News

Zentech Manufacturing Inc, an Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) and Merion Portfolio Company is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award. This award is named for former IPC Board Chairman Stanley Plzak and recognizes Zentech’s contributions to the electronics assembly industry and its support of the IPC through participation in technical and management programs. Zentech is proud to have actively worked with the IPC for many years to improve outcomes in our industry.

“Zentech is honored to be given an award named after one of the pioneers in the EMS industry, said President and CEO Steve Pudles. “Over our 25-year history, Zentech has been involved in a wide range of IPC activities and was one of the first EMS companies to earn the IPC 1791 and IPC 610 certifications. We believe in the IPC’s mission to ‘build electronics better’ and encourage all member companies to participate in IPC programs and initiatives so together we can make our industry stronger and more successful.”

“IPC benefits tremendously from Zentech’s leadership, knowledge and expertise,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “For many years, Zentech has consistently provided staff resources to standards development and other IPC programs and initiatives. IPC is privileged to have Zentech in our membership; their involvement in IPC has directly contributed to IPC’s global growth in the electronics industry.”

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Aspekt Solutions is Expanding
Merion and one of our portfolio companies, Aspekt Solutions, are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Landauer’s Therapy Physics Business. The integration of these two organizations will create one of the largest, independent medical physics groups in the United States bringing together a talented team of physicists and dosimetrists. This move is the third strategic acquisition by Aspekt Solutions, increasing its presence in key markets to build a truly national medical physics organization. The acquisition will also build on the world-class residency program Landauer created to develop the next generation of medical physics talent.

SBIA Membership Elects 2022-2023 Officers and Board of Governors

October 3, 2022 (Washington, D.C.) – The Small Business Investor Alliance (SBIA), the leading association for lower middle market private equity funds and investors, today announced its new 2022-2023 Board of Governors, including our Board Officers, Regional Presidents, At-Large Board Members, and designated Council Chairs. Gayle Hughes, co-founder and Partner of Merion Investment Partners and a member of the Mellon Growth Finance team, is the incoming Chair. Gayle has over 35 years of lending experience and has spent over half of her career working with entrepreneurial firms providing growth capital via leveraged cash flow and mezzanine. She was first elected to the SBIA Board of Governors in 2012 and has previously served our association as President of the Northeast Region, SBIC Council Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair and Chair-Elect.

“We’re pleased to welcome our new Board members, all of whom have shown a strong commitment to SBIA over the years,” said SBIA President Brett Palmer. “We are privileged to have at our helm a group of experienced small business professionals from diverse geographies and representing a range of investment strategies. The SBIA Board of Governors is a powerful component of our association’s success, and we rely on the dedication, service and guidance of our members.”

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Baltimore, MD, June 27, 2022 – Zentech Manufacturing is pleased to announce that Rich Fitzgerald has joined the business as Chairman of the Board. Rich has 26 years of executive management experience in electronics manufacturing and distribution. Rich brings significant experience in the areas of customer service, operations, quality, supply chain, design and engineering.

Most recently, Rich was the Chief Operations Officer of SMTC Corporation, and has also held senior leadership roles at Avnet, Qual-Pro, CTS, and Intel. Rich serves on the Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME) National Board of Directors and leads the finance committee. Prior to his career in the electronics industry, Rich honorably served as an Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, earned a BA in Business Management from the University of Maryland Annex, and attended the Center for Creative Leadership’s LAP Executive Leadership Program. Rich has also made a significant personal investment into Zentech.
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LAKEWOOD, Calif., and BATON ROUGE, La., Jan. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/

Magma Products, a leading maker of premium marine and outdoor grills, announces the launch of its new Crossover Series, a versatile, portable cooking system built for RV travelers and tailgaters that delivers the durability and aesthetics of stainless steel with the ability to transform from stove to grill, pizza oven, griddle, or plancha. The Crossover Series is available exclusively online through BBQGuys, a leading e-commerce retailer for grilling and outdoor living products.

Boaters and sailors have trusted Magma’s high-quality grills in harsh saltwater conditions for over 45 years. Magma engineered the same dependability into the Crossover, using premium materials and construction, including brushed 304 stainless steel and cast aluminum. While the Crossover Series signals Magma’s entrance into the RV and tailgating markets, Magma will continue serving boaters with a marine version of the Crossover built with non-corrosive, mirror-polished 304 stainless steel.

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GREENBELT, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aspekt Solutions, a leading provider of radiation oncology and radiology solutions, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Nordic Medical Physics. This strategic acquisition increases the consulting capabilities and expands the geographic footprint of Aspekt Solutions

Nordic Medical Physics adds to the previous investments Aspekt Solutions has made in the past year. “I have known Norm and respected his accomplishments in the Medical Physics profession for decades,” said Arnie Able, President and Chief Physicist at Aspekt Solutions. “The addition of Nordic Medical Physics notably expands our geographical reach and our ability to deliver scaled solutions wherever needed and enhances our ability to successfully compete with larger and publicly-traded companies in our industry.”

Gayle Hughes, a partner at Merion Investment Partners, paneled an event hosted by the Philadelphia Business Journal discussing Philadelphia’s status as a place for financial service companies to do business. Gayle was joined by partners from Hamilton Lane, Vanguard, Metlife and FS Investments to champion and highlight the financial services sector as an important vehicle of growth for Philadelphia and PA greater. Below is the full article from the 9/30/19 Philadelphia Business Journal publication.

The Trump administration is praising IPC, an Association Connecting Electronics Industries and several of its member companies for their efforts to expand the skilled workforce. On July 25, an IPC group took part in a White House event marking the first anniversary of President Trump’s Executive Order to develop a national strategy to expand the skilled workforce. The event took stock of the progress made under that executive order and the related Pledge to America’s Workers, which called on private sector companies to step up their workforce upskilling efforts.

In recognition of the industry’s efforts, employees and executives from four IPC member companies attended Thursday’s White House event: Calumet Electronics of Calumet, Mich.; STI Electronics of Madison, Ala.; TTM Technologies of Santa Ana, Cal. and one of Merion Investment Partner’s portfolio companies, Zentech Manufacturing of Baltimore, Md.

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