Leadership

Steve was appointed President and CEO of Ashcroft in 2011 following a 20 year track record of leadership roles within the company. Since 1990, he has served in a variety of management positions, becoming an executive board member in 2000 as Senior Vice President of Global Operations. Steve's industry knowledge, expertise and personal commitment to standards of care and excellence have positioned Ashcroft to continuously exceed customer expectations. Steve began his career at C. Cowles in 1983 where he served seven years as Quality Manager and Vice President of Operations. Steve earned his MBA from Quinnipiac University, his Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Fairfield University and has a Six Sigma Black Belt. His affiliations include Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Manufacture CT, CBIA and Vistage.

Steve is an avid sports fan, having followed, coached and played in numerous sports through the years.

Ask the President: The entire Ashcroft team is committed to improving your experience, including the President. Steve wants to hear from you.

John joined Ashcroft Inc. as CFO in August of 2021, leading the financial aspects of the company and is responsible for financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, risk management, tax management and credit and collections. Prior to Ashcroft, John held global roles with increasing responsibility including CFO, Chief Accounting Officer, Leader of Finance and Pricing Strategy. His vast industry experience includes technology, transportation, consumer products, and mostly manufacturing acquired through his time at Xylem, ITT Corporation, IBM, Element Solutions, Pitney Bowes, PepsiCo and PricewaterhouseCoopers. John is a CPA and holds an MBA in Finance from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University where he also received his B.S. in Accounting. He currently serves on the Audit Committee of the North Salem Central School District.

John has been a long-standing sports fan, participant and coach of youth sports including baseball, basketball and soccer. In recent years, he has become a devoted golfer.

Jim is responsible for P&L management of the Stratford and Querétaro locations to achieve excellence, deliver profitability and drive world-class lean manufacturing.  A team member since 1993, Jim most recently served as Vice President of Global Operations.  Prior to that, he held several leadership positions within the company including Director of Manufacturing, Manufacturing Manager, Electronic Products and Manager Customer Service and Sales Support. Jim attended Southern Connecticut State University and earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Charter Oak State College. Professional affiliations include ManufactureCT, formerly the New Haven Manufacturers Association.

Sheila is our Vice President of Human Resources leading the company’s HR team initiatives, including talent acquisition, retention and the employee experience, training and development, wellness and safety, labor relations and community engagement.  In this role she is responsible for ensuring Ashcroft has dynamic, diverse and skilled people in place to drive our growth and strategic plan.  Sheila has held numerous roles in Ashcroft, managed through many acquisitions and divestitures and was appointed Vice President in 2018. Sheila holds a B.S. in Finance from Fairfield University and attended certificate studies at Cornell University ILR School. She is a member of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council’s Board of Directors, Stratford Chamber of Commerce Executive Board, and Vice President of Board of Directors, Burroughs Community Center, SHRM, CBIA and ManufactureCT. 

You can find Sheila boating and at the beach with her family in the summer, skiing in Killington, VT in the winter and enjoying time outdoors.

Tyler joined the Executive Team in November 2016 as Director of Engineering and promoted to Vice President in April 2021. He is responsible for leading the developmental engineering activities including new products, product upgrades and Custom Engineering Solutions (CES^SM) to deliver the most reliable and innovative product solutions to meet our customer's demanding requirements. He began his career at Ashcroft in 1997 as an engineering co-op while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After joining the company full time in 1999 as a Development Engineer, he advanced through the company as Project Engineer, Senior Project Engineer and Senior Project Engineer/Lead Mechanical Engineer in which he was the key project leader and designer for numerous products. Tyler earned his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Tyler is a highly skilled wood worker whose accomplishments include making furniture for his home and an outdoor hockey rink for his three boys to use in the winter.  He also coaches youth hockey and enjoys tackling DIY projects.

Jim is Vice President of Information Technology, responsible for global infrastructure and cybersecurity strategies, ERP systems, telecommunications, data analysis, and strategic planning for Ashcroft's ever-changing IT needs. He joined Ashcroft in 2007 and has held numerous roles in Ashcroft and was promoted to Vice President in 2021. Prior to Ashcroft, Jim served as IT Manager at ASML and Silicon Valley Group. He also served as Manufacturing Engineer-Factory Automation at Norden Systems. Jim is currently enrolled in the M.I.T. Sloan school for Executive Leadership, attended the University of Connecticut and earned a master’s certificate for Client-Server Technologies at Fairfield University.

Jim enjoys gardening, bowling, golfing (badly), and music. He was one of the founding members of the FM radio station WMNR.

Adam is General Manager for Latin America and has been our Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Americas since 2014, leading the company’s sales and marketing teams in the Americas and is responsible for product strategy and driving sales growth in this market. Prior to joining the executive team, Adam was responsible for the sales and marketing of our electronic products.  His previous experience includes 10 years in the industrial sensor business including roles in sales management, marketing and engineering at GE Druck and Gems Sensors. Adam earned his B.S. in Physics from the University of Maryland.

Adam is an enthusiastic football fan and enjoys fishing, kayaking and spending time outdoors with his family.

Sam is the Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Middle East markets. He is responsible for the overall operations, strategy and revenue growth in these regions. A team member since 1999, Sam was the Director of Sales and Marketing (APAC/EMEA) & General Manager (China), Business Unit Manager, and Senior Analyst/Project Leader. His initial role with the company was Business Analyst. Sam earned a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Information Systems from Post University, an MBA from the University of Connecticut, and an M.S. in Computer Information Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Hartford Graduate Center.

Markus Best is Vice President and General Manager for Europe and Africa markets. He is responsible for overall operations, strategy, sales growth, business returns and P&L management in these regions. He joined Ashcroft in 2019 with extensive sales, marketing and engineering experience from previous positions at MGB Engineering, Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH, Helios Ventilatoren GmbH und Co. and WIKA. Markus holds an engineering degree in energy and building services engineering from TH Köln, Germany.

As a passionate jogger he enjoys sports in his private life. Furthermore, Markus is interested in European history and current social and political contexts.

Kazuto serves as Senior Vice President and liaison between Ashcroft and Nagano Keiki, Ashcroft's parent company in Japan. He is responsible for areas including finance, internal audits, co-working development for marketing. He started with Nagano Keiki in 2013 and joined Ashcroft in 2014. Prior to joining this industry, he worked for Mizuho Bank, Ltd from 1983 to 2013. Kazuto has extensive experience in the corporate finance and international business areas. He also has over 10 years of management experience not only in Japan, but also in France, England and Canada. Kazuto earned his Bachelor's degree in Law from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan.