Management

Gary Tolar, President
Gary began his career in the fabrication business in 1970 as an American Welding Society-certified welder for Century Plastics. Over the next several years he expanded his knowledge to include operation of fabrication machinery, reading blueprints and architectural drawings and purchasing, eventually becoming the vice president of manufacturing for a major Southern California fabricator.

In 1991 Gary founded Tolar Manufacturing as a California corporation focused on designing and fabricating passenger shelters, advertising displays and outdoor furniture to meet the needs of transit riders, government agencies and the outdoor advertising industry. Tolar’s first contract was to produce 300 bus shelters for Gannet Outdoor, the nation’s largest outdoor advertising company, in the San Diego market. Since then, Tolar has outgrown two manufacturing plants and now operates out of a 53,000 square-foot company-owned facility in Corona, Calif.

Patrick Merrick, Executive Vice-President
Patrick joined Tolar Manufacturing in 2001, bringing with him a diverse resume that included four years’ experience in public transportation in marketing and passenger amenities, a stint with non-profit organizations that deal with public agencies and 15 years in retail management.

As a direct report to the company president, Patrick is responsible for Tolar’s sales, marketing, customer service and product development functions. His primary focus is serving both clients and prospective customers by listening to their needs and communicating their visions in a clear manner across other company departments.

Richard Clements, Eastern Regional Sales Manager
As a former vice president and general manager of another major manufacturer of transit shelters, street furniture and custom signage, Rick handled major, multi-year transit shelter contracts for DART in Dallas, Pierce Transit in Tacoma, Wash., NFTA in Buffalo, N.Y., RGRTA in Rochester, N.Y. and TriMet in Portland, Ore.

When Rick joined Tolar in 2004, he brought more than a decade of experience in the transit industry and is currently managing our construction contracts for VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, DART in Dallas and HART in Tampa. Prior to his industry experience, he earned a business and economics degree from the University of Western Ontario and pursued a career in international sales and management in the fluid power industry as a division manager.

Kerry Berlin, Sales Manager- Displays, Technology and Sustainable Initiatives
Kerry Berlin joined Tolar in June of 2007 to launch the company’s new Displays and Directories Division. He is an experienced professional with 20 years’ experience in sales and sales management, including nine years in the advertising and manufacturing industries related to displays and directories and three years as regional sales manager with a leading international outdoor advertising firm.

Kerry is tasked with business development and product development to meet the demands of the retail and public venue markets. In addition Kerry leads the sustainable initiative team at Tolar Manufacturing with responsibility for identifying reliable LED lamping, alternative power supply and recycled or recyclable materials used in the manufacturing process.

Nick Regalado, Engineering Manager
Nick joined the Tolar Team in 2007 bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in engineering, systems and design. Prior to Tolar, he was an applications design engineer in the discipline of mechanical subassemblies for aerospace. He also has experience in tool design, metal fabrication, and electrical systems and has championed team-leading lean manufacturing system improvements and ISO and AS9100 certifications.

Nick leads Tolar’s five-person engineering and design team that is responsible for creating work orders based on the specifications submitted by the sales team and works with the purchasing and production departments through the fabrication process. Nick also supports the product development, process improvement and quality control functions of the company.

Gabriel Guzman, Production and Inventory Control Manager

Gabriel joined the Tolar team in 2001 on the production floor and has continually progressed with the organization. With a can-do attitude and a commitment to delivering to our customers a quality product on a timely basis, Gabriel is responsible for production planning and inventory control. He leads a team that is responsible to ensure that our craftsmen have the tools and material they need to fabricate a quality product for our customers and their respective stakeholders.