Stephen Verget

Chief Financial Officer

Stephen Verget joined Philadelphia Gear in early 2002 as the company's Chief Financial Officer, charged with leading all accounting, financial analysis, treasury and IT functions for Philadelphia Gear. He also plays a key leadership role in executing the company's aftermarket business model.

Prior to joining Philadelphia Gear, Steve spent 23 years in various financial leadership roles with E.I. DuPont de Nemours in Wilmington, DE where he held CFO positions within several business units, including Agricultural Biotechnology, Advanced Materials, Agricultural Products North America, and Information Technology.

Steve earned his bachelor's degree in Accounting in 1978 from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York. He later went on to receive his master's degree in Business Administration in 1984 from Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania. Steve and his family live in the Philadelphia region.

Jules DeBaecke

Vice President, Engineering

As Vice President of Engineering, located at the company's corporate headquarters in King of Prussia, Jules DeBaecke is responsible for maintaining and enhancing Philadelphia Gear's leadership role within the industry as world-class engineering experts. Jules joined Philadelphia Gear in 1981 as Engineering Design Manager for the Synchrotorque (hydroviscous clutch) and Marine Divisions, as well as Manager of Production Engineering for all products. Since then, he has also held positions as Product Manager for the marketing and sales of Marine, Synchrotorque, Test Stand, Material Handling and High Speed product lines; and Marketing Manager.

Prior to 1981, Jules was employed by the Naval Ship Engineering Center, Philadelphia Division, where he was responsible for research, development, test and evaluation of U.S. Naval main propulsion equipment, as well as fleet machinery maintenance worldwide for this equipment. At the project level, he was recognized as the U.S. Navy's clutch expert for equipment installed on Naval vessels including gas turbine driven cruisers and destroyers, nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers.

Jules holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and his wife live in the Philadelphia area.

Boyd Swearingen

General Manager, Gulf Coast and Latin American Regions

As General Manager, Boyd Swearingen oversees the activities at Philadelphia Gear's Gulf Coast regional service center, located in Houston, TX. This facility is strategically located to serve PGC's customer's in the Power Generation, Hydrocarbon Processing, Pipeline, Cement and Rubber industries, among others. Boyd also oversees PGC activities in Latin America, supervising Philadelphia Gear's Direct Sales force in Latin America.

Drawing from 20-plus years of experience in the gear industry, most recently as Regional Sales Manager for Philadelphia Gear, where he was responsible for the Gulf Coast and Southeast Regional sales teams, Boyd has proven himself as a leader capable of implementing a strategic vision and for bringing tactical innovations to bear in an extremely competitive environment. Prior to rejoining Philadelphia Gear, Boyd was Manager of Sales and Marketing at C-B Gear & Machine, Inc., where he generated business opportunities in Mexico and Ecuador.

Boyd's educational background includes an Associate's Degree of applied science in drafting and design technology, at Angelina College. He has also taken various engineering and business classes and currently resides in the greater Houston area with his family.

Richard Chrzanowski

General Manager, Eastern Region

Rich Chrzanowski holds the position of General Manager of Philadelphia Gear's Eastern Region. Service Centers in the region include the New Castle, DE and Birmingham, AL facilities. Paramount among Rich's responsibilities is the implementation of Philadelphia Gear's aftermarket suite of services for its customer base, extending from Maine to Florida and encompassing 18 states, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec and eastern Ontario.

Rich joined Philadelphia Gear in 1996 and immediately distinguished himself as an Operations Manager of the Bevel Gear Cell. Rich was then promoted to Director of Customer and Field Service where he helped lead the effort to increase response times to customers in significant areas such as quote development, contracts and pricing, and on-time delivery. Rich's previous experience includes 10 years with the Crane Company where he held various positions in engineering and product management.

Rich graduated from Penn State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He and his family live in the greater Philadelphia area.

Nels Mitchel

General Manager, Midwest Region

Nels Mitchel, General Manager of Philadelphia Gear's Midwest Regional Service Center, located in Mokena Il, oversees the overhaul, manufacturing and service activities in this key geographic area. Covering a territory that consists of twelve states, the Midwest RSC is strategically located to serve PGC's customer base in such mission critical industries as Power Generation, Hydrocarbon Processing, Automotive, Steel, Cement and Food Processing, among others. Nels also has responsibility for the Midwest Sales Team and for servicing the Ontario province of Canada.

Drawing from 15 years experience in various industrial settings, most recently as Regional Sales Manager for Philadelphia Gear's Western Region, where he was responsible for that region's sales force, Nels has proven himself as a strong commercial business leader capable of working at both the strategic and tactical levels. Prior to being promoted to this new role at Philadelphia Gear, Nels held management positions in Operations, Engineering and Sales throughout his career which includes time spent with Amoco, SKF, ITT-Goulds, as well as Philadelphia Gear.

Nels holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lives in the Chicago area with his family.

Tony Tartaglio

General Manager, Western Region

Tony Tartaglio is the General Manager of the Western Region Service Center, located in Lynwood, CA. Tony has been with Philadelphia Gear for more than 30 years and has held key positions in Application Engineering, Engineered Products, Precision Gearing, Aftermarket Sales and Field Sales. It is that 30 years of experience and knowledge that Tony applies to daily business operations on the West Coast. His stated goal is to leverage that knowledge to continue to grow the aftermarket business and build a support organization that is second to none in responding to customers' needs.

A Philadelphia area native, Tony relocated to California and served as Western Region Sales Manager for two years before accepting his new role as General Manager of all facility operations, including the direct sales force spread throughout the western U.S. The Lynwood facility is the largest of Philadelphia Gear's Regional Service Centers with more than 120,000 square feet dedicated to manufacturing, overhauling and upgrading all brands of gear drives.

Tony graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Villanova University and is a member of several professional organizations within the sales and engineering communities. He resides in Los Angeles.

Mike Bashour

General Manager, Southeast US and Caribbean Regions

Mike Bashour is the General Manager of Philadelphia Gear's Southeast Region Service Center, located in Hueytown, Alabama - just 15 miles southwest of Birmingham. As is the case with all of Philadelphia Gear's RSCs, the Birmingham facility is strategically located to serve the company's customers in the Power Generation, Hydrocarbon Processing, Pipeline, Automotive, Sugar, Cement and Rubber industries, among others. Mike is also responsible for PGC sales and operations in the Caribbean.

With over 15 years of experience in the gear industry, most recently as Regional Sales Manager for Philadelphia Gear, where he was responsible for the Southeast and Caribbean regional sales teams, Mike has proven himself as a key contributor to the commercial value proposition that PGC offers its customers. In his new role, Mike will be combining tactical execution expertise with a strong aftermarket strategic vision designed to provide his region's customers with the most innovative gearing solutions in the industry. Prior to joining Philadelphia Gear, Mike was in Sales Management at Lufkin Industries and Duff-Norton, Inc., respectively, where he managed territories throughout the east coast of the US.

Mike's educational background includes a B.S. in Business Administration from Indiana State University of Pennsylvania and many industrial and technical professional training programs. Mike currently resides in the greater Birmingham area with his family.