Management Team

Ed Sawyer, BSEE, MBA
President and CEO
In 2002, Mr. Ed Sawyer purchased SBE Inc. and led the transformation of the company into the next sustainable era by first developing protectable technology and then building the capacity to manufacture it profitably. Since joining the company, Mr. Sawyer has successfully raised $5 Million in capital to support the growth of SBE and, in August of 2009, was able to secure a $9.1 Million US Department of Energy grant to bring high volume manufacturing capability to the company at its Barre, Vermont headquarters facility. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Sawyer worked at Banta Corporation as a VP of North American Operations, with responsibility for over 1500 employees covering 4 locations in the U.S. and Mexico, and prior to that as a Project Leader, for the green field start‐up of a Business Server Hard Drive Configuration and Final Assembly plant for Compaq Computer, where he took the business from only 25 people to over 700, occupying 500,000 square feet and producing $75 Million in revenue, over a period of 24 months. Previously, he was Business Unit General Manager for Emerson Electric Company (1995-1999) where he was responsible for the worldwide sensors and thermistors business and the establishment of new production facilities in China and Mexico. Mr. Sawyer has a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Colorado State University.

Paul Nelson, BSChe, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Paul Nelson joined SBE Inc. in October 2009. He is responsible for all day-to-day operations activities of the company. Before joining SBE Inc., Mr. Nelson was employed by Hamilton Sundstrand as an Internal Operations Consultant responsible for the training and deployment of Lean Six Sigma in both manufacturing and business transactions processes throughout the corporation. Prior to Hamilton Sundstrand, Mr. Nelson has held broad technical and management positions in Operations, Supply Chain Management, and Business Development for several multi-national companies in the field of Electronic/ Electro-Mechanical Contract Manufacturing, serving customers in Military/Aerospace, Automotive, and Medical Devices. He also has extensive international experience. Mr. Nelson was an Executive Supply Chain Director for Gerber Scientific, a capital equipment manufacturer, and General Manager for both Sanmina-SCI Tech Center East and Parlex Corporation’s Military Flex Circuit Division, serving customers such as Philips Medical, Medtronic, MA/Com, Harris Communication, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and L3 Communications. Mr. Nelson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1983 and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1992. He also received a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma in 2008.

Bob Britt, BSA, MBA, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Bob Britt joined SBE inc. in February 2010. Prior to joining SBE, Mr. Britt worked as an independent financial & management consultant for 7 years assisting growing, entrepreneurial businesses in developing their business plans, obtaining growth capital, and improving management reporting and profitability. Mr. Britt previously worked for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. in Waterbury, Vermont for 10 years where he served as Chief Financial Officer and was on the Board of Directors. While at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Mr. Britt managed their initial public offering and helped grow the Company from $14 million to $100 million in sales.
Mr. Britt holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Britt is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Mr. Britt serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Vermont Economic Development Authority and is on the Board of Directors of Local Motion, a greater Burlington non-profit organization promoting active recreation and transportation for healthy Vermont communities.

Mark Browning, BSME
Vice-President, Power Ring Division
Mr. Mark Browning joined SBE in 1989 as manager of technical sales and account development. Throughout his career at SBE he has been involved in many aspects of business development, including new product launches, sales and customer service management, design engineering, and key marketing activities. Mr. Browning’s experience from both a technical nature and customer relationship perspective provide for a strong interface between engineering, production and the customer. In 2002, Mark was a partner with Ed Sawyer in the purchase of SBE. Today he manages the operations of the Power Ring division after having led the launch the Power Ring product. He oversees the design cycle and fulfillment process for this innovative technology. Prior to SBE he spent 5 years in the HVAC industry in technical sales and customer service. Mr Browning holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Maine.

Jim Crawley, BSIM, MSA
Vice-President, Automotive Business Development
Mr. Jim Crawley joined SBE in November 2009. He has an extensive automotive background in sales and marketing in advanced technologies and electronics as the Senior Global Sales Manager at Littelfuse, Inc. responsible for new business development and customer relationship management at major OEMs and tier one automotive companies such as General Motors, Chrysler, Nissan, Delphi and others since 2007. From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Crawley started and led JJC Automotive Consulting, LLC, as the Director of Global Sales and Marketing, working with clients from Europe and Asia. From 1995 to 2006, he was a Senior Account Executive at Gentex Corporation leading the General Motors Business Unit advanced selling effort of auto dimming mirrors and new technology for the $260 Million group. Previously, he worked in sales for Collins & Aikman Automotive Textiles Group and for Textron Corporation, managing top automaker accounts in both companies. Mr. Crawley has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Lawrence Technological University and a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University.

Terry Hosking, BSEE, MSEE
Vice-President, Engineering
Mr. Terry Hosking joined SBE Inc. in 1994. He has developed industry leading technologies in Film Capacitors. He has extensive knowledge in the manufacturing process and in material selection and design. Mr. Hosking is the senior technical interface with customers for application and design support. He is the inventor of record for several patents on SBE capacitor technologies, and has written and presented many publications and papers in the field. Prior to SBE, Mr. Hosking worked as a Senior Engineer at Digital Equipment Corp. in the Power Supply Design and Manufacturing Engineering departments. Mr. Hosking holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson College and a Master in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont.

David Goonan, BSE
Director of Finance
Mr. David Goonan joined SBE in October 2008. Prior to that, he was Director of Finance Planning and Analysis at Tweeter Opco LLC, and from 2004 to 2007 was a Senior Business Manager for Adidas-Reebok, managing $80MM specialty and apparel business groups from the finance and operations perspective. His previous positions include Manager of Finance Planning and Budget at Tweeter, and Business Analyst at Reebok. Mr Goonan holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Northeastern University, Boston, MA.

Christine Sawyer, MBA
Director of Marketing
Mrs. Christine Sawyer joined SBE in October 2009, after having serviced the company as a marketing consultant since 2003. She brings 25 years of experience in strategic marketing and communications. Prior to joining SBE, she has worked for the international healthcare company Hoescht-Marion-Roussel (now Sanofi-Aventis) and the international advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather before starting her own business in 2003. In her various positions, she has been responsible for the launch and marketing of a number of products with multi-million dollar marketing budgets. She holds a Bachelor degree in Business Management from ESC Nantes, France and an MBA from Bowling Green State University, Ohio.