AMTECH founder and president, Eric F. Heard's extensive business experience and expertise in sales and marketing, business development, and manufacturing, together with his complete multilingual and multicultural acumen, have proven to be critical assets in a career marked by steadily increasing responsibilities in a variety of business environments. Eric earned a BA in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University. While there, he also served as Vice President of Michigan State University’s 44,000-member student body, and as Director of University and Community Affairs for the Spartan Spirit Collegiate Association. Following graduation, Eric joined Nippondenso Sales, Inc. as a sales engineer, where he helped secure the company’s first contractual agreement with General Motors Corporation. Eric also landed Nippondenso’s first non-automotive business in North America. In 1985, Eric was asked to become manager of sales and marketing (Asia-Pacific) for TRW Inc., a position he held until 1991. TRW named Eric Director of Business Development (Asia-Pacific) in Tokyo, Japan, with managerial responsibility for negotiating, developing, and expanding the firm’s business relationships in Japan and Korea. Subsequently, in 1993, Eric returned to the United States as general manager, Asian and Transplant Sales, for Freudenberg-NOK. In 1996, Eric became Director of Business Development Asia Pacific worldwide for CMI International. A native of Japan, Eric enjoys native-speaker fluency in both English and Japanese, and is equally conversant in the cultural and business practices of each society. In addition, as the son of an American father and a Japanese mother, Eric has derived especially valuable insights from his cultural heritage. Today, as AMTECH president and chief executive officer, Eric shares those strategic business and cultural insights with leading companies and executives throughout the automotive industry.