ESE, Inc., Appoints Michael Richart as Director of Business Operations

MARSHFIELD, Wis. (April 21, 2015) – ESE, Inc., has named Michael Richart as the company’s director of business operations. Richart brings more than 20 years of experience as a versatile strategic executive. The announcement was made by Tom Walther, president and chief executive officer of ESE, a control system integration company providing design and development of plant automation systems for the food and beverage industry.

Richart will lead the Sales and Business Operations areas of ESE. Throughout his career, Richart has helped companies succeed by optimizing the intersection of data, people, process and technology. Richart possesses a unique combination of General Management, Strategic Planning, Large Scale Program Management (Enterprise Resource Planning, Sales, Category Management, Analytics, Procurement) Sales & Category Management, Supply Chain Planning, Process and Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, IT, Consulting, Business Startup and major business transformation leadership across an array of industries (electronics, consumer goods, automotive, healthcare and agriculture). “Michael’s diverse experience and international roles have built a solid business background,” Walther said. “He is renown in envisioning broad business strategy and developing executional plans that deliver results in large, complex businesses as well as small businesses and startups. He has a proven track record, leading through uncertainty, developing ‘what can be’ through strong change leadership.” Richart was previously the Managing Director of IntelliWorks, LLC, providing consulting services focusing on change management, transformation, program management, strategic planning and organizational effectiveness. Prior to that, he was a director with Kimberly-Clark for 14 ½ years, involved with: Strategic Planning; Large Scale Project Management – ERP; Sales & Information Technology Director; Manager, Sales & Category Development; Team Leader, Demand Management; and Supply Chain Analyst. He also worked in manufacturing for the Cummins, Inc., as a manufacturing engineer and operations manager. Richart received his Bachelor of Sciences degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, and his MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. ESE, Inc., a 100 percent employee-owned organization, has been designing and commissioning plant automation systems for food and beverage applications since 1986.