Noted innovators and thought leaders in the field
Co-Founder, CEO & Chief Engineer
President & CFO
Co-Founder & Senior Software Architect
Vice President of Sales
Vice President of Strategy and Business Development
Vice President of Marketing
Customer Success Manager
Sales Associate
Project Manager
Director of Engineering
Director, Quality and Manufacturing
Director of Programs
Sr. Embedded Software Engineer
Senior Hardware Engineer
Eric Bechhoefer is a retired Naval Flight Officer who has worked in aviation for over 35 years. He served in key engineering roles at MITRE Corporation and Goodrich Sensors & Integrated Systems, where he was a senior contributor in research and development for helicopter condition-based maintenance systems. He is a Fellow at the Prognostic and Health Management Society, IEEE Senior Member, and sits on both the Vertical Flight Society’s HUMS Technical Committee and the SAE Aerospace HM-1 Committee covering Integrated Vehicle Health Management.
Bechhoefer holds a degree from the University of Michigan. He has an MS in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a PhD in Engineering (specializing in digital signal processing) from Kennedy Western University. His credits includes 150+ journal papers and 33 patents in the field of condition monitoring.
Jed Kalkstein has a diverse background that includes operating roles in executive management of startup and growth-stage companies, turnarounds, and venture capital investing. He has served on several corporate and non-profit boards of directors, and held positions at or partnered closely with technology companies including SmartEquip, Inc., Perimeter Internetworking Corporation, Pwnie Express and the venture capital fund, Connecticut Innovations.
In addition to GPMS, Kalkstein currently serves on the Board of Managers for the VSJF Flexible Capital Fund (a $3M socially oriented investment fund) and served as the Treasurer for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and on the Board of the Mad River Glen ski area.
Kalkstein graduated with honors from Hobart College with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, and holds an MBA from the School of Management at Yale University. He lives in Vermont with his wife and two active teenagers. He spends his free time either on skis or mountain biking, depending on the weather.
With more than thirty years’ experience as a software engineer in the aerospace industry, Jack Taylor has been an individual contributor and a project team leader in the specification, design, and implementation of real-time embedded software and data visualization systems for aerospace applications. He is an expert in the unique challenges of developing real-time software systems including hardware-software interfaces, real-time operating systems, and memory and timing constraints.
Taylor has a BS in Computer Science from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Long Beach, CA, where he has a long list of woodworking and home improvement projects.
Todd Powers is the Vice President of Sales at GPMS. With a career spanning more than three decades, he is a recognized leader throughout the rotorcraft industry. Utilizing expert product knowledge and vast industry experience, Powers has led, managed, and flown for aviation programs in the corporate, charter/tour, and air medical segments, including time as the chief pilot for REACH Air Medical Services.
Most recently, Powers completed an 18-year career with Airbus Helicopters as one of the top, global sales leaders. With more than 500 aircraft sold and sales revenue eclipsing $2.5 billion, he was consistently responsible for between 30-50% of annual sales volume for North America.
In his role as Vice President of Sales at GPMS, Powers will drive the company’s efforts to expand the footprint of Foresight MX and champion the adoption of HUMS as standard equipment in rotorcraft operations.
Todd lives in Utah with his family and enjoys golfing during his downtime.
Andrew is an experienced B2B marketer with a deep understanding of the IoT sector. Previously he served as the head of marketing and business development for the industrial computer manufacturer Logic Supply. There, he oversaw the company’s relationship with Intel’s Internet of Things Group as well as AWS and Azure. He ran a global team covering everything from branding through demand generation and helped grow the company 3X (to nearly $50M) in under seven years. Andrew is a graduate of Williams College and has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
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Ronnie Ries is the VP of Marketing at GPMS. Ronnie has led the promotion and sales of military, commercial, and aftermarket for nearly 20 years. Previously, he served as Head of Commercial Marketing & Customer Experience at Bell where he led the digital transformation with projects includes an immersive digital marketing experience, a new customer portal, development of configurator tools, deployment/management of Salesforce.com and more. He ran a global marketing team covering all the commercial products and services across the regions.
Ries is a graduate of Texas A&M University-Kingsville and has an MBA from Texas Christian University (TCU). He previously served as Chair of the Transportation Research Board – Civil Helicopter Subcommittee and is a certified Six Sigma Green and Black Belt. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and 4 children, though that tends to grow throughout the year as they are a foster/adoption family. He enjoys spending his free time playing video games (with or without his kids!) and binge-watching shows while BBQing.
Josh is head of Customer Success at GPMS. Josh is a licensed aircraft mechanic with 19 years’ experience in the helicopter industry. He has worked on many different airframes including Bell 206,407,427,430,412; Sikorsky S76, AS350 and EC145. He has experience in Oil and Gas, EMS and Commercial Air Charter industries. Prior to GPMS Josh held roles in Field Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Training, Reliability, Tech Support and as the Director of Maintenance for a part 135 Helicopter Operator. He specialized in HUMS analysis and program implementation. Josh’s hobbies are fishing, woodworking and home remodeling. He lives near Galveston TX with his wife and 12 yr old son.
Javier is a FAA licensed airframe powerplant mechanic with 20 plus years of experience in the helicopter industry. His career began in the US Navy on UH-1N/AH-1W airframes and soon after progressed onto other airframes such as Bell 206, 407, 212, 412; Airbus AS-350, AS-355, EC-155, EC-120, and Leonardo AW119, AW139. His experience ranges everywhere from Oil & Gas to field mechanic supporting remote aerial firefighting and seismic surveying aircraft. Before starting his career at GPMS Javier’s adventurous career took him to the southern tip of South America and to northern tip of North America. Besides roles as a field A&P mechanic, Javier has held roles in Tech Support and as a Fleet Type Inspector. When he is not working, he enjoys running, flying drones, and spending time his family in Katy, Texas.
Joelle began working in the aerospace industry as a Supplier Quality Engineer, gaining expertise in machined products, cable and harness assemblies, and circuit card assemblies at UTC Aerospace Systems. She joins the GPMS team as a Project Manager working on customer, regulatory, and product development programs. Joelle attended Clarkson University in New York and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in both Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering. She resides in Vermont and spends her free time running, practicing yoga, or in the mountains hiking and snowboarding.
With over 35 years in the aerospace industry as a mechanical engineer, Joe Colucci has experience on various military, commercial and business fixed wing and rotorcraft programs. From full scale development to flight test engineering, he has been extensively involved in all aspects of the design and project management process. With a primary focus on manufacturability and cost optimization, Joe can design the most accurate and streamlined solutions possible. His involvement on numerous STC programs has been an invaluable asset.
Joe received his Bachelor of Engineering from Hofstra University in New York. He currently lives in Texas and enjoys reading, hiking and balances his work by practicing yoga.
Michael has spent his career optimizing production while maintaining rigorous quality controls. A former Senior Quality Engineer with Collins Aerospace, he held PCB assembly, quality, and technical service roles at the global plasma cutting manufacturer Hypertherm. He holds a degree in Electro Mechanical Engineering as well as an MBA in Quantitative Analysis.
Dale Hinds is a retired UK Ministry of Defense technical program manager with 32 years of experience working in Commercial and Defense technical programs, including aviation and ground platform systems. He has worked with major OEMs and their subcontractors, gaining extensive program/project experience in helicopter and fixed wing TSO/STC and PMA FAA and EASA certification.
He studied at Glamorgan University in South Wales and has a BS in Electronic Systems Engineering. Hinds is a certified Project Manager in Controlled Environments II (PRINCE 2) Practitioner/Facilitator and a Member of the Association for Project Management (MAPM).
Hinds has extensive recent program/project experience in helicopter and fixed wing STC Certification. He excels at delivering complex technical initiatives and projects to on-time, on-budget conclusions within high-pressure environments. To decompress, he indulges in the time-honored British pastimes of rugby and throwing darts.
Srinivas “Sri” Tummala is a Senior Software Developer for GPMS. Prior to GPMS, he worked in the automotive industry for 11 years with a primary focus on the development and production of advanced safety products such as Driver Assistance Systems, Crash Detection and Sensing, and Brake Systems. At GPMS, Sri enjoys using his skills to push the boundaries of HUMS technology with the goal to ensure the safety and reliability of the vehicles and their passengers. Sri graduated from Oakland University in 2010 with a Master’s Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Outside of work, Sri enjoys traveling and trying new cuisines with friends and family.
As an electrical engineer for a leading semiconductor automation company for 30 years, Jim designed the hardware for many successful IC fabrication products currently operating all over the world. Jim brings a creative approach to hardware design tempered by a practical sense for creating reliable and successful products that comply with industry standards.
Jim graduated Cum Laude from Keene State College in New Hampshire where he was awarded an Associate of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. Jim is also a successful guitarist having recorded on over 75 CD albums over his musical carrier.
Brian Flynn co-founded Volaris (NYSE: VLRS), Mexico’s second largest airline. He also co-founded Casino Marketing Alliance, a travel analytics and marketing firm. Mr. Flynn helped form The Metropolitan Bank and build it to $1.3B in assets. Among other investments, Mr. Flynn led the acquisition and turnaround of Victory Refrigeration which led to a 13x return for investors.
He previously was a Managing Director at Bachow & Associates, the then largest private equity fund in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with investors such as CalPERS and the Ford Foundation. At Bachow, he identified, negotiated an investment in or acquisition of, built, grew, and sold companies in a variety of industries.
Mr. Flynn served as CEO of Innova Corporation (now Harris Corporation: HRS), a leading telecom equipment company that resulted in a 22x return for investors. Prior to Bachow, he was a consultant at Bain & Company where he met Mr. Donovan. Mr. Flynn also worked for DLJ in investment banking and GE Capital in finance.
He is a Beta Gamma Sigma graduate of Columbia Business School and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Williams College, and he also studied at the London School of Economics. He sits/sat on various public and private company boards of directors
Kenneth A. Bronfin is senior managing director of Hearst Ventures, the corporate venture capital unit of Hearst.
Bronfin joined Hearst in 1996 and has held a number of leadership positions at the company. He previously served as president of Hearst Interactive Media and Technology Group, which led Hearst’s efforts in digital media alongside the company’s media operating groups.
Under Bronfin’s leadership, Hearst Ventures has grown to become one of the most active and successful corporate venture funds in the world with more than $1 billion invested to date. Hearst Ventures currently operates in the United States, China, Europe and Israel. In addition to Bronfin’s role driving the growth and success of Hearst Ventures, he acts as a strategic resource to Hearst businesses as they pursue their own digital operational and M&A strategies.
Previously, Bronfin was with NBC for over 10 years, where he served as general manager of NBC’s digital television group, a founder of the Interactive Media Group and vice president of NBC Cable and Business Development. Bronfin began his career as an engineering manager at an early-stage marine technology business in New Orleans.
In addition to his responsibilities serving on the boards of Hearst Ventures’ portfolio businesses, Bronfin also serves on the board of directors of Hasbro Corporation, as well as a broad array of civic, educational and not-for-profit social services boards.
Bronfin holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Tom Benson has spent more than 25 years developing and directing high-tech hardware and software projects, and leading companies focused on monitoring, collecting data, and developing and delivering maintenance management solutions to the business aviation industry. Most recently he was the Chief Strategy Officer at CAMP Systems International where he oversaw significant company growth, resulting in a multibillion-dollar private equity exit transaction. Prior to that, he was the Executive Vice President and General Manager at AMSTAT where he oversaw a transformation of the business to a modern, web-based SaaS platform, along with a customer-driven mindset.
John was fortunate enough to grow up in aviation. Prior to launching an entrepreneurship career, he worked as a machinist, aircraft mechanic, commercial pilot and flight instructor for his family’s aircraft company, Schweizer Aircraft. Then with a mechanical engineering degree and MBA in hand, he hired himself out and orchestrated turn-arounds for Rossignol Ski Company, Exel Composites and Karhu and Otter Creek Brewing. Between these projects, he started Merrell Footwear, Garmont and Rowing Innovations. Currently, John’s focus is on angel investing in start-ups and serving as chairman of Audubon Vermont. His free time activities include pounding nails at his compound in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, playing with grandchildren, birding, reading history plus skiing, hiking and tennis with his wife Jennifer Lucas.
Eric Bechhoefer is a retired Naval Flight Officer who has worked in aviation for over 35 years. He served in key engineering roles at MITRE Corporation and Goodrich Sensors & Integrated Systems, where he was a senior contributor in research and development for helicopter condition-based maintenance systems. He is a Fellow at the Prognostic and Health Management Society, IEEE Senior Member, and sits on both the Vertical Flight Society’s HUMS Technical Committee and the SAE Aerospace HM-1 Committee covering Integrated Vehicle Health Management.
Bechhoefer holds a degree from the University of Michigan. He has an MS in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a PhD in Engineering (specializing in digital signal processing) from Kennedy Western University. His credits includes 150+ journal papers and 33 patents in the field of condition monitoring.
With more than thirty years’ experience as a software engineer in the aerospace industry, Jack Taylor has been an individual contributor and a project team leader in the specification, design, and implementation of real-time embedded software and data visualization systems for aerospace applications. He is an expert in the unique challenges of developing real-time software systems including hardware-software interfaces, real-time operating systems, and memory and timing constraints.
Taylor has a BS in Computer Science from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Long Beach, CA, where he has a long list of woodworking and home improvement projects.