Al Etheridge

Al Etheridge - Innovation Program Manager / Technical ConsultantAl earned both his B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga.His manufacturing experience has taken him from clean rooms to coal-fired power plants, from 24-7 continuous processes to low volume high-tech prototyping, and from near-commodity items to singular, new technologies.His career in manufacturing engineering began in the textile industry with Shaw Industries of Dalton, Ga., and Softrol Systems of Acworth, Ga. Since earning master's degree, Al has spent eight years working in the engineering and manufacturing development of emerging technologies in the defense industry with Northrop Grumman ESSS in Baltimore, Md., and in photonics and atmospheric sensing with several venture-funded start-up companies.In his most recent position with Zolo Technologies of Boulder, Co., Al was responsible for various aspects of component and system design and manufacturing.He was ultimately responsible for customer implementation, including system installation, service, and customer relations related to these functions.Al joined MTES in February, 2006 to develop the Continuous Innovation Initiative.