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Date/Time: Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:40:10 PM GMT-07:00
Team Directory
Ronald Gustafson - President
“Since day one, we have defined success as not just doing something nearly right, but doing something exactly right…consistently…and doing it better and faster than our competition.”
Ron is the visionary founder of Clinkenbeard. Since 1978, he has led the company's growth and innovation strategies to its current position as a global leader in rapid prototyping. He invented and owns the patent on the Clinkenbeard® Process.
Ron has worked in the pattern making industry since 1966. He has led efforts to reduce lead time for sand foundry tooling by up to 90%, and has actively participated in concurrent engineering teams with customers.
He served on the Executive Committee for Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings, which was an ONR-sponsored program. He is well known in the foundry industry as an expert in the production of tooling for complex castings produced through the use of computers.
Ron is a member of rapid prototyping committees at both the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and American Foundrymen's Society.
Michael A. Barlow - Vice President
“My daily focus underscores Clinkenbeard's commitment to maintaining the highest industry standards, creating new ones, and becoming the benchmark of quality and efficiency in the field of rapid prototyping.”
In his role as vice president, Michael contributes to the strategic and tactical direction of Clinkenbeard by offering hands-on leadership and insight to serve current customers and guide ongoing worldwide expansion through innovation.
Michael is the manager of manufacturing engineering at Clinkenbeard, and his responsibilities include research and development of all agile manufacturing processes. He also oversees all aspects of the procurement of computer hardware and software, CAD/CAM software, DNC software, CMM software, and CNC numerical control software
He was a member of the technical committee of the Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings Consortium and the technical director of the Agile Manufacturing Development of castings effort at Clinkenbeard. In that role, he was responsible for the development of an enhanced pattern fabrication methodology under the Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings Program. Additionally, he managed the development of technology relating to rapid prototyping of sand cores — The Clinkenbeard® Process — under the Joint Development Agreement that exists between Clinkenbeard and the International Engine Corporation.
Michael has implemented numerous strategies in the field of rapid prototyping, including Laminated Object Manufacturing, Fused Deposition Modeling, 5-axis CNC milling and three-dimensional digitizing.
He has worked in the pattern making industry since 1980.
Ron Jr. "Reg" Gustafson - Project Manager
"Expedited delivery is our niche. We treat every bid and order with the sense of urgency necessary to uphold the reputation we have worked hard to build."
In his role as Project Manager for Clinkenbeard, Reg's responsibilities encompass customer care, cost estimating, project coordination, data management and marketing management. His principal mission is to expedite jobs while maintaining the highest level of quality possible. Reg seeks to foster company growth by providing outstanding customer care on a consistent basis to Clinkenbeard customers worldwide.
Reg is detail-oriented, and checks and double-checks every job to make sure that each one is completed on-time and to exact specifications. In his work and personal life, he thrives on gratification from a job done well in a timely manner. Reg understands that Clinkenbeard customers seek its niche and require expedited delivery 90% of the time, and he works daily to establish and maintain customer trust and confidence by meeting and exceeding this factor as well as other customer expectations.
Reg joined Clinkenbeard in 1994 as Project Coordinator after a successful tenure with State Farm Insurance as a computer programmer and business analyst.
Professionally, Reg is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the American Foundrymen's Society. He has been and continues to be a presenter and participant at events sponsored by these industry organizations.
Reg is also a member of Next Rockford, which works with young professionals with a diverse set of backgrounds to help improve education, encourage business growth and development, and in turn, make Rockford, Illinois, an epicenter for cultural and professional opportunities.
Jim Clark - Project Manager
“Speed to market is critical for the customers we serve, and with a strong knowledge based in engineering principles and manufacturing, I assist our customers in getting their products to market in the most time-effective manner possible.”
Jim is project and program manager with Clinkenbeard and is an invaluable asset in overseeing effective cost estimating and customer services for the company. He has a broad range of experience from product design to manufacturing, which allows him to understand the needs of both product engineering and production support.
Jim has a unique track record of helping build success wherever he has worked by consistently delivering quality products and services, while increasing efficiencies for customers. Before joining Clinkenbeard, he was a successful project manager for an industry leading point-of-purchase display company.
From 1999 to 2003, he was an engineering group leader for a design engineering group, handling a variety of products for the recreation vehicle/marine/off-road markets, including trailer coupling, leveling, and lifting as well as for gas-fired appliances related to water, heaters and ranges. At that same company, Jim managed production work cells, including tooling and machine installation, and performed cost estimating. From 1989 to 1999 Jim worked on automotive seat systems for a variety of recreation vehicle/marine/off-road products.
Jim has completed extensive training in cellular and lean manufacturing, Six Sigma training, and owns a broad depth of knowledge of materials.
Jim joined Clinkenbeard in May of 2007.
Ronald Gustafson