Since his youth, Mike Lessnick, Ricno's resident Program Engineer, has been active in the manufacturing industry. After enrolling in metal shop for three years and starting in a conventional production facility at the age of 16, Mike moved into various positions allowing him to utilize advanced methods in manufacturing environments. Approximately sixteen years ago, Mike began developing CNC-based programs. Since then he has worked in various capacities, from a 1-man shop to supervising a 50-man production facility, overseeing tasks such as prototype tooling & molds to high-volume production. Mike frequently trains to overcome new challenges, allowing him to continually grow professionally.

Mike began his tenure with Ricno Technologies in October 2001. He saw Ricno as a company with a need that he could fill and as the next great challenge for himself. At the facility, he has a number of responsibilities, including:

• CNC Programming
• Design and Engineering
• Training & Instruction for Production Personnel
• Quoting & Job Planning
• Production Scheduling
• Communication with Customers for Part Print Design & Clarification
• Planning & Implementation of New Processes for Company-Wide Improvement

For Mike, working with Ricno has a number of advantages. He is not only able to utilize his experiences to train & educate others, but he has the opportunity to work with fellow employees who view Ricno as a truly collaborative team. Ricno has established itself as an organization that respects its employees on a personal basis, and Mike appreciates the freedom that the company gives him to place his family first. Finally, at Ricno Mike is given the chance to experience cutting-edge technology and to take full advantage of the opportunities that such advancements allow him to provide to his clients.

Michael Capps is Ricno's Business Project Manager. Having recently completed a Master of Business Administration degree in Entrepreneurship, Michael's role as a new employee here at Ricno, a highly entrepreneurial company itself, is to inject the knowledge, skill and insight that his formal education has provided. Thus far, Michael has been responsible for development of the company's new website, as well as for developing an innovative student outreach program. It has always been a priority of Ricno to support higher education, and the company is excited to have Michael, a recent student himself, assist current students in learning business through real-world experiences.

Michael's next step at Ricno is to employ his education to help modernize the organization's business operations. While Ricno has proven itself as a highly responsive and effective organization during its many years in existence, utilizing business education to further streamline and focus operations will be pivotal in moving Ricno to another level as a truly world-class manufacturing facility.

According to Michael, the best part about working for Ricno is the autonomy he is given to work on his projects the way he wants to. "In business school, assignments are to follow a rigid structure from beginning to end. At Ricno, I have the opportunity to take a basic idea and let my imagination and skills run wild." Furthermore, he enjoys the opportunity to utilize his innate and trained entrepreneurial character to reinvigorate the entrepreneurial spirit here at Ricno Technologies, ensuring that the organization continues to provide the latest in quality and customer service to its valued clientele.

Rachelle Carswell, our Quality Inspection specialist, has over eighteen years of experience in quality inspection and over four years of inspection experience specifically in the aerospace industry. As an inspector, Rachelle examines all parts to blueprint specs, calibrates shop and employee tools, and prepares inspection reports, certificates of compliance, and corrective action forms in accordance with AS9100 requirements.

Rachelle is currently seeking to become ASQ (American Society of Quality) certified, showing her true dedication to her trade. According to Rachelle, the best part about Ricno is the opportunity to stay challenged, to always keep her brain focused and thinking. Rachelle is a true asset to the company, and is one of the reasons why Ricno's reputation for superior quality is so excellent.