and operational excellence.
He started with Unilever in 1985 as a production supervisor and rose through the ranks to manage several factories and hundreds of employees in Unionized environments. Mike was also an integral part of the largest infrastructure investment in the history of Unilever’s Foods business consolidating 4 factories into one. Mike retired from Unilever in 2015 and continues to advise companies across industries as an advisor to C-level decision makers. He is currently leading an innovative pilot to bring augmented reality to manufacturing which will improve safety & efficiency for line workers.
Ted Narozny
Manufacturing, S&OP & Vendor Relations
Ted brings over 20 years of global CPG experience across all product categories. He has managed multiple factories and warehouses, led planning and procurement organizations, and is currently the S&OP lead for a $10B North American business.
Ted has led the supply chain due diligence of potential acquisitions including the identification of synergies to drive savings and the overall integration/improvement of the supply chains of acquired companies.
While living in Europe, he was the Global Director of 3rd Party Manufacturing where he was involved in negotiating and launching product groups as diverse as food and toothbrushes in international markets for both traditional retail and ecommerce ventures.
