Odyne Systems, LLC has expanded its staff in recent months, as the company gears up to deliver more than 120 medium- and heavy-duty trucks featuring the Odyne plug-in hybrid system under a $45 million award from the Department of Energy. The following individuals bring their strengths to the team:

Michelle Ballard joined Odyne as a Senior Systems Engineer, focusing on Telematics and designing applications to use with statistical data gathered from the hybrid system. Ballard previously worked with Silver Linings Systems as a Project Manager and Systems Engineer, designing and building Modular Data Centers (MDC) and enhancing testing and quality plans. Prior to that, she served over ten years in the Army as a logistics officer responsible for maintenance, transportation, and supply operations. She has a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado – Boulder and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Larry Bartling has been appointed Manufacturing Manager at Odyne, in charge of manufacturing strategy to install plug-in hybrid systems on medium and heavy duty vehicles. Bartling has over 30 years of manufacturing and product management experience in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets. Prior to joining the company, he held manufacturing engineering and operations leadership positions in heavy equipment, diesel engine, and small gasoline engine manufacturing, working for Caterpillar, Inc., Waukesha Engine - Dresser Industries, and Briggs & Stratton Corporation. Bartling holds a B.S. in Industrial Technology from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville.

Robert Dowd joined Odyne as Service Manager, with responsibility to assure quality and prompt service of vehicles through the Odyne distributor organization. Dowd brings 25 years of Engineering New Product Development, Testing, and Service from the Power Generation and Automotive Industry. He demonstrated project leadership in the development of air-cooled, diesel / bi-fuel engines, generators, electrical controls and electrical drive products. Previous positions held include
Engineering New Product Development Manager of wind turbine electrical drives with American Superconductor, Engineering Project Manager at MTU Onsite Energy engines and generators, Engineering Program Manager of Industrial Generators at Generac Power Systems, and Engineering Project Manager of air-cooled engine development at Generac Power Systems. Robert has an Associate’s degree in Mechanical Design and BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Leonard Lincoln has been appointed Inside Sales Leader, where he is the liaison between customers, engineering, marketing, production and service. Lincoln will also be developing new business opportunities through tradeshows and research. He has over 23 years of sales and marketing experience, calling on Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining the company, he worked as a Marketing Manager for Owens Corning and as a Sales Engineer for TLX Technologies selling to OEM’s worldwide. Lincoln also was the President of L & L Packaging Company for over 9 years. He holds a B.S. degree in Packaging Engineering from Michigan State University.

Peter Thao joined Odyne as Electrical Engineer, concentrating on the design/test of the Odyne hybrid electrical system. Prior to joining the company he worked for MTI Electronics manufacturing PCB’s, Rockwell Automation in engineering and testing AC/DC drives, and Johnson Controls in developing security systems. Thao has a B.S. in Electronics Engineering from ITT Technical Institute and is pursuing an M.S. at Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Peter Vehmas has been appointed Supply Chain Manager for the company. In this role, he controls, manages and purchases all parts and supplies for the installation of Odyne hybrid systems. Vehmas brings 13 years of supply chain experience in the manufacturing, defense, and healthcare industries to the role, including purchasing and leadership roles with Generac Power Systems, DRS Technologies and GE Healthcare. He has a B.S. in Operations and Supply Chain Management from Marquette University.

Joe Dalum, president of Odyne Systems, LLC commented, “The skills and experience provided by the new members of the Odyne team should help us to accelerate our growth and to continue to be a leader in hybrid technology for large trucks. We look forward to the introduction of additional enhancements to the hybrid system through our collaboration with investment partner Allison Transmission.”