Our People
Alternative Design is very proud of its professional personnel. During the company’s rapid growth as one of the primary providers of laboratory animal housing solutions, it has aggressively assembled a team of highly skilled professionals who are dedicated to providing customers top quality products and unequaled customer service. The culture of the company stems from its commitment to exceed customer expectations. This dedication consistently runs throughout the entire Alternative Design team, from the entry-level personnel to top management.
Corporate Leadership
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Grant Loyd
President/CEO
Grant Loyd has been a part of the Alternative Design team since its inception in 1987. In 2014, Grant purchased the company from his parents, Eddie and Georga Loyd, the original founders. After attending the University of Arkansas, Grant joined Alternative Design full time in 1998. Prior to starting full time, Grant worked several years on the production floor where he built the products and gained knowledge of how each product performs. Since that time, Grant has played key roles in the development of many departments during the company’s growth through the years. His corporate, product and industry knowledge as well as his ability to form strong bonds with employees, existing customers, new customers and our community, has been beneficial to all. Working from the strong foundation that his parents have built over the years, Grant looks to continue growth and diversification of products, appeal to customers and to provide a positive community impact from Alternative Design.
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Eddie Loyd
Vice President of Business Development / Board of Directors
Eddie graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and Banking. Career paths directed him to the family owned Agribusiness. In 1987, Eddie founded Alternative Design Manufacturing & Supply with his family and then sold the business to Grant Loyd in 2014. Eddie has more than 25 years experience in the design and fabrication of research animal housing systems. Eddie has held various leadership roles within the industry and community over the years including President of the Allied Trade Association (2003-2004), the Exhibitor Advisory Council of AALAS, Chairman of the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce (2013) and Member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors (2014). Eddie has also been honored with numerous industry awards including the 2005 Floyd Polling Award (Allied Trades Association’s Vendor of the Year), Allied Trade Association Life Time Achievement Award (2012) and a Service Recognition Award for his involvement with the Allied Trades Association’s “New Product Showcase” (2014).
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Georga Loyd
Board of Directors
As one of the founders of Alternative Design, Georga has been involved in all facets of the business and instrumental in the company’s substantial growth in such a short period. After attending the University of Arkansas where she met Eddie, they had their own poultry enterprise. Upon starting Alternative Design, Georga literally worked in production as well as bookkeeping. She assisted Eddie with sales and attended industry tradeshows. Administering the tradeshows developed into responsibility for all the marketing and promotional activities of the company.
Operations
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Elton Moore
Vice President of Operations
Elton joined Alternative Design in 1999. During his time with the company, he has gained experience in a variety of roles including welding, assembly, CNC programming, quality and production. Elton has over 20 years of manufacturing experience and has obtained certifications in safety, lean manufacturing, and as a Certified Laser Safety Officer (CLSO). He moved to his current role as Vice President of Operations in October 2021. Originally from Texas, Elton currently resides in Oklahoma with his wife and four children. His hobbies include watching sports (especially the Texas Longhorns and Dallas Cowboys) and running.
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Trent Fulghum
Production Manger
Trent has been with AD for 6 years, starting out as an Engineer. After evaluating the unique needs of manufacturing and production, Director of Operations Elton Moore decided to move Trent to the position of Production Manager to oversee the shop. He has since been a tremendous asset in his new role with his Engineering background. Trent enjoys going camping with his wife of over 30 years and they have two grown children that are a teacher and a mechanical engineer. He has been a Northwest Arkansan since the late 80s.
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Cyrece Pharr
Buyer / Planner
Cyrece is a lifelong resident of Northwest Arkansas and joined the team at Alternative Design in 2010. She brought with her over 15 years of manufacturing experience including nine years as a material and parts buyer. Cyrece works with suppliers on a daily basis to get the best quality material at the lowest possible prices on behalf of our customers. She enjoys farm living and raising cattle with her husband and three children.
Quality, Service & Installation
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Terry Martin
Vice President of Quality Assurance
Terry joined Alternative Design in June 2010. He is responsible for the overall quality of all products supplied by the company, as well as quickly resolving any issues that may arise after the product is delivered. Terry manages Alternative Design’s Quality, Service, Purchasing, and Shipping departments, as part of our total quality initiative of ensuring a superior product and customer experience from the beginning to end of the project. He is also trained in ISO 9001. Terry’s background includes 25 years in manufacturing, primarily in the making of electro-mechanical products. His experience is in the production, quality assurance and customer service functions. In his five years with the company, Terry has implemented several programs within manufacturing and early quality inspections. These programs have significantly increased the caliber of products being shipped as well as reducing warranty claims.
Finance
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Jim Hill
Accounting Controller
Jim became part of the Alternative Design Family in 2021. He brought with him over 30 years of manufacturing accounting experience. Formerly from Iowa, he moved to Arkansas in 1990. Jim has an Accounting and Systems Management degree with a minor in Business Management from Central College in Pella, Iowa and handles all facets of accounting for the company. In his time away from the office he enjoys woodworking, golf, and photography, especially when he is traveling. He has been married for 37 years and has 3 children and 4 grandchildren.
Sales
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Peggy Nahorski
Director of Lab Animal
Peggy has worked in the lab animal industry for more than 35 years. Peggy earned a Bachelor of Science from Maryville University as well as an Associate of Applied Science in Animal Health from Jefferson College. She spent 13 years working in the vivarium at Monsanto. Starting as a quarantine technician and working her way up to Manager for Toxicology Service Group. She spent two years as a Regional Sales Manager for Purina Mills, Inc. Peggy joined the Alternative Design sales team in 1999. Peggy is a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan and attends as many games as she can to support the ‘Birds’. She loves to work in the garden growing plants for wildlife and the dinner table.
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Mark Cooper
Director of Poultry
Dr. Mark Cooper, Ph.D., joined the AD Family in July 2023. Mark has worked more than 20 years as a poultry geneticist, after receiving his masters degree 30 years ago from the University of Georgia, studying under Dr Kenneth Washburn. He then came to the University of Arkansas to get his Ph.D. under Dr Nick Anthony, Ph.D. He has worked with pigs, chickens, cows, horses, and rabbits since he was a teenager doing FFA projects. He graduated high school in Rockdale, TX, then achieved his BS from Texas A & M University.
It’s been almost 26 years that Mark has lived in Northwest Arkansas with 23 of those years being in Siloam Springs. When Mark isn’t working, he and his family (wife and college-age son) enjoy playing tennis, hiking, fishing, watching movies, and experimenting with different foods as he loves to cook.
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Tamara Reed
Assistant Sales Manager
Tamara (Tammy) is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas. She moved to the NWA area to attend the University of Arkansas. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, she spent her first 5 years at Alternative Design working in Administrative Sales Support and Account Management and has spent the last 5 years as Assistant Sales Manager. Prior to joining the AD family in 2012, she worked in the restaurant/service industry before making the decision to transition into Sales. As her role within the company has evolved, Tammy has committed to making herself a valuable asset to the Sales Team, our external partners, and the AD Family as a whole. In her leisure time Tammy is a huge fan of Arkansas Razorback basketball and has confessed to being addicted to watching television.
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Nancy Lor
Inside Sales Representative
Nancy brings 15 years of customer service and sales experience. She is passionate about the needs and goals of her customers and is excited to work with a great team at Alternative Design. Nancy has the duties of being a customer service representative and inside account manager. The warmth has brought Nancy and her family here, originally from Neenah, Wisconsin. She is a big Green Bay Packers fan, enjoys the outdoors, gardening, and volleyball.
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Charles McKenna
Manufacturing Sales Manager
Charles joined the Alternative Design family in September of 2022. He graduated from UALR with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing which led to a career in industrial sales for 28 years. For almost 20 years he sold product packaging and packaging equipment to manufacturers for Crown Packaging, so he was excited when an opportunity in AD’s general manufacturing division came his way. He already had a lot of respect for the people and the company, having worked with them in the past on projects. When he was offered the new position, the decision was an easy one. Charles is responsible for the custom industrial orders that do not fall under the poultry or lab science areas. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors, working in the yard, home improvement projects, and spending time with family and friends. He has always lived in Arkansas, with the last few years being in Northwest Arkansas, which is where his daughter was born and is currently a senior at the U of A. Now his home base is in Little Rock, which is where he was born and raised.
Engineering
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Cody Ulaga
Engineering Manager
Cody joined Alternative Design in 2010. He worked his way up from Engineering Intern to Mechanical Design Engineer, to Engineering Manager, a role he has held since 2017. He manages the Engineering department, oversees all standard product lines and custom products, and develops/maintains the company’s electro-mechanical products.
Cody is a lifelong resident of Northwest Arkansas. In his free time, he enjoys time with family and tinkering in his shop.
Marketing
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Ryan Kinnaman
Marketing Technologist
Ryan Kinnaman returned to AD in the Fall of 2019. The position of Marketing Technologist best fits Ryan’s skillset to include Marketing, Graphic Design, and Webmaster duties. The 8 years he previously spent with the company have already proven to be a great benefit to both Ryan and AD. He has a total of over 15 years in his field.
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Patti Eiland
Public Relations Manger
Patti Eiland started with AD in June of 2017. As of October 2019, she is the Public Relations Manager. Her position has her serving on Chamber and school committees and attending and speaking at community events on behalf of the company. She also sets up the details for the trade shows that AD attends. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X posts as well as news articles are her responsibility. She also receives and processes all donation requests. She is part of the Social Committee for AD, assisting with meals and events for the employees. Since August of 2021, she is also the voice you hear when you call and the smiling face that greets you when you walk in the front door. She and her husband of 30+ years have two daughters, one of whom is married with one son, and 4 pups. She spends much of her free time as a mentor and advisor for the Siloam Springs and Arkansas Rainbow Girls.
Human Resources
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Vanessa Guevara
Human Resources Manager
Vanessa Guevara started at Alternative Design in March 2019 as the Human Resources Manager. She received her Bachelor of Computer Science from the Israel University of Ecuador in 2003 and was hired by Walmart in 2008 as a Training Coordinator. She was promoted to Human Resources Manager after only one year and in the next 10 years, she became Operations Manager where she oversaw Sales, Merchandising Operations and Facility Maintenance for a store with 365 employees. In HR she was responsible for recruiting, hiring, training and developing new talent, merchandising, and forecasting sales to meet company goals.
Vanessa became interested in working at Alternative Design because it is a family business. “It provides employees with a balance between work and their personal lives. I feel really blessed to be a part of the AD Family.”
Vanessa enjoys spending time with her family traveling and making memories together. Her children are active in sports, which involves the whole family. Her favorite sport is soccer. She lives in Siloam Springs with her husband, Gustavo, two children, and two dogs. She was born and raised in Ecuador, moved to New Jersey in 2006, and finally settled in Arkansas in 2008.
Construction Services
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Domenic Bertoncino
Construction Project Superintendent
Domenic is a graduate of Pittsburg State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in construction management. Crossland Construction brought him to Arkansas in 2017 where he served as a field engineer for projects ranging from multifamily housing to hotels. He continued his construction path serving as a roofing project manager in 2020 before starting his own business in Northwest Arkansas in 2022. Domenic had worked with Alternative Design in previous projects and jumped at the opportunity to become a construction superintendent for their construction division when it became available. His prior knowledge of working various jobs in construction from laborer to superintendent has helped him gain knowledge from all construction roles to understand the processes and expectations of each contractor and subcontractor’s role. The construction division has a great set of guidelines to meet customer needs. The dedication it takes to meet expectations is the driving force in making him strive to do his best every day.