"Follow your passion, not the paycheck. If you work hard at what you believe in - the money will come."

Mitch Free fervently believed in an idea that struck others as crazy, impossible or worse. Why would someone create an online marketplace when all others were crashing and burning and why do it in an industry as slow to adopt and as fractured as manufacturing? The answer - passion.

Mitch Free has spent most of his career solving problems, eliminating inefficiency and not listening to conventional thinking. Mitch founded and now serves as the President and CEO of MFG.com. Through his vision, creativity and persistence, Mitch has grown MFG.com to a company that has become the platform by which the world's manufacturing economy does business. Mitch is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the company and overseeing the overall management of MFG.com. Under his leadership, the company has experienced a tremendous amount of growth globally in a market segment he is continuing to help define.

Prior to founding MFG.com, Mitch was founder and CEO of 3DATUM, a provider of technology solutions for the manufacturing and engineering communities. Prior, to founding 3Datum Mitch has held a variety of senior management positions with Northwest Airlines where he managed aircraft engineering, technical procurement and aircraft acquisition projects. Mitch began his career as a machinist and spent years working on the shop floor.

Mitch holds two U.S. patents (5,167,720 and 5,162,659) and is recognized among his peers for his strategic vision, domain expertise and creative management style. Inc. Magazine named him an "Entrepreneur of the Year" finalist in 2005, Ernst & Young names him a finalist in 2008 and under his leadership MFG.com was ranked by Deloitte and Touche as one of the top technology growth companies in the U.S., and in the top 10 technology growth companies in Georgia. Mitch is an avid speaker at technology forums and conferences, including recent presentations to the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University, Harvard Business School and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Mitch is an active angel investor in disruptive Internet based technologies and marketplaces. Read about Mitch in Inc. Magazine's - May 2008 Issue

Leigh, our CFO, is responsible for the financial direction of MFG.com including treasury, financial operations and accounting.

Before joining MFG.com, Leigh was director of finance for Reed Construction Data, a Reed Elsevier Group plc company, a worldwide publisher and information provider with annual revenues in excess of $5 billion. Leigh was directly responsible for strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and analysis for a $100+ million division. Also at Reed, Leigh served as controller and international controller. Prior to her tenure at Reed, Leigh held the position of audit senior at Ernst & Young (Atlanta) and research analyst at Ernst & Young (New York).

Leigh received a Master’s in Accountancy degree from Rice University (Texas), where she was a Jones Scholar, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Statistics, also from Rice where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Leigh is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Georgia.

Steven Roth is MFG.com's Chief Marketing Officer and is responsible for the leadership and management of MFG.com's global marketing and communications group. In his role he is responsible for leading the strategic positioning of MFG.com as the clear global innovative leader for manufacturing marketplaces.

Prior to joining MFG.com, Steven served as SVP, Global Marketing and Product Manager of Indus, Inc. a global software company providing service delivery management solutions. He was responsible for marketing and product management including being part of the management team for the turnaround, return to profitability and privatization of Indus which had revenues in excess of $160 million. Prior to Indus, Steven served as VP, General Manager for the US operation of French based Solaronics International, an industrial process and control manufacturer. He also served as a regional sales director for Honeywell, Inc.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island where he graduated Cum Laude and also spent several years working overseas on international assignments.

As SVP, Global Business Development, Sherwin is responsible for the continued international expansion of MFG.com including development of merger and acquisition opportunities.

Prior to this role Sherwin served as chief operating officer of MFG.com and prior to joining MFG.com, Sherwin was the chief financial officer for Tectonic Network, Inc., a micro-cap public company most recently focused on 3D CAD products for the construction industry. In addition to his financial responsibilities, Sherwin oversaw many operational aspects of Tectonic. Prior to that, Sherwin served as vice president of finance and chief financial officer for CMD Group, a worldwide publisher of construction information, through its sale to Reed Elsevier plc for $300 million. Prior to that, Sherwin was a senior manager with Ernst & Young in both its Johannesburg, South Africa, and Atlanta offices, where he focused on entrepreneurial growth companies.

Sherwin received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Accounting Science Honors from the University of South Africa. He is a Chartered Accountant and member of the Atlanta chapter of the Executives Roundtable.

As Chief Technology Officer, Andy is responsible for overseeing the development, quality assurance, and operations of technology platforms at MFG.com.

Prior to joining MFG.com, Andy was the senior vice president of application development for Thomson Financial, a leading financial services company that provides integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. In his role, Andy developed and led strategies in the creation of a common platform for over 40 product development groups. He was also responsible for the support and development of over $1 billion worth of products. Prior to that, Andy served as chief technology officer at CCBN, which was acquired by Thomson in 2004. In his role he led all aspects of technology from start-up to over $65 million in revenue, and holds several patents for products that were developed.

Adam is responsible for leading MFG.com's strategy and day-to-day operations of the Americas Region, which includes the North, South and Central America regions.

Before joining MFG.com, Adam spent 14 years with CMD Group, a worldwide publisher of construction information. Adam held various positions of increasing responsibility with CMD in sales management including having overall responsibility for its flagship product line and was the driving force behind the development of leading-edge products that helped propel the company's revenues over $100 million.

Adam received a BBA in Marketing Management from North Georgia College and State University and has also served as an officer in the United States military.

Steve Pateuk is MFG.com's Vice President of Global Alliances & Platform Strategy. Steve is responsible for building strategic alliances with a select group of global partners, as well as developing the underlying platform and business systems upon which these partners and MFG.com delivery ever-increasing value to the manufacturing community.

Prior to joining MFG.com, Steve served as a Sales Manager for Autodesk, Inc., the worldwide leading provider of 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing market. Steve was responsible for the active promotion of Autodesk's Engineering Data Management solution. Steve served as a subject matter expert within Autodesk and was the liaison between product management and field sales representatives. Prior to joining Autodesk, Steve served as Director of New Business Development and was a top revenue producer at Requisite Technologies, Inc., a developer of Master Data Management solutions for manufacturing enterprises.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, MA as well as a Management Certificate from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

As Vice President and General Manager of MFG.com China, James is responsible for leading MFG.com's Chinese Operations including the day-to-day running of the Shanghai-based office.

Prior to joining MFG.com, James served as the Chief Representative for the Service Solutions Segment of SPX Corporation in Shanghai. In this role he helped to establish the Asia Procurement Office and build a sourcing team of over 20 individuals to support multiple business segments within the company. He also developed a database of 400 top commodity suppliers and pioneered reverse auctions in China utilizing online marketplace platform. Prior to that, James was the General Manager for SPX Air-Xi Gage Company in Wuxi, China. In this role he aided in the restructuring of the organization, its work processes and operating metrics.

James holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from East China University in Shanghai and an International MBA from Thunderbird, AGSIM in Phoenix, Arizona. James is fluent in both Chinese and English.

As Managing Director of MFG.com's EMEA operations, Kai Deininger is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Geneva-based office as well as the expansion of MFG.com EMEA.

Before joining MFG.com, Kai worked for Monster as the head of Marketing and Communications for Monster Europe and he also served as Managing Director of Monster's German subsidiary. While at Monster he successfully blended American and European expectations and business practices and helped launch Monster as a truly global brand. Kai also served as the Director of Business Operations for Jobline International, a company absorbed by Monster in 2001. Prior to that, Kai worked at Compaq where he served as Senior Program Manager and as Manager of Original Equipment Manufacturer Alliance for the EMEA region.

Kai holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois. Kai Deininger is of German nationality; and is fluent in German, English and French.

Heiko Binder is MFG.com's Vice President of Global Project Management. Prior to joining MFG.com, Heiko served as senior strategist for frog design Europe where he was responsible for guiding multi-disciplinary teams through various projects as well as establishing the strategy practice for frog design, focusing on innovation, business and brand strategies. Before joining frog design, Heiko co-founded and served as Managing Partner for TechPilot, an internet marketplace for the manufacturing industry. He was responsible for product development and IT operations at TechPilot.

Heiko holds a Graduate degree in Mechanical and Process Engineering from the University of Stuttgart in Germany and an MBA in International Management from the Collège de Ingénieurs (CDI) in Paris, France. Heiko Binder is of German nationality; he is fluent in German, English and proficient in Spanish and French.

As VP of Human Resources, Diane is responsible for overseeing the North American Human Resources function directly as well as providing global leadership for Human Resources strategy, policies and procedures.

Prior to this role Diane was most recently with Ventyx as the VP, Human Resources where she provided leadership for the global Human Resources function. Diane brings progressive experience and has been involved in all facets of Human Resources including Talent Acquisition, Career Development, Employee Relations, Compensation and Benefits.

Diane received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Western Connecticut State University. She is a member of the Atlanta Human Resources Leadership Foundation as well as both a local and Nation Member of the Society for Human Resources.