Reliable People with Real Solutions
Team
Dr. Patrick Hood
CEO
Patrick J. Hood, Ph.D., is the CEO and founder of Spintech Ventures, a subsidiary company of Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. (CRG).
Dr. Hood received his Ph.D. in 1987 from the University of California, Davis in Materials Science and Engineering. He worked at Rockwell International Science Center and at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base before founding CRG to develop and supply new materials and technologies to major industrial and government customers as an outsourced R&D center. CRG grew rapidly to over 100 employees and $12 million in revenue prior to the spin-off of Spintech Ventures and its Smart Tooling product line.
Craig Jennings
President
Craig Jennings is the President of Spintech Ventures.
He was integral to the company's formation and now guides the company's strategic direction and aggressive growth plans for Smart Tooling and other product lines. Prior to joining Spintech Ventures, Craig founded a consulting firm, the 80-20 Group. He was involved in three startup technology companies in sales, marketing, and executive leadership positions, serving as President at Motoman, Inc. from 1997 through 2008 and helping to lead that company from a startup to over $165 million in annual revenue.
Ernie Havens
Chief Technology Officer
As Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Ernie Havens works to advance product performance and develop new accounts.
Ernie served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force receiving several commendations, including the Naval Achievement Medal. He holds a B.S. in Engineering Physics from Wright State University. Earlier in his research career, he worked for 12 years at Cornerstone Research Group Inc. where he became an established authority on advanced materials and composite tooling. His sales exceed $35M in support of developments in these areas.
Tom Margraf
Director of Engineering
Tom Margraf has worked as the Director of Engineering since 2010. He manages the engineering department, oversees new development and production programs, and implements and maintains systems for quality, inventory, manufacturing, and scheduling.
Tom received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton. Early in his career, he joined Cornerstone Research Group Inc. where he gained hands-on experience in high-performance composites design and manufacturing as well as innovative tooling techniques. He helped to transition Smart Tooling from a technology readiness level (TRL) 4 to TRL 9 in 24 months and delivered a fully developed, production-ready tool to his customer ahead of schedule, leading to documented savings of over 70%.