Barry-Wehmiller Design Group Names Three New Partners
ST. LOUIS - Sept. 18, 2007 - Joseph Wilhelm, Managing Partner of Barry-Wehmiller Design
Group, Inc., has announced the promotions of Mike Ripper, Sebastian Vega and Kurt Wirth to the position of Partner in the St. Louis-based engineering consulting firm.
Mike Ripper has been a member of the Design Group for 18 years, holding varied positions of increasing leadership responsibility in the areas of electrical engineering, project engineering and electrical manufacturing. In 2005, Ripper accepted responsibility for ControlTech Automation, a Barry-Wehmiller division created through the expansion of Design Group's electrical manufacturing division. Under Ripper's leadership, ControlTech has grown its control panel
revenues by 25 percent and, in the process, developed a very bright future for this business.
Sebastian Vega joined the Design Group in 1995. Following a very successful project
management career in the firm's St. Louis office, Vega sought out a career advancement
opportunity within the Chicago office. He relocated to Chicago in 2003, and since that time, he has been very instrumental in the successful build-up of this office. Vega played a lead role in securing a recent green field plant project with a major consumer products company, which represented one of the firm's most significant client engagements in its 20-year history.
Kurt Wirth joined the Design Group's Greenville, S.C., office 10 years ago, following six years as
a project manager for Kimberly-Clark. Wirth was one of the original Design Group team members
to develop the firm's Pharmaceutical operation in 1998, and he was instrumental in building the
firm's presence in this market sector. In 2002, Wirth recognized a career growth opportunity to help
develop the Philadelphia office expansion. His client skills were instrumental in enabling the firm to
grow this office to more than 30,000 billable hours by 2005, while vastly diversifying its client base.
For additional information, please contact:
Joseph Wilhelm
Managing Partner
314.862.8000
"These three new partners have diverse backgrounds and unique skills, but each of them has
demonstrated common attributes: their intensity to pursue personal growth opportunities that
advance their careers while providing meaningful benefit to the firm, and a deep commitment to
helping their colleagues achieve success," Wilhelm said. "We are thrilled to recognize their
contributions through these promotions."
ABOUT DESIGN GROUP
Barry-Wehmiller Design Group is a leading provider of manufacturing automation and engineering
consulting services to the world's leading consumer products, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The
firm employs approximately 350 engineers, software designers, architects, regulatory specialists and other
technical personnel throughout nine offices in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, providing a comprehensive range of
solutions for packaging automation, software engineering for business intelligence, process control and
instrumentation, regulatory compliance, and facility design and construction.
ABOUT BARRY-WEHMILLER
Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. is a world leading supplier of packaging, corrugating and paper
converting technology, as well as engineering consulting services, across a broad spectrum of industries.
Barry-Wehmiller's balanced and diversified approach to the market is made possible through 11
interactive divisions: Accraply, a leading manufacturer of automatic labeling systems; Barry-Wehmiller
Company, manufacturing bottle washers and pasteurizers for more than 120 years; Barry-Wehmiller
International Resources, a pioneer in the creation, development, and integration of advanced
information technology and engineering solutions; Central Bottling International (CBI), specializing in
quality industrial manufacturing equipment and services for the food, beverage, and packaging industries
worldwide; Design Group, a premier supplier of manufacturing automation and engineering consulting
services; FleetwoodGoldcoWyard, a leading producer of advanced conveyance technology and
material handling equipment; HayssenSandiacre, a form/fill/seal technologies and services leader for
more than 100 years; MarquipWardUnited, a leading manufacturer of equipment for the corrugated and
folded carton industries; Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC), providing advanced converting,
printing, and packaging technologies for the tissue, nonwovens, and flexible packaging industries since
1919; PneumaticScaleAngelus, a global provider for can seaming, capping, centrifugation, dry filling,
labeling, and liquid filling; and Thiele Technologies, a leading supplier of cartoning, case packing,
bagging, and palletizing equipment.
