Detroit, Michigan
Michael Boryca Jr.
Strategy & Operations Leader
MBA strategist who turns messy global operations into decisions executives can act on. Off the clock: owner of Scared Charlie Garage, a boutique hot rod shop, and a Golden Gloves boxer. Same instinct in all three — build it right, hit hard, finish the round.
$100M+
Annual savings delivered — on a single project
27%
Operational efficiency gain
3,000+
ERG membership growth in 3 years
15+
Years in strategy & operations
Profile
Built for the hard calls
I have spent over a decade building strategy for executive leadership teams inside one of the world's most complex manufacturing companies — deciding where product gets built, what it costs, and what happens when policy or demand moves under our feet.
My work sits where analysis meets persuasion: model the truth, then tell it clearly enough that a room of decision makers can commit. That has meant consolidating plants, quantifying tariff exposure, standing up new programs from nothing, and taking the follow-up questions personally.
I started with a wrench in my hand as an aviation maintenance technician. That's still how I think — get under the thing, understand how it actually works, then make it better.
Capabilities
- Corporate & global strategy
- Manufacturing footprint planning
- Financial & scenario modeling
- Trade policy / tariff exposure
- Executive storytelling
- Cross-functional leadership
- Operational turnarounds
- Program & change management
Experience
Track record
Senior Global Strategy Specialist
2017 — PresentFord Motor Company · Dearborn, MI
- Analyzed global manufacturing facilities and built the strategic roadmap to consolidate production, lifting operational efficiency 27%, saving over $100M annually and exiting a plant.
- Modeled financial exposure to the USMCA trade agreement, informing powertrain mix strategy for four vehicles and avoiding more than $22M in annual tariffs.
- Designed and led an analysis program that streamlined strategic assessments and surfaced multiple $10M+ operational opportunities for executive decision makers.
Global Strategy & Planning Analyst
2014 — 2017Ford Motor Company · Dearborn, MI
- Co-created and led Ford NextGen, a new employee resource group scaled globally to over 3,000 members in three years through career workshops, networking and community engagement.
- Expanded Ford's Catalyst Innovation Challenge to three additional countries, growing enrollment 60% year over year with formal cross-functional VP sponsorship.
- Pioneered a company-wide IT modernization strategy using a voice-of-the-customer approach to raise employee satisfaction and productivity.
- Consolidated two plants into one and made the case for a single-site launch of a new engine architecture, improving global utilization 8%.
Manufacturing Operations Specialist · Leadership Development Program
2011 — 2014Ford Motor Company · Dearborn, MI
- Oversaw installation of a $50M cylinder head machining system, holding quality and cycle-time targets for a 220k part-per-year line.
- Secured equipment readiness across multiple suppliers for a new $378M engine program.
- Chaired a new Ford College Graduate oversight committee in Manufacturing, cutting new-employee churn 20% annually.
Maintenance Technician
2006 — 2011Jet Air Inc. · Galesburg, IL
- Maintained and returned aircraft to service in a fast-turn general aviation operation — the hands-on foundation behind every plant floor conversation since.
Scared Charlie Garage
Owner & builder
Scared Charlie Garage is my boutique hot rod shop — a small-batch build house for traditional hot rods and customs. No assembly line, no catalog cars. Metal shaped by hand, stance argued over, every car finished to be driven.
Owning the shop keeps my business instincts honest: sourcing parts, quoting work, managing a build schedule, and answering to the customer standing in front of me. It's a P&L you can hear start up.
- Traditional hot rod & custom builds
- Hand-formed metal and fabrication
- Full-build project management
- Driver-quality finish, always
Golden Gloves
What the ring taught me
I box — Golden Gloves. Amateur boxing is the least forgiving performance review there is: preparation is visible, excuses aren't, and you find out fast whether you can stay composed when the plan stops working.
It shows up in how I work. Train for the thing you'll actually face. Keep your hands up when a meeting turns. Take the hit, adjust, keep moving forward — and shake hands when the bell rings.
Discipline · Composure · Conditioning
Guappo Coffee
Owner & coffee curator
Guappo Coffee is my small-batch coffee brand — single-origin beans sourced adventurously, roasted by hand, and built on direct trade relationships that pay growers above Fair Trade prices.
The brand is part aviation romance, part supply-chain discipline: every origin tells a story, every roast is fresh, and sustainability is non-negotiable. It is the same mix of vision and operational rigor I bring to a boardroom or a build sheet.
- Single-origin & direct trade
- Small-batch roasting
- Transparent, sustainable sourcing
- Owner & operator
Model & Aviator
Runway, ramp, and sideline
Promotional & print model
Fashion and experiential model since 2013, working across print, promotional, and brand-launch campaigns.
Campaigns have included the launch of Shinola, plus ongoing promotional and print engagements with professional sports teams in Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
- Print & promotional campaigns
- Brand launches & experiential marketing
- MLB & NFL team engagements
- On-camera and live events
Pilot
Trained pilot with an instrument rating and a tailwheel endorsement. I fly because it demands the same discipline as strategy, fabrication, and boxing: plan the mission, manage the risks, then execute the approach.
Tailwheel experience means stick-and-rudder flying from grass strips and unimproved fields — useful practice for staying calm when conditions get interesting.
- Instrument-rated pilot
- Tailwheel endorsement
- Cross-country & weather planning
- Stick-and-rudder proficiency
Credentials
Education & community
Education
University of Illinois
MBA, Strategy & Operations · Urbana-Champaign, IL · 2011
Andrews University
B.T., Business Management & Aviation Technology · Summa cum laude · 2007
Boards & service
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
Advisory Board Member · 2015 — 2018
Urban Neighborhood Initiatives
Chair, Community Development Committee · 2012 — 2016
Contact
Let's talk
Open to senior strategy and operations roles, advisory work, hot rod build conversations, and brand or campaign collaborations. Detroit-based, comfortable anywhere there's a plant floor or a runway.