Leadership Team
Ben Schuler – Founder & CEO
Prior to founding Infinitum, Ben spent the previous 15 years leading the design and deployment of complex industrial automation equipment across Taiwan, Japan and the United States. He was involved in the production ramp of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, Bloom Energy’s solid oxide fuel cell and Solyndra’s thin film solar module. Infinitum is the direct beneficiary of Ben’s expertise, which helps him lead the mission of disrupting the way industrial machinery and electric motors consume and create electricity. As one of the original creators of Infinitum Electric’s air-core motor system, Ben holds 20 patents related to electric machines and drives. On weekends, Ben conducts water balloon experiments with his kids; resulting in lots of wet footprints in the house.
Rick Tewell – President & Chief Operating Officer
Rick has more than 30 years of engineering and operations experience, including two decades in automotive electronics. Rick comes to us from AEye, a public lidar sensor manufacturer where he served as their Chief Operating Officer. Before that, he was the Chief Operating Officer at Velodyne Lidar, a provider of lidar sensors, from 2018 through 2021. Between 2017 to 2018, he was responsible for advanced manufacturing and automation at Velodyne. From 2005 through 2017, Mr. Tewell has held progressively senior roles in both the hardware and embedded software space across a variety of technology companies, including VeriSilicon, NXP/Freescale, Nvidia, and Fujitsu Semiconductor. Rick loves to read and has an extensive library consisting of books about business, electronics, aviation, trains, cars, and his avid love – space. He and his wife of 32 years enjoy traveling and tasting and collecting wine. Other hobbies include writing, astronomy and working on various electronics projects when time allows, which is not that often.
Bob Brown – Chief Financial Officer
Bob has over 30 years of financial experience. He’s completed over $20 billion in financing and M&A transactions. Prior to joining Infinitum, he was the Chief Financial Officer at high-technology companies including AEye, Cepton Technologies, Velodyne Lidar, and VeriSilicon Holdings. Earlier roles included Vice President of Business Development at Cadence Design Systems and Vice President of Treasury at LSI Corporation. In his spare time, Bob enjoys playing guitar, water sports, traveling with his wife and entertaining their two dogs.
Paulo Guedes Pinto – Chief Technology Officer
In a career that extends for almost 40 years, Paulo has over 27 years of experience in the design and manufacture of large AC and DC motors, traction motors, axial flux permanent magnet machines, high speed permanent magnet motors for subsea and land applications, as well as medium voltage drives. Before joining Infinitum, Paulo held Engineering and R&D leadership positions at, Boulder Wind Power, FMC Technologies, GE Canada, JDS Uniphase, and Indústrias Villares (now Gevisa, a GE company) and most recently was Director of Engineering and R&D at TECO Westinghouse. Paulo holds ten patents related to electric machines and drives. In the spirit of keeping a low carbon footprint, Paulo is an avid cyclist who goes out on long weekend rides.
Bhavnesh Patel – Chief Strategy Officer
Bhavnesh provides 20 years of Business Development expertise, the majority of his career spent leading sales and product management efforts for global industrial automation leader, Rockwell Automation. Most recently, Bhavnesh was CEO of Volt480, an innovative work order SaaS platform for manufacturing service providers. His industry expertise spans across multiple domains including industrial hardware, software, and services. Bhavnesh has lived in 12 cities across 4 countries and traveled extensively to over 40 countries. His bucket list goal is to get to 80 countries by the age of 80.
Mike DiNucci – Chief Revenue Officer
Mike has spent his 30-year career helping hyper-growth companies grow and achieve scale. Passionate about building high-performing GTM teams, he has spent much of the past 15 years in the electric mobility space, holding senior executive positions at ChargePoint and Xeal Energy. Mike also spent some time in the world of A.I., as Chief Revenue Officer at Netradyne. He holds degrees from UCLA in Business Administration and Literature. Mike and his wife Kelly have three children and their favorite activity is traveling to new places, making memories. They believe in the old adage: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.”
Michele Grieshaber – Chief Sustainability Officer
Trained as a mechanical engineer, Michele has spent the majority of her career working in product management and marketing within the b-to-b technology industry. She has held CMO, executive and advisory positions at companies ranging from start-ups to mid-size to large corporations, including IBM, Silicon Labs and AVEVA Plc. Her experience covers information technology (hardware, software, services and financing), manufacturing, semiconductor and industrial hardware and software. Michele is a frequent lecturer on ESG, branding and business ethics. She is currently struggling to train her new cattle dog (or is it the other way around?).
Ben Savory – SVP of Business Development
Bringing over 15 years of Business Development expertise to Infinitum, Ben is a seasoned sales leader specializing in the dynamic realms of electric motors, Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), and gearing. In his most recent role as VP of Sales Operations at Advanced Industrial Devices, a leading industrial automation company, Ben orchestrated the growth and nationwide expansion of the sales team, demonstrating his expertise in steering through every facet of business development. With a diverse industry background, Ben has successfully navigated markets such as Oil & Gas, Waste Water, Aggregate, Agriculture, Pulp & Paper, Marine, and more. Hailing originally from the Northeast, he has embraced the opportunities of living in multiple states across the USA, gaining a comprehensive understanding of regional nuances. Beyond the boardroom, Ben is not just a strategic business leader but also an enthusiastic sportsman. An avid golfer and ice hockey player, he brings the same passion and dedication to both his professional and personal pursuits.
Ramon Guitart – VP of Engineering – Motors
Ramon’s experience extends to several well-known companies like GE, Westinghouse, Rockwell Automation, Trane and others. He has over 35 years of experience leading technical teams in the development of electric motors and inverters. He obtained his BSEE from the University Of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and his MS in Engineering from Marshall University. With 6 children and many grandchildren, Ramon and his wife spend many weekends traveling across the country to spend quality family time.
Richard Lee – VP of Engineering – Electronics
As the Directory of Technology and Primary Electronics Architect, Richard has 35 plus years of experience in Electronics R&D design and management. He has gained experience at companies Boeing Aircraft Co., Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies, and various startups. His career spans all aspects of design and manufacture of low and medium voltage variable frequency drives and radial/axial flux permanent magnet machines. His experience also includes all facets of analog, digital and power electronics design. Richard holds ten patents related to electric machines and drives. In his time off he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren and playing in the mountains and on the lakes of the northwest.
Cruz Mendez – VP of Supply Chain
Cruz has over 20 years of experience in Global Supply Chain, World-Class Manufacturing, Logistics, and Program Management. He has a track record of success in multiple roles in high-paced environments (OEM and Contract Manufacturing) encompassing a wide range of products, including consumer electronics, telecommunications, medical devices, medical disposables, and biotechnology. In his most recent role with Vence, he was in charge of building and managing a worldwide operation and supply chain with presence in three continents: America, Australia, and Asia. Cruz is a strong advocate of continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. In his spare time, he likes cooking, traveling, and playing with his kids.
Jack Powell – VP of Operations
Jack has been leading Manufacturing and Supply Chain teams for 20 years with Cisco Systems, SunPower and Enphase Energy, among others. He also has significant experience as an Engineering Program Manager focused on New Product Introduction. Before entering the tech sector, Jack was an officer in the US Navy. When not working on electrifying everything, Jack can be found skiing, exercising or working through his reading list.
Pete Pearson – VP of Finance
Pete is responsible for the company’s financial and administrative functions including finance, accounting, audit, tax, treasury and human resources. His career spans more than 20 years of varied experience in financial management, business leadership and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Infinitum, Pete led the Financial Services Division for Bridgepoint Consulting, a management consulting firm based in Austin, TX. Pete was also an executive at Tango Health and has held senior leadership positions at Lombardi Software, Golfsmith and DuPont Photomasks. Pete started his career in the audit practice of Arthur Andersen. In his spare time, Pete and his wife have traveled to all 50 states with their three kids. During those travels they were lucky enough to have seen the largest prairie chicken, largest roller skate, ridden the fastest roller coaster in the world and ziplined underneath the city of Louisville – it’s worth noting that no kids were harmed during the thousands of miles on airplanes and in cars.
Tore Slotfeldt – VP of NPI & Advanced Manufacturing
Tore has more than 30 years of leadership experience in engineering, operations, manufacturing, and product development. He comes to Infinitum from AEye, where he served as VP of New Product Introduction to oversee manufacturing and help commercialize LiDAR sensors. He has held senior leadership positions for companies such as Velodyne LiDAR, NXP, Freescale and Fujitsu Semiconductor. He has also been involved with startups and worked as an independent advisor – providing strategic technology guidance and advisory services to corporations in Europe, US, and Asia. When Tore is not focused on work, he enjoys DIY projects on weekends, hiking, and traveling with his wife to explore the world.
Kim Dawson – Director of Human Resources
Kim has been working as a People Leader for the majority of her career. While the industries she has supported are varied, including Manufacturing, SaaS, Social Services, Banking, and Retail, the peoples’ needs have remained the same. Helping a company thrive while simultaneously supporting the needs of the people at work are the things that energize her. That, and her Great Dane, Carl, the unofficial support dog of Infinitum.
Michele Feria – Director of Marketing
Michele brings more than two decades of experience in B2B technology companies, previously serving in senior management roles at Silicon Labs and IBM. Throughout her career, Michele has developed and implemented world-wide demand gen strategies, event management frameworks and experiences that inspire and educate while meeting revenue and business objectives. She is a proud aunt, dog mom and Jersey girl living in Austin always in search of authentic Cuban food and great pizza.