Brian Close Email & Phone Number

Wixom, Mi

• Manage several strategic accounts responsible for generating a significant share of sales revenue.• Fostered strategic sales prospects from initial contact through widespread deployment of AR technology.• Work with clients to understand and implement AR/MR/BR technologies on factory floors, creating quantified ongoing value.

Wixom, Michigan, United States

• Hired and coached several experienced sales team members responsible for generating more than half of company revenue• Oversaw internal and outsourced marketing activities including trade shows, traditional and social marketing, web presence and content creation for blog and external media opportunities• Directly oversaw several strategic accounts including responsibility for a significant portion of company revenue

Troy, Mi

• Managed and grew engineering business process outsourcing solutions business by 200% in 2 years• Oversaw solution multi-million dollar portfolio of programs within 2 key clients including stakeholder management, program scope oversight and P&L management• Consulted with clients on workforce management strategy to ensure that programs delivered maximum technical value while aligning with client business rules

Auburn Hills, Mi

Manage a team of 2-4 process engineers and up to 35 technicians and process specialists responsible for implementation of new manufacturing equipment and processes. Create and drive team goals, focusing on creation and implementation of appropriate metrics for safety, quality and efficiency. Oversee the progression of new technologies from R&D through production development and launch to manufacturing. • Led cross-functional teams responsible for development of new thin film photovoltaic manufacturing equipment and processes. Responsible for aligning R&D process understanding with design engineering and equipment procurement/build resources. • Developed large area PECVD process to achieve high rate Silicon deposition employing changes to frequency, reactor geometry and deposition pressure. Focused effort to establish uniform deposition of high quality Silicon semiconductor consisting of nanometer scale Silicon crystals in an amorphous Silicon matrix. Challenges overcome included uniform power delivery at 60MHz and uniform gas delivery across a 49 inch by 11 inch cathode at a cathode-substrate distance less than 1 inch. • Focused effort on project planning for large scale manufacturing technology upgrade. Created detailed budget and schedule and performed risk analysis activities including both design and process FMEA.

Auburn Hills, Mi

Coordinate Research & Development Expertise with equipment build and manufacturing to launch new thin film deposition processes. Major initiative included design and installation of new PECVD and sputtering processes. • Collaborated with Research & Development team to develop new high frequency PECVD process. Developed new cathode and reactor configuration for transition of amorphous silicon PECVD process from 13.56MHz to 60MHz expected to improve film quality while increasing deposition rate from 2 Angstroms/second to 5 Angstroms/second. • Led team tasked with developing a magnetron sputtering recipe to deposit a new back reflector configuration for use in thin film amorphous silicon photovoltaic products. Optimization of new back reflector resulted in an approximate 7% increase in the rated solar module power. Tasks included optimization of deposition conditions for a new target material as well as modification to existing film layer conditions. • Coordinated installation, start up and optimization of industrial scale PECVD equipment and process utilizing the cathode and reactor developed with the R&D team. Equipment included roll-to-roll PECVD equipment designed for annual production capability of 60MW representing a 100% increase from previous generation of equipment.

Auburn Hills, Mi

Direct a team of 10-30 skilled technicians in a 24/7 equipment installation or production operation. Perform shift scheduling and balancing to maximize team performance. Direct process experiments for efficiency improvement and process qualification. Coordinated with functions throughout the organization to ensure safe, on time delivery of equipment to production. • Coordinated launch of new manufacturing scale roll-to-roll vacuum deposition equipment including qualification of over 15 pieces of equipment. Equipment included 3 large area roll-to-roll PECVD reactors and 6 DC magnetron sputtering machines. • Contributed to a decrease in equipment qualification duration from 12 months to 3 months. Established effective planning and tracking processes to deliver equipment on-time and in budget.• Acted as process expert for all substrate wash, DC magnetron sputtering and PECVD equipment. Trained new manufacturing team on all aspects of deposition equipment and processes including standard operations, equipment & process troubleshooting and equipment maintenance. • Executed process experiments resulting in improvements to equipment efficiency and throughput. Industrial scale PECVD equipment throughput increased by 10%.• Analyzed experimental results of large and small area photovoltaic cells including I-V characterization, SIMS analysis and X-Ray diffraction. Reviewed and summarized results and made recommendations to cross functional teams for further experimentation.

Auburn Hills, Mi

Contribute to a team responsible for the installation, startup, debug and process optimization & qualification of large area photovoltaic deposition equipment. • Built, operated and maintained thin film deposition equipment including sputtering and PECVD machines.• Wrote standard operating procedures for new roll-to-roll magnetron sputtering equipment including process start, stop, troubleshooting and maintenance. • Collaborated with team working 24/7 to achieve complex tasks and long term goals.

Pittsburgh, Pa

• Led project examining use of BaTiO3 films for photocatalytic H2 generation. Deposited BaTiO3 films using laboratory pulsed laser deposition system and analysed film characteristics using X-Ray diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. • Contributed to program studying growth of SrZnO3 films on various substrates for examination of delta-R properties for use in probe data storage applications. Films deposited using pulsed laser deposition system and analysed using X-Ray diffraction.

Masters, Business Administration

Advanced business education focused on understanding the broad foundations beneath complex product innovation, initiation and monetization.

Bachelor Of Science, Materials Science And Engineering

Activities and Societies: Men's Varsity Soccer Team, 2001-2005Broad based coursework in Engineering fundamentals and Materials Science.