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 36 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.
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 – Senior VP of Sales
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.
Chris Harrison – VP of Product Engineering
Chris Harrison is a veteran engineering executive with over two decades of experience driving innovation and technical excellence across the automotive and robotics sectors. Most recently serving as VP of Hardware Platform at Torc Robotics, he led the development and deployment of autonomous truck hardware systems. Prior to that, Chris spent more than 24 years at Continental, where he held senior global roles including Head of Software for Vehicle Dynamics and Head of R&D in China. His leadership was instrumental in launching advanced Electronic Brake Systems and ensuring global compliance standards. Chris holds a Master’s in Engineering Management from Wayne State University and a BSME from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
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.
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.
Matt Hoerner – VP of Operations Strategy
Matt has extensive experience spanning over a decade in engineering, supply chain, and operations, both nationally and globally. Beginning as an engineer, he supported operations before pursuing his MBA at Penn State. His career includes roles at Amazon, where he contributed to Fulfillment Center transformations, and Flex, where he managed multinational teams, driving manufacturing scale in industrial electronics. With a focus on innovative and process-driven strategies, he achieved accelerated revenue, significant cost reduction, and sustainable processes for Flex and its customers. Leveraging this expertise, Matt led supply chain and business operations at an AgTech startup, he developed industrial robotics to support sustainability in the Agriculture sector. Matt is married to his hometown sweetheart, Faith, whom he met in Hershey, PA. Together they love to ski, adventure, eat, and travel the world!
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.
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, the 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.
Meredith Waters – VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Meredith is a corporate attorney with over 15 years of experience. Most recently, she served as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Mondee Holdings, Inc., a travel technology company listed on the Nasdaq. Prior to Mondee, Meredith served as senior corporate counsel at Apple Inc. She has also held roles at international law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Linklaters LLP. In her spare time, Meredith likes to try new dim sum restaurants and kayak on the lake with her family.
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.
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.
