Markin Dornan
cHAIRMAN Of the bOARD
Markin Dornan brings over 20 years in American apparel manufacturing along with key experience that emphasizes the importance for a strong industry coalition and American industrial base.
Markin currently serves as the Managing Director for National Safety Apparel’s Military, Law Enforcement and Government Business Unit. Reporting directly to National Safety Apparel’s CEO, Markin is responsible for setting and achieving goals as part of the National Safety Apparel executive team.
The matrix team approach and willingness to serve the industry are the same values that will help Markin serve the WPRC board.
During his career with National Safety Apparel, Markin has held the following responsibilities: Business unit development, product development, product management, regional sales management and currently Markin holds the responsibility for National Safety Apparel’s DRIFIRE Military brand as Managing Director.
Some of Markin’s career highlights include helping to create and advance National Safety Apparel business units and brands as well as driving revenue and profitability. Most importantly, Markin has a passion to help improve the lives of those who work in the American industrial base and to help protect those who wear and will decide to wear National Safety Apparel branded products in the future.
David Milgrom
WPRC SECRETARY AND Board Member
David Milgrom is the CEO of Bernard Cap, LLC, a Berry Complaint Prime Contractor of Dress Apparel to the Defense Logistics Agency. Located in Hialeah, Florida Bernard Cap employs over 250 workers and has been a leading apparel manufacturer for nearly 40 years.
In 2017, David led a management buyout of the company from the founding family. Under David’s leadership, Bernard has increased its product offering to DLA troop support to include a full range of dress headwear, jumpers and trousers while maintaining one of the highest on-time shipping and quality ratings of all DLA apparel contractors.
David has over 30 years of C-Suite experience in domestic manufacturing, operations, marketing and finance, including CEO and Founder of DMSI and Senior Vice President with Full Beauty Brands, Inc.
David graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and is a graduate of the Kellogg Management Institute at Northwestern University.
Katrina Gendell
WPRC TREASURER AND Board Member
Katrina Gendell is the Program Development Director of Brookwood Companies, primarily focused on developing new programs for the U.S. Military. She has worked in the textile industry for over 29 years.
Prior to Brookwood, Katrina was a Senior Account Executive for Elevate Textiles-Burlington Fabrics, responsible for government and military performance fabric businesses. Katrina also worked for Polartec in quality control, sales and product management where she was instrumental in the development and execution of several Polartec military and government programs.
Katrina has been an active participant in the WPRC for the past several years. Her extensive experience at textile companies providing fabrics essential to today’s warfighters will be an asset to the WPRC Board of Directors.
William (Bill) Jarvis
BOARD MEMBER
William (Bill) Jarvis is the President of Goldbelt Security and Goldbelt Global. Both are Alaskan Native Corporation (ANC) owned, 8(a) certified companies. The companies are focused on to- Government Sales and Services, predominantly providing concierge product offerings. He has been with Goldbelt since 2018 and in his current position for the last two (2) years.
Prior to his involvement with Goldbelt, Bill ran his own consulting company for eight (8) years, providing end user Business and Product Development perspectives to domestic manufacturers of Defense related Products and Services. He worked with and represented over a dozen companies, supporting domestic manufacturing and procurement programs. He was able to make this move by building on his early experience with and in industry.
Before entering industry, Bill spent 20 years on active duty, within the Special Operations community. The last three of which were as the active-duty representative for the Combat Systems proponent of Naval Special Warfare. In this position he learned Program Management and Acquisition strategy, while also working with Government and Industry as an end user representative, and as a partner to industry in product development.
Retiring from the US Navy in 2008, Bill went to work for ADS, Inc as their Research and Development Manager. Working within the Clothing and Textiles division, he was focused on Program and Product development as well as Pursuit on large scope DoD solicitations. The combination of his active military time and his time at ADS has allowed Bill to work with dozens of companies across industry and developed a deep understanding and appreciation of the economic and security needs for the domestic manufacturing base.
Bill has a MBA in Organizational Leadership from Post University and a BA in Business and Economics from Excelsior College.
Bryon Robinson
BOARD MEMBER
Bryon Robinson has worked with YKK (U.S.A.) Inc. for 32 years, holding various positions within the company. His career began in the R&D team, specializing in product and diecast mold development. Bryon then managed the R&D stream for Slide Fastener product development, where he led a team focused on creating customer-focused fastening solutions.
After 15 years in R&D, Robinson transitioned to the sales team as a Sales Engineer, supporting our government and safety industries. In this role, he leveraged my technical background to bridge the gap between technical development and client requirements related to government programs. This included working directly with military R&D centers, such as Natick, to introduce YKK fastening solutions in support of the Warfighter.
Robinson now holds the position of Industry Leader for both the government and safety segments at YKK. In this capacity, he lead strategic initiatives, drive business development, and oversee key projects that ensure our products meet the highest standards of safety and performance. His role involves collaborating with various stakeholders, including government contractors, R&D centers, DLA, and PEO Soldier.
Bryon holds a degree in mechanical engineering, which has provided a strong foundation for my career. Beyond his professional life, Bryon has been married to his wife, Charlotte, for 23 years. Together they have two children: Kody, who is 28 years old, and Jessica, who is 17 years old.
Outside of work, Bryon enjoys staying active and spending quality time with family. Bryon’s long-standing commitment to YKK and the industry reflects his passion for continuous improvement and innovation.
Brandon Cates
BOARD MEMBER
Brandon Cates is the CEO of Ametrine Inc., a company headquartered in Round Rock, TX. Ametrine is the industry leader in multispectral signature management (SIGMAN) technologies and material solutions.
Prior to Ametrine, Brandon served 3 years as a Division Vice President of Supply Chain for Sears Holdings where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s supply chain, including distribution, transportation, customs compliance, and global sourcing.
Prior to Sears Holdings, Brandon served 6 years as a Partner with The Praevius Group, a Texas-based consultancy focused on the innovative fusion of leadership development and technology. Brandon Cates joined Praevius Group in 2008 to lead a program that fielded an emerging technology (sniper detection) in Afghanistan and Iraq. Subsequently, Brandon built Praevius’ largest business unit – The Praevius Innovation Group—with consultants in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Africa, Washington DC, Texas, Fort Bragg, and elsewhere.
The Innovation Group drove the application of the right technology at the right time to support the warfighter and law enforcement in counter terrorism efforts. Brandon and his team worked with the Combatting Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Special Operations Forces (SOF), the Army Rapid Equipping Force (REF), the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) and many other organizations.
Prior to joining The Praevius Group, Brandon served 3 years with Dell Inc. and 7 years with the U.S. Army. As a Dell Operations Manager, Brandon served in various management roles. He managed large 3rd Party logistics providers as well Dell Operations teams. Some highlights of his Dell career include: direct responsibility of a team consisting of approximately 350 hourly employees, 12 operations managers, and 3 second level managers. The organization averaged 28,000 domestic shipments and 1,800 international shipments per day with a Same Day Ship accuracy rate of 99.98%. In his role in the Global Retail Sales Division, he was responsible for operational execution and financial controls associated with Forward and Reverse Logistics for the retail line of business. Brandon was responsible for the operational execution of the two largest and most complex accounts, Staples and Best Buy. During a 6-month assignment in London, he developed a robust and sustainable planning and support structure to support Retail Sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Brandon was commissioned in 1998 as a U.S. Army Infantry officer and served in various assignments to include: service with the 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Ranger Battalion, and the Ranger Training Brigade. Brandon led a Ranger Platoon in combat in Afghanistan in 2001 – 2002. He deployed to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 as part of a joint special operations task force (TF-11) charged with the mission of killing/capturing Osama Bin Laden and the top leaders of Al Qeada and the Taliban. Following his tour in Afghanistan, he served as a mountaineering Ranger Instructor, and ended his military career commanding a Company of Ranger Instructors. He also had the distinction of competing in and completing the Army’s Best Ranger Competition.
He has dedicated the majority of his adult life to serving his country. Continuing to serve Soldiers, Veterans, and their families in any capacity is his constant motivation. His personal areas of passion are spending time with his family (wife of 25 years & 3 children), participating in Adventure races and ultra-marathons, and preventing veteran suicide. During his time at Praevius, Brandon instructed over 20,000 soldiers and families in suicide prevention methods.