Omni Components Appoints New Senior Executive

Omni Components Appoints New Senior Executive

Omni Components Corp. has found itself a new task master. Company executives have named Frank Stone chief operating officer and senior vice president, a position that entails managing the firm’s daily operations and its finances. Stone reports to Omni President and CEO Rick Holka.

“Frank Stone is a hands-on leader who brings organizational experience, financial leadership, energy and knowledge to Omni,” Holka said. “We are delighted to have someone of Mr. Stone’s ability as COO. Frank will make a significant and positive impact to Omni’s competitiveness, manufacturing strength and future success. I look forward to working closely with him as he undertakes his responsibilities.”

Some of those responsibilities are bound to be similar to the duties he assumed in past positions. He has experience as both a senior manager and controller, having worked as vice president of cost management at Noble Environmental Power and vice president of financial controls and compliance at La Petite Academy Inc., according to Stone’s LinkedIn profile. Noble Environmental, based in Essex, Conn., is a renewable energy company that built wind parks in New York state, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Texas. The company also has projects under construction in New York and Texas.

La Petite Academy is a Novi, Mich.-based educational childcare firm that operates more than 500 schools nationwide.

In addition to his positions at Noble Environmental and La Petite Academy, Stone was a division controller at Saint-Gobain Corporation, a Paris, France-based company that designs, manufactures and distributes building materials. The multinational firm’s healthcare products business includes a medical division that provides molding, extrusion and custom fabrication services for device OEMs.

Though he does not provide dates for his previous work experience, Stone states in his LinkedIn profile that he served as corporate cost manager at Freudenberg-NOK and plant controller at Freudenberg Nonwovens. Freudenberg-NOK is the Americas joint venture partnership between Freudenberg & Co. in Germany and NOK Corp. in Japan. Created in 1999, the combined company (headquartered in Novi, Mich.) produces elastomeric seals and custom molded products.

Freudenberg Nonwovens Limited Partnership, based in Weinheim, Germany, produces nonwovens for the textile and clothing industries.

Headquartered in Hudson, N.H., Omni Components provides multi-axis, precision turnkey machining services and engineered solutions to customers through CNC (computer numerical controlled) Swiss, mill/turn, vertical milling and EDM (electric discharge machining) technology.

Olympus Adds VP and Compliance Officer to its Staff

Precision technology behemoth Olympus Corporation has recruited a compliance officer for its American sales subsidiary. Todd A. Dawson has been hired as vice president and chief compliance officer for Center Valley, Pa.-based Olympus Corporation of the Americas.

In his new position, Dawson will define and direct “key healthcare compliance objectives” and draft strategic plans that oversee the company’s governmental and healthcare compliance activities, according to a news release from Olympus. He reports directly to F. Mark Gumz, president and CEO of Olympus Corporation of the Americas, the sales subsidiary of Tokyo, Japan-based parent firm Olympus Corporation. The subsidiary oversees sales in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

Dawson has more than 20 years of experience in intellectual property and medical device-related regulatory compliance. He most recently was vice president of global intellectual property, vice president of legal affairs for the Americas, and patent and trademark counsel at Warsaw, Ind.-based orthopedic manufacturer Zimmer Holdings Inc.

Engineering Director Hired at Rhythmlink International

There’s been a change in leadership at Rhythmlink International LLC. Harold Kaefer has been hired as the firm’s new engineering director to manage Rhythmlink’s burgeoning engineering department.

Kaefer has more than 20 years of experience in the medical device, diagnostic and laser industries, according to a news release announcing his appointment. Though it did not delve into his background, the release stated that Kaefer has “extensive knowledge of regulatory requirements, manufacturing and operating processes as well as management and technical expertise.”

Kaefer received both his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering technology and his master’s degree in business administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University, which has several campuses in New Jersey. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., Rhythmlink International designs, manufactures and distributes neurodiagnostic accessories and provides custom packaging, private labeling, custom product and contract manufacturing services to its customers. Its products include subdermal needle electrodes and EEG/PSG (electroencephalography/polysomnograph) electrodes and skin prepping gels.