Leadership Team and Board of Directors

Meet Our Key Leaders

NE-XT’s leadership team and board of directors are responsible for overseeing the successes we produce for customers every day. Meet some of our company’s key leaders below.

Leadership Team

Steve Capshaw, President and CEO

Steve Capshaw represents the second generation of family leaders of NE-XT Technologies. The son of the company’s original founder, he has worked in various positions at the company for 30 years, including sales manager, manufacturing operations manager, and, since 2004, president and CEO. Steve graduated from Boston College in 1993 with a BA in economics and political science.

Richard Havighorst, CFO

Since 2022,Richard Havighorst has served as NE-XT’s CFO. A certified public accountant who earned an MS in accounting from SUNY Plattsburgh, he recently worked as vice president of business and financial operations for Otis Elevator Company, where he worked for nearly 35 years.

Gordon Cranston, Executive Director of Operations – Windsor Facility

A NE-XT employee since he was in high school, Gordon Cranston has climbed the ladder over the past 20 years, from manual and CNC machining to his current role.He is responsible for providing direction and support to a team of three shop floor managers, the logistics department, the job shop department and production control. In the past, he also worked asa job shop manager, a CNC programmer and VP of training and recruitment.

Gordon earned a partial certificate from Springfield Technical Community College, a mechatronics/automation certificate of completion from George Brown University and other certifications relevant to his position.

Katie Szelewicki, VP of Human Resources

Katie Szelewicki is a human resources professional with more than a decade of experience in the field. In her role, she is responsible for collaborating with management to craft the company’s strategic vision and mission, as well as to develop strategic human resources plans and policies. Before joining NE-XT in 2021, Katie worked at Pratt & Whitney as a senior manager in the human resources department for military engines.

Katie earned a BBA in operations management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2012, where she also earned an MBA in 2015. She also completed an MS in employee and labor relations from the University of Denver in 2018. In addition, Katie has earned a SHRM-CP certificate, which is the global standard certification for human resources professionals.

Pavel Lyvytsky, Executive Director of Operations – Greenfield Facility

A NE-XT employee since 2012, Pavel Lyvytsky is a VP of engineering, having previously worked as a CNC operator, production manager and manufacturing/production engineer at the company. He leads a team of engineers to create process-capable, high-production manufacturing systems.

Don Davis, VP of Quality and Continuous Improvement

In his role as NE-XT’s VP of quality and continuous improvement, Don Davis is responsible for strategic direction, governance and performance of quality and continuous improvement. He has nearly four decades of experience in his field and most recently worked as a VP of quality and continuous improvement at Otis Elevator Company.

Lydia Blanche, Director of Business Development

Joining NE-XT by way of acquisition, Lydia has 15 years of experience in Business Development throughout the US and Europe, in automotive and industrial markets. Leading the Business Development team with a strong background in machining and raw materials, NE-XT is breaking into new markets and developing long-term strategies for organic growth and growth through acquisition.

Board of Directors

We are supervised by a board of directors composed of eight multidisciplinary leaders who are not NE-XT employees. Subcommittees are responsible for auditing, corporate governance and executive compensation.

Alan H. Howard

Board of Directors

Before retiring on December 31, 2023 Al had been the President & Chief Executive Officer of Savage Sports Corp., a leading manufacturer…

Albert F. Kasper

Board of Directors

Before retiring on December 31, 2023 Al had been the President & Chief Executive Officer of Savage Sports Corp., a leading manufacturer…

Kenneth Brown

Board of Directors

Kenneth Brown, Senior Managing Director, Operating Partner, Industrials, focuses on creating and driving value-added initiatives with MRC’s …

Michael Somma

Managing Director

Michael Somma, Managing Director, focuses on identifying, analyzing, and executing investments across various industries…

Board of Directors

Before retiring on December 31, 2023 Al had been the President & Chief Executive Officer of Savage Sports Corp., a leading manufacturer of hunting and sporting firearms, shooting ranges, shoot houses, and targeting systems which maintains two locations in Westfield, Massachusetts and Lakefield, Ontario, Canada since 2013.

Al joined the Company in 1996 as its Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He has quickly grown to be the strategic leader for the Company. In 2001 he became the President and Chief Operations Officer. Al has been the leader of the Company's New Product development and manufacturing initiatives including process improvements, LEAN initiatives, and technology which have significantly improved the Company's revenue, operating margins, and cash flows. Al has been instrumental and the driving force behind the Company's monumental leap forward in new product innovations, technology and operational systems development, which not only moved Savage into the 21st century as a first-class manufacturer but also propelled them ahead of the competition as the undisputable leader in their segment of the industry. Prior to joining the Company, Al worked as a Group Controller and Operations Manager for The Conair Group, Inc. in Pittsburgh and an Operations Manager for divisions of Danaher and United Technologies Corporation. He received an MBA from the University of Massachusetts and a B.S. in Accounting from Western New England University.

Al currently serves on the board of several for profit companies (Weiler Corp., Brickle & Co., Savage Arms, Inc., and 1 Touch, Inc.), and non-profit companies (Junior Achievement and The East Longmeadow Educational Endowment).

Al has been teaching Entrepreneurship at East Longmeadow High School for the past 15 years and is an adjunct professor, teaching several courses in the Elms University MBA program. Al has a great family, which includes his wife and three children and three wonderful grandchildren.

Board of Directors

Alan H. Howard has had an over 35 year career that has included investment banking, private equity/investing, organizational leadership and corporate governance.

Mr. Howard is currently the Managing Partner of Heathcote Advisors LLC which he formed in 2008 and which provides financial advisory services as well as makes principal investments. In 2012, Heathcote Advisors made an investment to acquire Dynatech International LLC and Military Parts Exchange LLC, private companies that are global parts suppliers and service providers for U.S. military aircraft and their engines. At that time, Mr. Howard became a member of the Board of Dynatech/MPX Holdings LLC and the two operating companies. In 2013, he was named Chief Executive Officer of Dynatech International and carried out a strategic transformation of the company. In 2019, Heathcote Advisors sold its interests and Mr. Howard stepped down from the boards; he was Vice Chairman as he transitioned through the end of 2019.

Mr. Howard spent over 20 years at Credit Suisse First Boston and its predecessor companies, a leading global investment bank. Starting as an Associate in 1986, he was named a Managing Director in 1996 and Head of the Large Cap Diversified Group in 1999 where he focused on industrial conglomerates, aerospace & defense and consumer/retail companies. He has advised on over $250 billion of mergers & acquisitions transactions including Chrysler Corporation’s merger with DaimlerBenz AG, Tyco International’s acquisition of AMP Incorporated, IBM Corporation’s takeover of Lotus Development Corporation and General Electric/NBC’s acquisition of Vivendi’s Universal Group. In addition, Mr. Howard has been involved in capital raising and securities offerings of over $75 billion. He was a member of the firm’s Investment Banking Committee, Global Recruiting Steering Committee and Co-Chaired the Business Development Council.

Mr. Howard was a Senior Advisor at Rossoff & Co., a boutique investment banking and advisory firm, from 2013 until its Managing Partner left to join another firm in 2021.

Mr. Howard is the Lead Director of Movado Group, Inc. (NYSE:MOV), a leading global watch company that designs, develops, sources, distributes and markets Movado, Ebel, Concord, Olivia Burton and MVMT, and licensed brands Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein. He is also Chair of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee, which he had previously chaired. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1997.

In 2018, Mr. Howard joined one of the Group Board of Directors of BNY Mellon Family of Funds (formerly The Dreyfus Family of Funds), which has over $350 billion under management in equity, fixed income and money market funds as well as alternative investments. In 2020, he was named Chair of the Audit Committee for his Group Board. In addition, he is a member of the BNY Mellon Joint Fund Governance Advisory Committee which evaluates and addresses the governance policies, practices and procedures of its mutual fund complex.

In March 2020, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE:DO), which provides contract drilling services, through its fleet of drillships and semisubmersible rigs, to the oil industry around the world. Mr. Howard was named Lead Director, Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive Committee and the Finance Committee. He was added to the Board as the company was considering restructuring options caused by a weak oil market and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ultimately the company filed for bankruptcy protection and Mr. Howard played a key role in the process. He left the Board after its emergence in April 2021. Mr. Howard was nominated for the 2021 Independent Director of the Year, awarded to a Lead Director or Non-Executive Chair by Corporate Board Member/Chief Executive Group, for his leadership role throughout the bankruptcy proceedings.

In April 2022, Mr. Howard joined the Board of Directors of New England Expert Technologies, Inc. (formerly Valley Precision Parts Corporation), a privately held company controlled by Jefferson River Capital LLC, which manufactures complicated, close tolerance parts and assemblies principally out of titanium, carbon steel and nickel-based alloys, primarily for aerospace engines and aviation components, missile defense weapons, and recreational and military firearms applications. He is also a member of the Board’s Compensation Committee.

Mr. Howard has worked in private equity as well as having advised hedge funds and asset managers during the financial crisis of 2008 through 2010. Early in his career, he worked at James River Corporation (formerly American Can’s Paper Division) where he was involved in product design and development, marketing strategies, consumer testing and commercialization of new products.

Mr. Howard was the President of Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, NY from 2009 through 2012, and worked closely with golf architect Gil Hanse on a significant restoration of this A.W. Tillinghast designed course.

Mr. Howard earned B.S. and M.S. degrees, with honors (Dean’s List, Tau Beta Pi, Alpha Pi Mu), from the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business where he was named a Dean’s Scholar (as well as the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society). He attended the Harvard Business School, Executive Education Program, Making Corporate Boards More Effective.

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Leadership Team & Board

Meet Our Key Leaders

Leadership Team

Steve Capshaw, President and CEO

Richard Havighorst, CFO

Gordon Cranston, Executive Director of Operations – Windsor Facility

Katie Szelewicki, VP of Human Resources

Pavel Lyvytsky, Executive Director of Operations – Greenfield Facility

Don Davis, VP of Quality and Continuous Improvement

Lydia Blanche, Director of Business Development

Board of Directors

Alan H. Howard

Board of Directors

Albert F. Kasper

Board of Directors

Kenneth Brown

Board of Directors

Michael Somma

Managing Director

TAKE OFF WITH NE-XT

Meet Our Key Leaders

Leadership Team

Steve Capshaw, President and CEO

Richard Havighorst, CFO

Gordon Cranston, Executive Director of Operations – Windsor Facility

Katie Szelewicki, VP of Human Resources

Pavel Lyvytsky, Executive Director of Operations – Greenfield Facility

Don Davis, VP of Quality and Continuous Improvement

Lydia Blanche, Director of Business Development

Board of Directors

Alan H. Howard

Board of Directors

Albert F. Kasper

Board of Directors

Kenneth Brown

Board of Directors

Michael Somma

Managing Director

Albert F. Kasper

Board of Directors

Kenneth Brown

Board of Directors

Alan H. Howard

Board of Directors

Michael Somma

Managing Director

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