Ira J. Pitel, President

Ira J. Pitel received the B.S. degree from Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, the M.S. degree from Bucknell University, and the Ph.D. Degree from Carnegie-Mellon University. From 1973 to 1976, he worked for GTE Sylvania researching high-frequency ballasting techniques for gaseous discharge lighting. He joined Bell Laboratories in 1978 and Exxon Enterprises in 1979. At Exxon, he was involved in high-power converter structures for ac motor drives and controlled lighting. In 1981, he founded Magna-Power Electronics.

Ira holds 28 patents in the field of power electronics and is co-recipient of the 1995 Society Prize Paper Award of the Industry Applications Society. He was honored as the Rutgers Outstanding Engineering Alumnus in 2000. He received the 2008 Gerald Kliman Innovator Award. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and has served in many IEEE capacities including Society President of the Industry Applications Society. He is a member of the Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.

You can find Ira on LinkedIn

Adam Pitel, Director of Business Development

Adam Pitel received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University. He received the M.Eng degree from Princeton University where he researched rapid charge/discharge lithium-ion batteries and high-power rapid charger technologies.

Adam joined Magna-Power Electronics as Director of Business Development and is responsible for applications engineering, product marketing, and overseeing sales. In addition, he serves as a chair for the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC). 

You can find Adam on LinkedIn

Grant Pitel, Director of Engineering

Grant Pitel received the B.S. degree from Cornell University at Ithaca, NY, in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, where he concentrated on digital signal processing. He received the M.S. and Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a research focus on digital control in power electronics and life-cycle behavior of lithium ion batteries. Before joining Magna-Power Electronics, Grant was a Senior Engineer at PC Krause and Associates and attended a three month internship at Google’s Platforms Division in Mountain View, CA.

He was a finalist in the 2002 Cornell Big Red Venture Business Idea Competition, received the IEEE IAS Myron Zucker Student design award in 2003, was a 2004 Energy Star Efficiency Challenge winner, and received the 2005 Grainger Outstanding Power Engineer award. He has written 5 first author publications and serves as a volunteer to the IEEE Power Electronics Society.

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Michelle Frost, Controller

Michelle Frost has over 30 years experience at various internal positions in the electronics manufacturing industry. Michelle joined Magna-Power Electronics in 1996; her strong attention to detail has facilitated company growth. Michelle's responsibilities include accounting and overseeing human resources. She received the A.S. degree from Morris County Community College. 

Michael Hittner, Director of Purchasing

Michael Hittner joined Magna-Power Electronics as Director of Purchasing. His responsibilities include vendor and materials management. Prior to joining Magna-Power Electronics, he acquired more than 25 years experience in purchasing, production planning, and sales. He's held a variety of supply chain positions in the telecommunications and biotechnology industries, including positions at Cisco, GE Healthcare, and numerous start-up ventures. Michael received the A.S. degree from Raritan Valley Community College.

You can find Michael on LinkedIn

Rick Rainey, Production Manager

Rick Rainey received the B.S. degree in Management from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.

Rick joined Magna-Power Electronics as Production Manager with 25 years experience in manufacturing products for the television broadcasting industry. He is responsible for overseeing production, scheduling, and fulfilling the company's dedication to quality.

Bill Imbimbo, Logistics Manager

Bill Imbimbo joined Magna-Power Electronics with over 15 years of logistics management experience. His responsibilities include coordinating our products global shipments and overseeing inventory. In addition, he ensures the quality of incoming materials for use in production.