Management
Mathew "Matt" Johnston joined LE in January 2000 as Vice President of Business Development and was appointed to President/CEO in August of 2001. Prior to joining LE, Matt worked in the following roles:
President, SAE (Stanford Applied Engineering) a $200 Million contract manufacturer with facilities in the US, Mexico and Asia. SAE specializes in manufacturing electronic assemblies, PCBs, PCBAs, high volume machining, coil winding and magnetic assembly. SAE is a major supplier to the computer disk drive marketplace.
Senior V.P. Sales & Marketing, Ugimag Inc. (division of Carbonne Lorraine, $2B) a $250 million manufacturer of rare earth permanent magnets and magnetic assembly. Matt was responsible for all North American sales activities. Ugimag is the third largest magnet producer in the world and a major supplier to the motor industry.
Senior V.P. General Manager, Sinteris Inc. Matt was an equity partner of Sinteris, an industry-leading manufacturer of magnetic actuators and motor products. Sinteris’ growth rate was aggressive: $0 - $45M in three years. Matt was responsible for transferring the business to Asia and negotiating two joint ventures. He lived and worked in the Far East for more than two years overseeing all manufacturing and profit and loss activity. Matt is versed in all aspects of manufacturing both domestic and offshore and is a sponsored graduate of the Academy of Industry with a degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology.
Jeffery "Jeff" Whipple joined LE in 2002 shortly after the company relocated to Indiana as one of the very first employees hired. Jeff has been a member of both the LE Engineering and Sales teams from his earliest days with the company, and has brought with him a unique blend of Program Management and Client Development skills. Most recently, Jeff has filled a dual role of Engineering Manager and Director of LE’s Asian Operations. Simultaneous to his work in China, Jeff directs LE’s domestic engineering team. Concurrent with the growth of Light Engineering, Jeff has been a key individual in moving the technology from a patented idea to manufacturability for a wide range of products and systems.
Previous to LE, Jeff was the USA Engineering Support Manager for Pi Research, the world leader in motorsports electronics. Jeff’s responsibilities included direct engineering management of the American staff and oversight of the design, development, and execution of special engineering projects for teams and sanctioning bodies. Clients included The Indy Racing League, NASCAR, ChampCar, NHRA, and others.
Jeff holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. During his time at Purdue, Jeff was invited to join a prestigious internship program with NASA. Based at the Lewis Research Center, Jeff was a Space Experiment Design Team Member.
Steven "Steve" Melson, Director of New Product Development at LE, joined the company in 2006 with a wealth of hands-on experience in engineering. Steve owned his own consulting business for seven years, working closely with the Indy Racing League in consulting, designing, and management capacities. He also worked in design and manufacturing in the aerospace industry while operating Melson Consulting.
For eleven years prior to coming to LE, Steve worked with numerous open wheel, sports car, and NASCAR teams, including Team Menard, Hendrick Motorsports, and PPI Motorsports. Within these teams he took on various managerial roles such as Team Manager, Engineer, and Crew Chief.
Jin "Jason" Zhou joined LE in Nov 2006 as the Executive Director of LE China. In this position, Jason is responsible for all the commercial activities of LE China including sales, marketing, operations and public relations.
Jason has an extensive background in the areas of high tech, manufacturing and business development. Jason previously served as Senior Manager for GS Magic Inc., a high-tech electronics products manufacturer for the HDD industry. Jason holds a MS in Microelectronics Engineering from Fudan University.
Michael "Mike" Korinko joined LE in 2006 as Materials Manager and now serves as the Director of Commercial Products. Mike brings over 20 years of purchasing, quality, and manufacturing experience in the electronics, aerospace, defense, and automotive industries to LE. He is responsible for management of LE’s commercial products as well as government contracts.
Before LE, Mike has worked for various other multinational corporations, among them Kollmorgen Corporation, Axsys Technologies, Solectron Technology, Inc. and the federal government. Throughout his career, Mike has worked as a Materials Manager, Engineer, Purchasing Manager, and Contract Specialist. Mike served in the United States Army and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Point Park University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.