Governance

Steve Cripe, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

A senior financial executive with diverse experience in the automotive, construction equipment, chemical, and electronics industries, Steve Cripe has a proven track record of helping companies increase revenues, profitability and cash flow, improve operational performance, and create a culture committed to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Mr. Cripe’s extensive international and acquisition experience includes roles as CFO, Gear Products at Rexnord Industries, Group Controller at Manitowoc Crane Group, SVP & CFO for Grove Worldwide, VP – Finance at Tenneco Automotive, and other senor leadership positions. Mr. Cripe received a B.B.A. – Accounting from Marquette University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Sven K. Grasshoff

Vice President, Falcon Investment Advisors, LLC

Sven Grasshoff, Vice President, joined Falcon in November 2005. He was previously an Associate in the Corporate Development Group of Fischer Scientific International. Prior affiliations include Latona Associates and Citigroup Global Markets.

Mr. Grasshoff received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A. from the Johnson School at Cornell University, where he was a Park Fellow.

Vincent L. Martin

Chairman and CEO (Retired)

Vince Martin co-founded Jason in 1985, serving as Chairman and CEO until 1999, and as Chairman until 2004. Under his leadership Jason expanded beyond its strong U.S. base to become a global manufacturing leader. Mr. Martin also established the core strategies that continue to guide Jason’s growth.

Mr. Martin received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford and an M.B.A. from Harvard. In addition to being a Director of Jason, he serves on the boards of Modine Manufacturing and Husco International. He is a past board chair of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the United Performing Arts Fund, and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee. He is currently active with a variety of non-profit organizations.

John Schnabel

Partner, Falcon Investment Advisors, LLC

John S. Schnabel, Partner, joined Falcon at its inception. Mr. Schnabel was previously a Partner at Canterbury Capital Partners LLC. Prior affiliations include Generation Partners and General Motors Investment Management Corporation. Mr. Schnabel has served on the Board of Directors of numerous portfolio companies, including LVI Services, Seadrift, and Ampac Packaging.

Mr. Schnabel received a B.S. in Chemistry from Adelphi University, an M.B.A. with emphasis in Operations Research from Hofstra University, and an advanced studies certificate from New York University’s Stern School of Business Administration.

John Shaia

Partner, Saw Mill Capital

John joined Saw Mill Capital in 2002, after spending time as a Managing Director at Rutledge Capital, a middle-market buyout firm with a focus on manufacturing investments. Before his stint at Rutledge, John was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on acquisitions, restructurings, turnarounds and strategic repositioning. John’s career began as a Mechanical Design Engineer at ENSCO, Inc., an engineering services firm. John graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. in Engineering Sciences and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Dartmouth College. He also has an M.B.A. from The Darden School at the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School.

John is married with five children and is looking forward to when he will have time for hobbies.

Howard Unger

Managing Partner, Saw Mill Capital

Mr. Unger is the founding partner of Saw Mill Capital LLC, a private equity firm that acquires manufacturing and service companies. Saw Mill’s disciplined process and active involvement allow it to help companies reach their full potential by working collaboratively with their management teams and outside executives to create effective business strategies, implement best practices, and provide global market expertise.

Before founding Saw Mill in 1997, Mr. Unger was a founding partner of Chase Capital, Chase Manhattan Bank’s private equity investing group, which specialized in middle-market acquisitions, recapitalizations, and growth investments. Prior to forming Chase Capital, Mr. Unger was a Managing Director in Chase’s Merchant Banking Group, providing equity as well as senior and subordinated debt to leveraged transactions. Mr. Unger’s professional career began in 1983 with the Leveraged Capital Group of Citibank, providing debt financing for leveraged transactions.

Mr. Unger has a B.S. degree in Accounting from Binghamton University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. He is a Member of The Committee on Conscience of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

David C. Westgate

Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer

As Chairman, President, and CEO of Jason, David C. Westgate oversees a global family of manufacturing companies with 34 locations in the U.S. and 12 foreign countries. Jason companies lead the Finishing, Seating, Components, and Automotive Acoustics manufacturing markets.

One of Mr. Westgate’s key initiatives at Jason is the launch of the Jason Business System, a set of shared principles and process that foster best-in-class collaboration throughout the Jason family. JBS helps Jason companies out-execute the competition on everything from daily cost and overall quality to innovation and continuous improvement. He also led a successful global rebranding of Jason.

Mr. Westgate came to Jason from Rieter Automotive, a tier one global automotive supplier, where he was the CEO of Rieter’s Business Group Americas. He has also served as president of Inergy Automotive Systems and in a key leadership role at Rockwell International’s Off-Highway Products and Driveline Division.

Mr. Westgate earned his Master’s in Business Administration (M.B.A.) with Dean’s Award honors from the University of Notre Dame.