Executive Management
Wei Wu, President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Wei Wu is President and CEO of Pacific Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC). He founded PIDC in 1992 as a trading company. Mr. Wu was responsible for transforming the small trading company into a manufacturing and technology company focused on producing specialty chemicals and performance nanomaterials for a wide array of environmentally focused products.
In 1997 Mr. Wu’s outstanding leadership was recognized when he was named one of Michigan’s ten Entrepreneurs of the Year, which recognizes privately held companies based on their operating growth along with growth in earnings, employees and revenue during a minimum period of two years. Subsequently, in 1999, he led PIDC to a #1 ranking in Michigan on the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing companies and #62 nationwide.
Prior to founding PIDC, Mr. Wu served in sales engineering and product development engineering positions for GM and Freudenberg-NOK.
Mr. Wu earned his Master’s of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing.
Bill Germond, Vice President Sales & Marketing
Mr. Germond is Vice President Sales & Marketing, responsible for worldwide sales and marketing of PIDC products and services. Additionally, he manages PIDC’s solutions production.
Prior to joining PIDC, Mr. Germond worked as director of worldwide sales for Ferro Corporation (Surface Finishing Materials division) and served in product management and sales engineering positions with Ferro and Schlegel Manufacturing. Mr. Germond earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Marketing from the Rochester Institute of Technology, NY.
Tim Kuhnlein, Vice President Finance & Administration
Mr. Kuhnlein is Vice President Finance & Administration, responsible for accounting, finance, human resources and information systems.
Prior to joining PIDC, Mr. Kuhnlein served as a financial analyst for Borders Online, held positions from Accountant to Controller with various divisions of CMI-International and was an Auditor with Ernst & Young. Mr. Kuhnlein earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration /Accounting from Wayne State University, MI.
Board of Directors
Mr. Wei Wu is President and CEO of Pacific Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC). He founded PIDC in 1992 as a trading company. Mr. Wu was responsible for transforming the small trading company into a manufacturing and technology company focused on producing specialty chemicals and performance nanomaterials for a wide array of environmentally focused products.
In 1997 Mr. Wu’s outstanding leadership was recognized when he was named one of Michigan’s ten Entrepreneurs of the Year, which recognizes privately held companies based on their operating growth along with growth in earnings, employees and revenue during a minimum period of two years. Subsequently, in 1999, he led PIDC to a #1 ranking in Michigan on the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing companies and #62 nationwide.
Prior to founding PIDC, Mr. Wu served in sales engineering and product development engineering positions for GM and Freudenberg-NOK.
Mr. Wu earned his Master’s of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing.
Mr. Richard (Rick) Berger is Co-founder, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nanodynamics. He is an experienced executive who has managed the operations of a highly diverse set of companies, ranging from an advanced materials company to the largest Coca Cola bottling company in the world. His management expertise includes start-up companies, turn-around situations, stable and mature manufacturing companies. Mr. Berger's industrial experience includes TAM Ceramics, Spaulding Composites, and Advanced Refractory Technologies, Inc. Most recently, as CEO of Speedline Technologies, a major supplier of capital goods to the electronics industry, Berger oversaw a $500 million operation, setting corporate records for productivity, profitability, and cash flow. He has developed customer and supplier relationships around the globe, including extensive experience in Europe, China, the Former Soviet Union, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Mr. Berger has also served as President and a member of the board of directors of The InVentures Group, Inc. since June 2001. Mr. Berger is also a member of the board of directors of First Wave Technologies, Inc.
Mr. Garnel (Gene) Graber is Chairman of the Board of Applied Dynamics Int’l, a supplier of simulation computer systems used for control system design, where he retired as President & CEO. He is currently a board member of the Washtenaw Community College Foundation and other nonprofit civic organizations. Mr. Graber has served on the board of two publicly traded companies as well as several private companies, primarily, in the computer industry.
Mr. Graber earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University and did graduate work in Control Engineering at Princeton University.
Mr. Kurt Scholler assumed his role as member of the board of directors in June 2005. From 1997-2004, Kurt served in Operations and Sales capacities, ending up as Global Account Manager for PIDC, managing approximately one-half of the company’s business and helping raise growth capital for both its US and Asian operations. During those seven years, the company transformed itself from a small US trading company to a value added manufacturer with an R&D center and a global presence.
Prior to that, from 1987-1995, Mr. Scholler co-owned and co-managed a number of small companies ranging from retail to restaurant and lawn care to software and has occasionally consulted for local organizations. He earned his MBA and a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He speaks fluent German.