Management Team
Our team is comprised of accomplished entrepreneurial, business operations, and technical professionals complemented with an experienced development partner.
Lawrence C. Grumer, Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and President
Roles: Business Organization, Vision, Leadership, Strategy, Investor Relations, Commercialization Execution, Partnering
Sherry S. Handel, Co-founder, CFO Advisor, and Previous Chief Operating Officer
Roles: Start-up Operations, Administration, Finance, Infrastructure, Policies, Marketing Communications, Branding, Public Relations, Social Media
Herb Rothstein, VP Business Development
Roles: Business Development and Licensing, International Supply Chain, Strategic Industry Initiatives
Footwear & international trade industry executive - supply chain development & global production sourcing operations
J Singh, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer
Roles: Science, Technology and Engineering
Roles: Modeling, Electromechanical Technology and Engineering
Jeffrey V. Gatto, Manufacturing & Operations Advisor
Roles: Organization and Manufacturing scaling, Business growth strategy and execution
Roles: Product Design and Product Line Management
Craig Franklin, Footwear Sales
Roles: Sales, Product Marketing, Business Development, Strategic Planning
Our team is comprised of accomplished entrepreneurial, business operations, and technical professionals complemented with an experienced development partner.
Lawrence C. Grumer, Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and President
Roles: Business Organization, Vision, Leadership, Strategy, Investor Relations, Commercialization Execution, Partnering
- M.B.A. International Finance and Marketing, Northeastern University; B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University
- Expert in Technology Commercialization and Strategy
- 25 years experience with large corporations (Textron, Arthur D. Little), small companies (Foster-Miller) and start-ups
- Prior energy harvesting start-up experience in MEMS packaged electronics company
- Launched 6 companies; built teams and advisory boards, negotiated licenses, raised seed capital, established corporate partnerships, scaled operations
- Landed government projects and government funding (SBIR, DOD, DOT, DOE and NSF). Has held Top Security Clearance.
Sherry S. Handel, Co-founder, CFO Advisor, and Previous Chief Operating Officer
Roles: Start-up Operations, Administration, Finance, Infrastructure, Policies, Marketing Communications, Branding, Public Relations, Social Media
- B.S. Business Management - Marketing, Northeastern University; Certificate in Sustainable Business (CSR), University of Vermont
- Founder and CEO of two B2C start-ups, Executive Director of a start-up non-profit organization, principal of a third company
- Developed and launched consumer brands internationally. Landed foreign licensing agreements.
- Earned national and international media (USA Today, WSJ, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, AP, Knight Ridder/Tribune and Gannett newswires).
- Direct sales, business development and customer service experience with industry leaders
- Awards: Greater Rochester NY Chapter, National Association of Women Business Owners; American Association of University Women; Susan B. Anthony House
Herb Rothstein, VP Business Development
Roles: Business Development and Licensing, International Supply Chain, Strategic Industry Initiatives
Footwear & international trade industry executive - supply chain development & global production sourcing operations
- Senior VP of the world's largest athletic shoe manufacturer, Operations Manager of a major shoe corporation
- VP and Executive VP of a major footwear company
- Spearheaded company’s production sourcing operations in Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and China
- Sales Executive with prior energy harvesting start-up
J Singh, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer
Roles: Science, Technology and Engineering
- Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Syracuse University; M.S. Electrical Engineering, Syracuse University; Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
- 30 years tech experience in large corporations (Fidelity Investments, Computervision Corp.), small companies and start-ups (Early Stage IT, Connect Scholar)
- Extensive experience in High Tech (Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Pattern Recognition, Numerical Algorithms, System Architecture, CAD/CAM, Performance Engineering, Financial Services, Client and Server-side Web Technologies)
- Adjunct Faculty, WPI Computer Science Department
Roles: Modeling, Electromechanical Technology and Engineering
- Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Penn State University; M.S. Electrical Engineering, Penn State University; B.S. Physics, Penn State University
- 20 years of electronic device and process engineering ranging from technology inception through commercial deployment at Skyworks Solutions, MIT, BAE Systems
- Expert at identifying core electromechanical technology issues and determining a trajectory for commercial implementation.
Jeffrey V. Gatto, Manufacturing & Operations Advisor
Roles: Organization and Manufacturing scaling, Business growth strategy and execution
- M.S. Electrical Engineering, Syracuse University; B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University
- 20 years of international experience in high tech companies - global operations executive at Tyco Safety, 3COM Corp., Digital Equipment, and IBM
- Track record of business re-engineering delivering double digit margin improvement and innovative product introduction
- Proven results in organizational transformation, corporate strategy development, and the effective development of high performing teams
- Consulting experience with emerging growth companies that require transformation for their next stage of growth
Roles: Product Design and Product Line Management
- B.S. Marketing, Stonehill College
- Built and sold brand-name footwear company OTB® Boots to New Balance
- 25 years Product development for Saucony, Adidas, Reebok, and New Balance
- Specialized in footwear design and development, US Special Operation Forces
- Foreign Military footwear projects; armasuisse (Swiss Army) and KADDB (King Abdullah Design/Development Bureau) - Jordan
Craig Franklin, Footwear Sales
Roles: Sales, Product Marketing, Business Development, Strategic Planning
- B.A. Economics, Middlebury College
- Over 25 years of experience in product marketing/merchandising, business development and sales management within the athletic footwear/apparel industry.
- Sales Management roles with leading brands including; Puma, Converse and Reebok
- Product Line Manager at New Balance.
- Expertise in market assessment, product marketing, merchandising, strategic planning, account management, sales training, budget management, marketing and promotional development, and team building.