Nielsen-Kellerman

Alix is second-generation NK – the daughter of founding partner Richard Kellerman. NK got its start in the family’s basement when Alix was just finishing high school, and her introduction to rowing nudged her to join the crew team at Yale. Alix went on to row all four years, three on the Varsity crew, and be named MVP her senior year – while managing to squeeze in a degree in English and Economics. A law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and three years of practicing litigation in California followed.

A move out of California prompted Alix to join NK part-time as in-house counsel and lead marketer. That part-time job led to a permanent career spanning jobs from sales and marketing to logistics and relocation management and chief Lean change agent. Alix has now led NK for over ten years, including a smooth transition from the founders to NK’s present investor backing. During her tenure the company has experienced consistent growth, averaging over 10% year-on-year sales expansion and building to the current staff of 90 employees. That growth has built upon the diverse sales base that has allowed NK’s business to be highly recession resistant – encompassing sports performance, weather and environmental monitoring, and precision long range shooting. NK’s sales base crosses the consumer, professional, government and military sectors and exports have made up over a third of revenues each year.

Alix is Lean Level I and II certified and has embraced Lean approaches to continuously improving all aspects of NK from the shop floor to customer service, enabling NK to manufacture electronics in the USA while competing globally. A firm believer in the power of the brand and building a tribe of passionate users, Alix has also made every effort to ensure that NK always earns its customers’ loyalty by delivering products that can be counted on to provide accurate information in the most challenging environments.

As a rare woman leading a successful high-tech manufacturing business, Alix has received many awards and accolades, including being named a Woman of Distinction by the Philadelphia Business Journal, becoming an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Regional Finalist, twice receiving the Smart CEO Future 50 Award, and being named a Champion of Change in Manufacturing by the White House. Under her leadership NK has also made the Inc 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies list multiple times and received the Presidential “E” Award for Excellence in Exporting as well as the Penna. Governer’s ImPAct Award.

When she's not working or traveling for NK, Alix still rows competitively at Vesper Boat Club and trains and shows her two horses in dressage – working towards her Silver Rider Medal in 2016.

Michael is currently the Director of Product Management, helping NK to define the right product for the right market at the right price. Since joining NK 20 years ago, Michael has worked in almost every department, starting as an assembler, then wearing titles of Assistant Production Manager, Sales Manager and Director of Engineering. Michael is an early adopter of lean product development and has been a presenter at several conferences on the topic. This more disciplined process, which emphasizes rapid learning cycles and closing knowledge gaps early, has decreased the time it takes to get NK’s products to market, helping us to continue to innovate in each of our niche markets.

Raised in Philadelphia, Michael started his rowing career at La Salle College High School, and continued to row at the University of Miami while earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He took up sculling while pursuing his Master's degree in Naval Architecture/Ocean Engineering at University of California at Berkeley. After graduation, he returned to Philadelphia to continue sculling at Undine Barge Club. His part-time job at NK to fill the time between practices wound up becoming his passionate career, and he still coaches three mornings a week at Undine – another example of NK truly standing in the shoes of our customers.

Chuck joined NK in September 2013 and was promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing in early 2015. Chuck’s diverse background includes ten years in medical equipment sales and seven years running his own paddle sports business with locations in New Jersey and North Carolina. Prior to his sales career, Chuck was a teacher in the Nevada school system and a Combat Arms instructor for the Nevada Air National Guard.

Chuck has a B.S. in Natural Resource Management from the University of Nevada and completed his graduate studies in Teacher Education at Sierra Nevada College.

When Chuck’s sales travels give him time, he still hits the woods to get in some bow hunting of Pennsylvania’s plentiful deer and turkey, or gets out on the water to fish for smallmouth bass.

Tim joined NK in 2011 as the Director of Manufacturing. With more than 30 years of Lean manufacturing experience, Tim ensures that production needs for the customers are met on time and with the highest quality product. Tim also embodies the principle that Lean is about People and Process – encouraging his employees to learn, cross-train, communicate and take ownership of the continuous improvement process. The entire NK manufacturing team works daily to stamp out quality problems immediately through the NK Andon Light program and reduce wasted motion, transportation and steps through redesign of our floor layouts and processes. He has also created NK’s extensive visual display boards displayed throughout the plant and customer service area keeping everyone informed on progress against financial and production targets.

Tim has taken several courses and received certifications related to manufacturing from Drexel University, Rowan University, and Camden County College. Prior to working with NK, he worked for Swemco, a contract electronics manufacturer as the Continuous Improvement Manager. Before Swemco, Tim was the Director of Operations for Inductotherm Industries based in New Jersey.

When Tim isn't on the production floor, he is expressing his more artistic side on stage with his Pink Floyd tribute band, Liquid Puzzle.

Nils started at NK as Director of Engineering in January of 2015, assuming responsibility for development of the Kestrel 5 Series which successfully launched at the end of the year. He possesses a strong technical background in sensors and systems and has 10+ years management experience. Prior to joining NK, Nils worked at FARO Technologies where he led the hardware and firmware development of a state-of-the-art laser based 3D measurement system. The system is used in markets from steel mills to particle accelerators, with high adoption in the aerospace and automotive markets.

Earlier in his career he worked for 8 years in the Motorola Computer Group in a variety of engineering positions. Between positions in high tech companies he also worked for 2 years as co-founder and principle programmer of Threadsmith.com, a computerized embroidery web startup that was eventually acquired by Vistaprint. Nils’ background has combined technical rigor, strategic planning and an entrepreneurial approach perfectly suited to his leadership of NK’s R&D efforts.

Nils’s earned a B.S. and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from SUNY Binghamton, graduating with the highest GPA of the engineering class. He has also completed a variety of Master’s level coursework in Computer Science at Arizona State University and Lafayette College.

Craig joined NK as Controller in December 2016. He has a background in manufacturing, previously serving as a controller of a commercial refrigeration manufacturer. Prior to that, he worked at an accounting firm where he lead audits for both for profit and not-for-profit companies. He has experience in lean process improvement and manufacturing, which fits nicely with his duties at NK.

Craig received his degree in Accounting from Ramapo College of NJ and is a Six Sigma Green Belt. He is currently looking to pursue his MBA.

Like most of the NK team, Craig fills his weekends with outdoor activities – mainly hiking and camping trips.

Recently joining NK in 2017 in the HR Director position, Deirdre manages the strategic and tactical HR solutions for Nielsen Kellerman. Deirdre is dedicated to continuing NK’s work environment as a productive and enjoyable place to work, and making NK an esteemed “Top Workplace”. Deirdre holds SPHR, SHRM-SCP certifications and has her Graduate Degree in Education / Instructional Systems. She has 15 plus years in HR and is very involved with professional HR Associations, including attending the annual PA State SHRM conference. Deirdre’s hometown is Boalsburg, just outside State College, PA and currently resides in Chester County with her Chihuahua, Biggie. Deirdre enjoys designing footstools, painting gnomes and creating stained glass along with spending weekends on the water with family in Stone Harbor, NJ, attending PSU football games, and swimming year-round.

Katie, Michael and Alix have the longest tenure at NK of the Senior Team members. Katie joined NK in 1999 immediately after graduating college and has been the public face of the Kestrel brand ever since. She supports key dealers from all over the world and is now particularly focused on developing DOD and government sales opportunities. Katie is on the road constantly traveling to trade shows, conferences, contests and customer training events in support of the NK brands.

Katie earned her BA degree from Temple University in International Political Science. She was also a coxswain for the Temple Crew all four years, and coached youth rowing after graduation.

Katie has also personally embraced the NK tradition of learning our customers’ needs through doing - becoming a certified Wildland Firefighter; skydiving, hang gliding, paddling, coxing, shooting in 3 Gun and PRS matches (and recently acquiring her own custom LaRue rifle, built just for her) to name just a few of her adventures in the line of duty. She is also a six-time member of the US National Dragonboating Team – drumming our big boats to victory in China, Germany, Australia, Czech Republic, USA, Hungary, and Canada.

In 2014 Austin joined the product management team where he gets to share his love for rugged, performance gear and solving user’s needs. Austin has spent extensive time outdoors in the west, including working as a whitewater rafting guide for many summers.

Austin started his career in product management developing outdoor footwear for Chaco Sandals and has since worked with teams creating a variety of consumer and military gear, including premium hand vacuums, whitewater rafts and inflatable military tents. At NK, Austin is responsible for all of the Kestrel Weather and Ballistics lines and is enjoying learning the science and skills behind long range shooting.

Austin has a BS in mechanical engineering and an MBA from Brigham Young University.

Ben joined the NK team in 2007 and has loved and cherished every single minute. His contagious upbeat and outgoing personality truly impacts the rest of the team. One of his favorite things about working at NK is being able to speak directly to customers to find out how they use our products, any pain points that we can solve, and learning more about who uses our products. In fact, some days he takes over answering phone calls from customers, just to learn more directly from them.

Ben has 2 young children and a wife, and in his off time loves to volunteer at the local hamster rescue because he feels that dogs and cats get too much attention, but hamsters deserve love too.

Tom joined the NK engineering staff in 2011. He has a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State. His diverse background includes software and hardware development positions in the aviation, HVAC, petroleum and wastewater industries. He is working hard on new products and improvements in the Kestrel product line. Tom is an avid cyclist and shade-tree mechanic.