> Altela Management Profile
CEO Ned Godshall and CDO Matthew Bruff have proven business development skills as well as experience in revenue growth, customer development and successful exits for investors in prior companies. These entrepreneurs, along with experienced COO Mike Quinn, CFO Doug Penner, and Director of HR Shelley Barratt, keep Altela moving forward.
Ned A. Godshall, President and Chief Executive Officer:
Ned co-founded Altela in 2004, a 40-employee water desalination company based in Albuquerque and Denver, whose initial market is the generation of clean water from the oil and gas industry’s primary waste product: ‘produced water’. Ned is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and led four high-tech start-up companies since leaving Sandia National Laboratories in 1994. With extensive experience in venture-backed start-up and development-stage companies, both as an investor and founder, he first negotiated seed-round financing with venture capital firms and established the accounting, payroll, budgeting, tax, project management, IP, and corporate legal systems before leading these companies in their development and growth phases.
Prior to co-founding Altela, Ned’s most recent for-profit efforts have been in the ‘clean-tech’ space: the hydrogen economy (MesoFuel, Inc.) and photovoltaic solar cells (Advent Solar, Inc.). MesoFuel developed a new product for hydrogen fuel cells, and was sold to an international company less than two years after he founded it in 2002. He then became a Director and Chairman of the Board of Advent Solar, which completed two successful rounds of venture capital investment totaling $38 million during his tenure as Chairman. He also serves on numerous civic and non-profit Boards, including being named the 2011 Chairman of the University of New Mexico Anderson Business School's Foundation Board, and is a Leadership New Mexico alumnus.
Ned received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University, his MBA from the University of New Mexico, and his B.S. in Materials Engineering from Drexel University.
Matthew J. Bruff, Chief Development Officer and General Counsel:
Matthew co-founded Altela in 2004, a 40-employee water desalination company with offices in New Mexico, Colorado and Pennsylvania. Altela’s core market is the generation of clean water from the oil and gas industry’s primary waste product: produced water and frac water. He leads the company’s business development, environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property activities.
Matthew has over 17 years of experience in both the natural resource and technology industries and has acquired many precedent-setting legal and regulatory permits across the United States with respect to the treatment and beneficial re-use of oil and gas industry wastewater. Prior to co-founding Altela, Matthew was a shareholder with an AV-rated law firm specializing in environmental and natural resource law, utility law, and real property law. He managed the firm’s water rights transaction practice group representing major Fortune 100 companies, institutions, and other public and private clients in water rights and related natural resource matters. Matthew began his career working with Sandia National Laboratories in its Technology Transfer and Commercialization Center, where he assisted entrepreneurs commercializing new technology.
Matthew received his law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. He received his Masters in Business Administration in Economics, Environment, and Policy as well as his Bachelors in Business Administration in Finance and International Management from the Robert O. Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico.
Mike Quinn, Chief Operating Officer:
Mike is a high impact, customer-focused, operations leader with extensive Lean operations, manufacturing and engineering experience. His practical, action-oriented approach to management streamlines internal processes, adds value for customers and has consistently delivered meaningful results in a variety of industries including Automotive (Ford Motor Company, Toyota), Entertainment (United Artists, Universal Studios and Disney), Environmental (Aquafine Corporation) and Medical Device manufacturing (Classic Wire Cut).
As Vice President of Operations, Mike helped to more than double Aquafine’s revenue, maintain high profitability and fend off aggressive overseas competition. He initiated and led a complete Lean Manufacturing implementation, transitioning the company from traditional batch manufacturing to cellular flow manufacturing. When Aquafine was purchased by the Danaher Corporation, Mike was instrumental in leading the Company’s transformation from a family-run enterprise, to a matrix-structured business unit within their $1B Environmental platform. He was trained in, and implemented, the world-class Supply Chain Management and Lean processes inherent in the Danaher Business System (DBS). Most recently, as Vice President of Operations of Classic Wire Cut, an FDA registered, ISO 13485 medical device manufacturer of Class 1 instruments and Class 3 implants, Mike implemented internal communication processes and metric-driven daily management system modeled on DBS-principles taking the company from break-even to double digit EBIT profitability. He also co-lead the selection and implementation of a full ERP system.
Mike received his MBA from California Lutheran University and his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering at the California University of Long Beach, graduating with distinction. Mike also has his Certification in Inventory and Production Management (CPIM) from APICS and his Lean Certification from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers/Shingo.
Doug Penner, Chief Financial Officer:
Doug has been with Altela since 2007 and has over 20 years of experience in the Accounting and Finance Industry. In addition to his current role as CFO and former role as Financial Controller at Altela, he has worked as a Controller and Cost Analyst for various start-ups as well as Fortune 500 and established companies, including Intel.
As a Cost Analyst for Intel, he helped establish standard costing for their Manufacturing Project Costing, establishing benchmarking and the means to achieve lower project costs. Doug’s expertise spans Cost Accounting, Auditing, and Corporate Controllership with an emphasis on Cost Reduction, Process Reengineering and Management Reporting. His experience also includes Government Contracting, Bids and Proposals, and Cost Submissions.
A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant, Doug started his career in public accounting and has a BA in Business Economics from the University of California Santa Barbara.
Shelley Barratt, Director, Human Resources:
Shelley joined Altela in 2007, and her work encompasses Human Resource Management in a growing water desalination technology manufacturing environment effectively overseeing strategic development, compliance, employee relations, workforce planning, recruiting and hiring, benefits and corporate culture for a team of 40 employees. Shelley assists the company overall as part of the management team in areas such as Strategic Executive Business Administration, Communications, Marketing and Sales, Operations and overall ongoing activities.
Shelley is a ‘people person’ with a mix of qualitative/quantitative know-how and over 15 years of experience in Business Administration including Human Resources for a broad variety of businesses. Prior to working at Altela, Shelley was co-owner and in charge of new accounts at MyWebReporter.com, an internet marketing and website design company, growing the business clientele more than 50%. At PCA Skin, she managed international accounts in over 50 countries, increased sales by over 25%, analyzed markets for product entry, and exhibited at medical and esthetic trade shows all over the country. Shelley’s career in the high-tech world took off with start-up companies in the Silicon Valley during the ‘dot-com boom’ where she discovered and became a proponent of competitive corporate culture with recruiting for Boeing Satellite Systems and administration at Bridgewave Communications. Interrelations here included acting as inside liaison to management teams and engineers and outside liaison to vendors, suppliers, and customers, coordinating special events and managing facilities issues and special projects.
Higher education over the years is comprised of Certification in Human Resource Management at the Anderson School’s Management Development Center, and liberal arts studies at De Anza College and the University of New Mexico. She has been a member of SHRM, HRMA NM, and has completed Ethics and Auditing workshops. Shelley also moonlights as a writer and musician.
Ned A. Godshall, President and Chief Executive Officer:Ned co-founded Altela in 2004, a 40-employee water desalination company based in Albuquerque and Denver, whose initial market is the generation of clean water from the oil and gas industry’s primary waste product: ‘produced water’. Ned is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and led four high-tech start-up companies since leaving Sandia National Laboratories in 1994. With extensive experience in venture-backed start-up and development-stage companies, both as an investor and founder, he first negotiated seed-round financing with venture capital firms and established the accounting, payroll, budgeting, tax, project management, IP, and corporate legal systems before leading these companies in their development and growth phases.
Prior to co-founding Altela, Ned’s most recent for-profit efforts have been in the ‘clean-tech’ space: the hydrogen economy (MesoFuel, Inc.) and photovoltaic solar cells (Advent Solar, Inc.). MesoFuel developed a new product for hydrogen fuel cells, and was sold to an international company less than two years after he founded it in 2002. He then became a Director and Chairman of the Board of Advent Solar, which completed two successful rounds of venture capital investment totaling $38 million during his tenure as Chairman. He also serves on numerous civic and non-profit Boards, including being named the 2011 Chairman of the University of New Mexico Anderson Business School's Foundation Board, and is a Leadership New Mexico alumnus.
Ned received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University, his MBA from the University of New Mexico, and his B.S. in Materials Engineering from Drexel University.
Matthew J. Bruff, Chief Development Officer and General Counsel:Matthew co-founded Altela in 2004, a 40-employee water desalination company with offices in New Mexico, Colorado and Pennsylvania. Altela’s core market is the generation of clean water from the oil and gas industry’s primary waste product: produced water and frac water. He leads the company’s business development, environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property activities.
Matthew has over 17 years of experience in both the natural resource and technology industries and has acquired many precedent-setting legal and regulatory permits across the United States with respect to the treatment and beneficial re-use of oil and gas industry wastewater. Prior to co-founding Altela, Matthew was a shareholder with an AV-rated law firm specializing in environmental and natural resource law, utility law, and real property law. He managed the firm’s water rights transaction practice group representing major Fortune 100 companies, institutions, and other public and private clients in water rights and related natural resource matters. Matthew began his career working with Sandia National Laboratories in its Technology Transfer and Commercialization Center, where he assisted entrepreneurs commercializing new technology.
Matthew received his law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. He received his Masters in Business Administration in Economics, Environment, and Policy as well as his Bachelors in Business Administration in Finance and International Management from the Robert O. Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico.
Mike Quinn, Chief Operating Officer:Mike is a high impact, customer-focused, operations leader with extensive Lean operations, manufacturing and engineering experience. His practical, action-oriented approach to management streamlines internal processes, adds value for customers and has consistently delivered meaningful results in a variety of industries including Automotive (Ford Motor Company, Toyota), Entertainment (United Artists, Universal Studios and Disney), Environmental (Aquafine Corporation) and Medical Device manufacturing (Classic Wire Cut).
As Vice President of Operations, Mike helped to more than double Aquafine’s revenue, maintain high profitability and fend off aggressive overseas competition. He initiated and led a complete Lean Manufacturing implementation, transitioning the company from traditional batch manufacturing to cellular flow manufacturing. When Aquafine was purchased by the Danaher Corporation, Mike was instrumental in leading the Company’s transformation from a family-run enterprise, to a matrix-structured business unit within their $1B Environmental platform. He was trained in, and implemented, the world-class Supply Chain Management and Lean processes inherent in the Danaher Business System (DBS). Most recently, as Vice President of Operations of Classic Wire Cut, an FDA registered, ISO 13485 medical device manufacturer of Class 1 instruments and Class 3 implants, Mike implemented internal communication processes and metric-driven daily management system modeled on DBS-principles taking the company from break-even to double digit EBIT profitability. He also co-lead the selection and implementation of a full ERP system.
Mike received his MBA from California Lutheran University and his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering at the California University of Long Beach, graduating with distinction. Mike also has his Certification in Inventory and Production Management (CPIM) from APICS and his Lean Certification from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers/Shingo.
Doug Penner, Chief Financial Officer:Doug has been with Altela since 2007 and has over 20 years of experience in the Accounting and Finance Industry. In addition to his current role as CFO and former role as Financial Controller at Altela, he has worked as a Controller and Cost Analyst for various start-ups as well as Fortune 500 and established companies, including Intel.
As a Cost Analyst for Intel, he helped establish standard costing for their Manufacturing Project Costing, establishing benchmarking and the means to achieve lower project costs. Doug’s expertise spans Cost Accounting, Auditing, and Corporate Controllership with an emphasis on Cost Reduction, Process Reengineering and Management Reporting. His experience also includes Government Contracting, Bids and Proposals, and Cost Submissions.
A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant, Doug started his career in public accounting and has a BA in Business Economics from the University of California Santa Barbara.
Shelley Barratt, Director, Human Resources:Shelley joined Altela in 2007, and her work encompasses Human Resource Management in a growing water desalination technology manufacturing environment effectively overseeing strategic development, compliance, employee relations, workforce planning, recruiting and hiring, benefits and corporate culture for a team of 40 employees. Shelley assists the company overall as part of the management team in areas such as Strategic Executive Business Administration, Communications, Marketing and Sales, Operations and overall ongoing activities.
Shelley is a ‘people person’ with a mix of qualitative/quantitative know-how and over 15 years of experience in Business Administration including Human Resources for a broad variety of businesses. Prior to working at Altela, Shelley was co-owner and in charge of new accounts at MyWebReporter.com, an internet marketing and website design company, growing the business clientele more than 50%. At PCA Skin, she managed international accounts in over 50 countries, increased sales by over 25%, analyzed markets for product entry, and exhibited at medical and esthetic trade shows all over the country. Shelley’s career in the high-tech world took off with start-up companies in the Silicon Valley during the ‘dot-com boom’ where she discovered and became a proponent of competitive corporate culture with recruiting for Boeing Satellite Systems and administration at Bridgewave Communications. Interrelations here included acting as inside liaison to management teams and engineers and outside liaison to vendors, suppliers, and customers, coordinating special events and managing facilities issues and special projects.
Higher education over the years is comprised of Certification in Human Resource Management at the Anderson School’s Management Development Center, and liberal arts studies at De Anza College and the University of New Mexico. She has been a member of SHRM, HRMA NM, and has completed Ethics and Auditing workshops. Shelley also moonlights as a writer and musician.