EWI appoints market leader, program manager

EWI has hired Grant Wilson as Medical/Microelectronics market leader and Frank E. Jakob as program manager in the Technical Division.

Wilson’s focus is solutions to the materials joining challenges facing the medical and microelectronics industries. He is responsible for business development in these areas.

Before joining EWI, Wilson spent 13 years at Battelle Memorial Institute, where he held several positions, including product design engineer, project manager, and strategic relationship manager for projects serving the medical device market. He managed a variety of projects, from market research and new-product concept development to manufacturing scale-up and product iterations. His projects included drug delivery devices, diagnostic instruments, and hospital products.

Wilson helped create Battelle’s Integrated Product Development Approach©, a business model that provides integrated, concurrent engineering and design services to clients and enables Battelle to provide turnkey product development for medical device clients.

Jakob has more than 20 years’ experience in project management in the areas of advanced energy systems and technology, codes and standards, HVAC equipment, appliances, safety and performance, power systems, fuel cells, engines, and regulatory compliance. He manages EWI’s larger projects and is responsible for on-time delivery, resource scheduling, and project cost control. He also is developing the organization’s strategy for engaging with the fuel cell industry with focus on EWI’s core capabilities of material joining technology, advanced manufacturing technology, and nondestructive testing.

Jakob’s program management experience includes bringing together and managing diverse technical teams and interacting successfully with government, association, and commercial clients to provide high-value outcomes. He has experience in commercialization, intellectual property management, market analysis, and business start-up activities. He has a strong track record in project management, business and engineering economics, mechanical engineering, systems analysis, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.

Before joining EWI, Jakob was a commercialization manager at Battelle Memorial Institute, where he identified and developed ventureable spinout-company opportunities for fuel cell intellectual property. Previously he was an engineering project manager at the institute and designed, developed, and executed project opportunities for clients ranging from greenhouses for Middle East deserts to natural gas pipelines for Alaska’s north slope.