About
The Mission
IEC Thermo’s mission is to responsibly bring commercial-scale sensibilities and capabilities to a market traditionally bound to small scale laboratories.
The People
IEC was formed by a number of industry leaders looking for new and better ways to apply technology for developing industries. We represent the culmination of over 50 years of experience as applied by some of the world’s leading companies in process equipment design.
Walter Hawkins
President and Chief Engineer
Walter started with a large multi-national company where he worked on some of the largest dryer projects in the world, mostly for the mining and mineral processing industries. From there, he went on to a mid-size company and designed drying systems across a wide variety of applications from agriculture to waste reclamation to power generation. Several years ago, Walter founded IEC in order to provide the market with a smaller, more economical dryer that is custom built to each client’s exact needs.
Walt earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University.
Shawna Koch
Manager of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development
Shawna works as IEC Thermo’s Manager of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. She comes from Washington state’s legal cannabis industry where her experience included administration and safety, as well as plant production management. Shawna was responsible for effectively managing the harvest, traceability, drying and curing of 120,000 sq. ft. of plant canopy in constant production.
With this experience, Shawna brings insight and a passion for the industry to IEC Thermo. She understands the pace of the industry and is prepared to bring solutions to our clients. From customer service to system assembly, Shawna is committed to constant improvement.
Shawna was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the University of Hawaii. She also sailed competitively for the UofH Sailing Team. Shawna still enjoys the water and outdoors and lives near Mt. Rainier National Park.
Jen Paffenroth
Administrator
Jen works as the Administrator for IEC Thermo. After teaching in an urban elementary school for 8 years, Jen has experience successfully managing people (students and adults) from all backgrounds, along with developing and managing projects in a fast-paced environment where plans can change in an instant. Her flexibility and love for organization allows her to go with the flow in this fast-paced, ever changing industry.
From scheduling deliveries and entering data to being a liaison for vendors and project managers, Jen provides excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
Jen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Covenant College and loves boating, hiking, and being outdoors.
Alfonso Delgadillo
Technical Support Engineer
Alfonso works as the Technical Support Engineer for IEC Thermo. Alfonso has been in Chemical Engineering for more than 5 years, most recently working in the cutting fluid industry providing custom solutions for a wide range of industrial clients. Now he is committed to improving our knowledge base through hands on learning and looking for ways to constantly improve the support we offer our clients.
Alfonso hopes to bring higher standards to the industry through standardization across production and processing. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of the plant and excited about helping others succeed in the industry.
Alfonso received his Chemical Engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Dan Scholtes
Project Manager
Intrigued with designing and building his whole life, Dan Scholtes just couldn’t stay away and decided to leave semi-retired life and join IEC as a Project Manager. Dan has worked on several commercial projects all over the United States such as Shedd Aquarium and Bloomingdales in Chicago, as well as a cleanroom in Austin, TX just to name a few.
Over the past 30 years, Dan ran his own business designing and building custom homes where he was nothing short of accountant, business manager, project manager, and more. Throughout his career, he has built 100+ homes and has always been committed to quality, expediting schedules, procuring equipment, and above all, customer satisfaction.
Dan received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State.
Today, Dan lives in Pensacola Beach, FL where he finds time to enjoy boating, scuba diving, and fishing.
Chris Ritschel
Dryer Specialist
Chris joined Innovative Environmental Companies in 2018 and quickly transferred into work with IEC Thermo where his passion for health and wellness through natural products fit well with the company’s mission. Chris’ passion for wellness began when his younger brother, Nik, was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2007. Through his brother’s journey, Chris witnessed firsthand the healing effects of Cannabis and Hemp. He is dedicated to help the industry grow and evolve through innovation and product development at IEC.
Chris began working in Field Support for IEC Thermo where he has been instrumental in understanding the voice of the customer. Chris can be found in the field commissioning projects and at trade shows, utilizing his experience and industry knowledge which helps shape and market our product portfolio.
In his spare time, you will find Chris volunteering for Nik’s Wish (a national 501c3 charity to help young adults fighting cancer).
Shane Newcomb
Project Manager
Shane Newcomb is a Project Manager at IEC with well over two decades of designing and building homes, commercial buildings, and industrial equipment. Early on in his career, he helped design and build commercial buildings. Shane has several years of experience working on industrial equipment, as well, where he repaired, maintained, and built farming equipment.
Since then, Shane transitioned into owning his own successful business where he designed and built houses. He is committed to providing customers with quality service.
In his free time, you can find Shane designing and building outdoor kitchens or spending time with his family in Nevarre, Florida.
Peter Gottlick
Chief Operating Officer and Partner
Peter has more than 25 years successfully managing businesses. Before starting IEC Thermo with Walter, Peter had already been managing CFG, Inc., his family owned industrial cutting fluid business for more than two decades. They have successfully dominated the specialty cutting and grinding fluids market by leading the industry in research, development and innovation. Peter has used that experience to guide IEC Thermo business operations since day one. Peter has cultivated amazing vendor relations that guarantee our equipment is manufactured in the U.S.A.
Peter received his BA in Marketing from Hillsdale College.
Tim Broderick
Director, National Accounts
As the Director, National Accounts with the IEC Thermo Team, Tim is bringing 32 years of his Business Development and Account Management experience from the Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare IT Software, and Specialty Pharmacy Firms to the IEC Thermo Team. Tim’s skillsets and capabilities bring a level of professionalism complimented by “Good Stewardship” to the emerging and dynamic Hemp marketplace. Tim is also building Channel Partner relationships and aligning with the Capital and Financial entities to ensure we bring an Integrated Offering to the IEC Thermo Family of Customers.
Tim earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Liberals Arts, from the University of St. Francis.
Daniel (Dan) R. Collins
Operations and Production Manager
Prior to his time with IEC, Dan was a Detective for twenty-nine years with the Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Police Department. For ten of those years, he was head of the local police union and handled labor contract negotiations and other labor/management issues.
From on-site management of construction and installation of equipment, to creation and management of product specification sheets, manuals and documentation, Dan works with customers to deliver the highest level of quality and results.
Dan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Drew Bodeen
Technical Services Manager
Drew Bodeen has joined the IEC Thermo team as our Technical Services Manager. Drew brings 30 years experience from both the Information Technology and Visual Design disciplines, managing all types of projects. His work experience spans alliances with local businesses, visual support for the United States Army and IT expertise from the HealthCare industry.
From project management to custom visualizations, Drew works with clients to ensure that all projects exceed expectations in a timely manner. His flexibility and technical understanding are invaluable in providing solutions to the problems our clients face as the industry expands.
Drew earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design from Iowa State University.
Matthew Clark
Compliance Consultant
Matthew first joined the legal cannabis industry in 2015 in Washington State. With the expansion of hemp production in late 2018 he turned his attention to hemp operations as well. Since then he has managed all aspects of cannabis and hemp production, processing, and sales. From opening and operating retail dispensaries to managing multiple large-scale indoor production facilities Matthew has seen it all and brings a wide range of solutions to the growing industry.
With more than 25 years of professional experience Matthew easily navigates the complexity of regulations related to cannabis and hemp production. From retail to large scale cannabis and hemp production, processing, and extraction he understands the processes and provides “how-to” implementation plans, trainings, and standard operating procedures to ensure compliance and productivity.
Prior to joining the cannabis industry Matthew was a small business owner, entrepreneur, code compliance officer and safety coordinator. Matthew is also the founder of Think Happy Consulting, a consulting firm focused on bringing compliance and workplace safety for the cannabis and hemp industry.
Ben Johnson
Field Technician and Trainer
Ben works as a trainer and field technician for IEC Thermo. He travels to IEC customer sites throughout the United States assisting with system start-ups of new equipment. He trains new IEC customers to properly run their hemp dryers and assists existing customers in troubleshooting their equipment. He is dedicated to spending the time and effort necessary to ensure that IEC customers are satisfied with their equipment and knowledgeable about its operation.
Ben enjoys the opportunity to help hemp farmers throughout the U.S. to save time and resources by using IEC’s low-temperature, high-speed dryers, enabling them to keep up with rising demand in the quickly expanding hemp industry.
Ben also works for CGF, Inc. overseeing the Manufacturing, shipping and handling of high performance industrial fluids used in the manufacturing industry. Ben has a strong background in commercial distillation, with six years of previous experience working in industrial labs.
Jeff Griswold
Project Manager
Jeff is no stranger to managing multi-faceted projects, big and small. He brings 36 years of experience in the Telecommunications Industry starting in field installation of digital voice switch platforms to include working with field training department, field commissioning and field supervision throughout the US and Asia Pacific regions. He also worked for a Telecom services provider (in both private and public sectors) with responsibilities including working in operations as a lead tech, overseeing maintenance schedules and equipment routines to ensure facility and network integrity & reliability.
Jeff spent the last 11 years working in Project Management as a Federal Contractor with GSA for campus infrastructure projects, then an Optical Transport manufacturer in Project Management of field deployments for multiple accounts for new & existing optical networks. He is excited to bring this experience to a new and growing industry.
Jeff graduated with his Associate of Applied Sciences – Telecommunications Technology from Des Moines Area Community College in 1983.