David Fitzgerald
Nashua
Summary
Dedicated maintenance professional with extensive experience in equipment maintenance and operations, enhancing equipment reliability and minimizing downtime through strategic maintenance initiatives. Expertise in troubleshooting and preventive maintenance, combined with strong team leadership skills, fosters a collaborative environment focused on achieving results. Adaptability to evolving challenges ensures seamless operations and continuous improvement in maintenance practices. Committed to driving efficiency and excellence within teams while upholding high standards of safety and performance.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Packaging Maintenance Manager
Tootsie Roll Inc
Cambridge, MA
10.2024 - Current
- Supported and maintained fully integrated, high-speed packaging lines including horizontal flow wrappers, vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machines, high-speed cartoners, case packers, tray formers, and palletizing systems
- Led preventative maintenance efforts that improved startup consistency, reduced chronic failures, and extended component life
- Managed a team of 17 packaging technicians including 3 leads across a 24/6 operation and 10 packaging lines of various confectionary products
- Supported packaging material changes and new product integration for marketing initiatives
- Collaborated with production, quality, and sanitation teams to maintain GMP compliance and reliable output in a food manufacturing environment
- Provided technical guidance and mentorship to mechanics and operators to improve troubleshooting capability and standardize best practices across shifts
Maintenance Manager
Joseph’s Bakery
Lawrence, MA
07.2022 - 10.2024
- Led all maintenance activities for a commercial bakery producing high-volume flatbread products
- Supported mixing, sheeting, cutting, baking ovens, cooling systems, conveyors, and packaging equipment
- Improved and implemented preventative maintenance programs for all motors, gearboxes, bearings, pneumatics, ovens, and conveying systems
- Responded to and resolved production-critical breakdowns in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment
- Supervised maintenance personnel and coordinated outside contractors and vendors
- Partnered with operations leadership to prioritize work based on safety, quality, and production impact
- Maintained compliance with food safety, GMP, and safety standards
- Developed and negotiated relationships with service contractors for HVACR and building maintenance for a 150,000 square foot facility
MRO Purchasing Manager
Joseph’s Bakery
Lawrence, MA
04.2020 - 07.2022
- Managed all MRO purchasing for a high-volume commercial bakery, supporting maintenance, production, and facilities operations
- Controlled inventory and procurement for mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and sanitation-related spare parts and consumables
- Negotiated pricing and managed relationships with vendors and distributors to reduce costs and improve parts availability
- Standardized commonly used parts and suppliers to simplify maintenance repairs and reduce downtime caused by stockouts
- Coordinated closely with maintenance and production teams to forecast demand and prioritize critical spares
- Implemented inventory controls and reordering strategies to balance uptime reliability with carrying cost reduction
Shop Manager
Millennium Plastics
Groveland, MA
05.2017 - 04.2020
- Managed day-to-day operations of a custom industrial plastics fabrication shop with a team of 10 employees
- Led all business operations including quoting, scheduling, purchasing, customer coordination, and project delivery
- Performed CAD design using AutoCAD to produce fabrication drawings and CNC-ready files for custom plastic components and assemblies
- Oversaw fabrication of tanks, liners, lab furniture, enclosures, and specialty plastic products across chemical, laboratory, food, wastewater, and industrial markets
- Directed CNC routing, plastic welding, assembly, and installation activities to meet quality, safety, and delivery requirements
- Coordinated material selection, sourcing, and inventory for HDPE, PVC, polypropylene, and specialty plastics
- Ensured shop safety, quality standards, and on-time execution across multiple concurrent custom projects
Education
BFA - Graphic Design
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
05.2017
Skills
- CMMS
- Root Cause Analysis
- Process Improvement
- Fusion360
- Fabrication and Machining
- Inventory Management
- GMP
- SQF
- New Equipment Installation and Optimization
- Preventive Maintenance
- Recordkeeping
- Vendor Relationships
LANGUAGES
Fluent in English
Conversational in Spanish
Timeline
Packaging Maintenance Manager
Tootsie Roll Inc
10.2024 - Current
Maintenance Manager
Joseph’s Bakery
07.2022 - 10.2024
MRO Purchasing Manager
Joseph’s Bakery
04.2020 - 07.2022
Shop Manager
Millennium Plastics
05.2017 - 04.2020
BFA - Graphic Design
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth