Regional Board
In January 2006, the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition established a regional board consisting of representatives from the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Southern and Western United States. The regional board will provide advice and counsel to the co-chairs, help raise awareness about the importance of carriers, and mobilize members in their regions to advocate for carrier funding. Like the co-chairs, the regional board members are widely recognized leaders in their field that will bring considerable experience to the ACIBC. To find out more about the regional board members, please click on the following links:

 

 

 

Rick Edger
President
Jered LLC
Southern Region

 

Rick Edger is currently the President of Jered LLC, which is based in Brunswick, Georgia on the Atlantic Ocean. Jered LLC is a designer and manufacturer of custom cranes, and recently became a subsidiary of PaR Systems, Inc., in August 2005. PaR is a designer, manufacturer, and systems integrator for custom robotics applications in numerous markets.

 

Rick has 35 years of experience in the marine and defense industry including nine years with hydraulics equipment manufacturer Sperry Vickers, seven years as general manager of Lake Shore, Inc.’s Marine and Defense Division, and three years as a private consultant. He has been with Jered LLC for 16 years, including two years as VP Sales and Marketing and 14 years in his current position as President.

 

Rick is a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Michigan and has taken graduate classes in management at Oakland University. Rick and his wife Connie live near St. Simons Island, Georgia.

 

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Susan H. Kelly
Chief Executive Officer
Jo-Kell Inc.
Mid-Atlantic Region

 

Susan Kelly is the Chief Executive Officer of Jo-Kell, Inc. Jo-Kell is an electrical distributor and solutions provider servicing the military, commercial marine and industrial markets.

 

Ms. Kelly began her career as the corporate treasurer for Jo-Kell in 1979. In 1999, she was promoted to Executive Vice President, and in 2002, she became Chief Executive Officer of the company.

 

Ms. Kelly has held a number of leadership and association positions as well as served on various advisory boards. Currently, she is the Chair of the Chesapeake Division of the Hampton Road Chamber of Commerce, and is a national founding member of the organization - Women Impacting Public Policy. Additionally, she has served on a number of boards including SunTrust Bank, the Hampton Road Chamber of Commerce, and the Chesapeake Health Foundation. Currently, she is also a member and regional board representative for the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition.

 

In addition, Susan has received various awards and honors such as the national Athena Award, Corporate Volunteer Excellence Award from Hampton Roads in 2004 and the Chairman’s Award from the Hampton Road Chamber of Commerce in 2002. Jo-Kell, the company where she currently serves as CEO, received the Chesapeake Small Business of the Year award in 2002.

 

Ms. Kelly holds a Masters of Science degree from Old Dominion University, and Bachelor of Science from Loyola University.

 

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Robert S. Krysiak
Vice-President
Scot Forge Company
Midwest Region

 

Robert S. (Bob) Krysiak is the Vice-President of Sales/Forging Development for Scot Forge Company. Scot Forge is an employee owned, open die forging company with locations in Spring Grove and Franklin Park, Illinois and Clinton, Wisconsin as well as affiliate forging operations in Wayne, Michigan (Ringmasters) and New Castle, Pennsylvania (North American Forgemasters).

 

Scot Forge is a 100% employee-owned manufacturer of custom open die and rolled ring forgings. Started as a small hammer shop in Chicago, IL in 1893, Scot Forge has over 100 years of experience, leading the industry as one of the most modern and respected forging companies in the world. Operating with over 1,000,000 square feet of manufacturing space in five plants - over 200 million pounds of forgings are shipped from the company yearly.

 

With over 100 years experience, Scot Forge has provided forgings to virtually every metalworking industry. The capability and flexibility of Scot Forge's extensive, state of the art equipment along with the employee-owner's commitment to quality & customer service have made Scot Forge a preferred "One Stop Forge Shop".

 

Mr. Krysiak has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in over 23 years at Scot Forge including Quality Assurance, Metallurgy, Technical Services, Operations and Sales. Previous engineering positions at ITT-Harper and US Steel-South Works round out over 30 years experience in the ferrous and non-ferrous metals industry.

 

Mr. Krysiak has a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, has held an Illinois Professional Engineering license and has attended advanced business courses at DePaul University and the University of Chicago.

 

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Harry Epstein
Chief Executive Officer
Marine Electric Systems
Northeastern Region

 

Harry Epstein is the Chief Executive Officer of Marine Electric Systems, a Department of Defense contractor since 1942. Marine manufactures process control instrumentation, power systems, proximity sensors, and audio and navigational aides. The company has recently expanded its product list to include explosive detection equipment.

 

Prior to purchasing Marine Electric Systems in 1988, Mr. Epstein was an investor in underperforming assets, including both businesses and real estate properties. He also acquired product lines from large companies that had fallen below their minimum sales requirements as well as divisions that no longer met strategic goals.

 

In addition, he has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University’s School of Business where he lectured on issues of entrepreneurship. He also has participated in discussion groups on business topics and the pitfalls of operations and financing.

 

Additionally, Mr. Epstein has served on the Boards of the Benevolent Society for Retarded Children at Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, New York, and the Liberal Jewish Day School in Roslyn, New York. He also has worked for Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Atlanta and the Guidance Center in Westchester County.

 

Currently, he is a member of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and is a board member and the treasurer of Pave The Way Foundation, an organization that strengthens relationships between Israel, the Jewish people, and the Holy Sea.

 

Mr. Epstein graduated from New York University in 1969 with a BS in Management and Industrial Relations. He currently resides in Livingston, NJ with his wife and two children.

 

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Lisa Dante Papini
Vice President
Dante Valve Company
Western Region

 

Lisa Dante Papini is the Vice President of both Dante Valve Company and Danco Valve Company. Dante Valve Company is a distributor of valves and related products for both Defense and Commercial applications. Danco Valve Company manufactures a variety of military specification valves for shipboard applications. Dante Valve and Danco Valve are located in Bellflower, California and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

 

Ms. Papini joined Dante Valve in 1993 and served in multiple production and sales roles prior to being named Vice President. Throughout her tenure at Dante Valve, Lisa has been instrumental in determining the company’s strategic direction and managing the resulting rapid growth and expansion.

 

Prior to joining Dante Valve, Ms. Papini held positions in the music industry and produced numerous concerts and festivals, including a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Long Beach Blues Festival and events in New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Memphis, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

Ms. Papini holds a Masters of Business Administration Degree with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism/Public Relations from California State University, Long Beach. She is active in fundraising for The Geraldine Stramski Center at Miller Children’s Hospital, Long Beach, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxsis Network and the local area Girl Scout Council. Ms. Papini lives in Long Beach, California with her husband and three children.

 

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