Jo Anne Watton, Chief Executive Officer

Jo Anne oversees UTComp’s sales, customer service, marketing, human resources, finance and information systems. Since completing her post-graduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University, Jo Anne has spent years gaining leadership skills and experience in the not-for-profit, for-profit, research and government sectors.

During her time working for a major charitable organization, Jo Anne formed and led the Canadian Coalition for Genetic Fairness. She was instrumental in the formulation of three bills being put before the House of Commons and the Province of Ontario. As a registered Federal Lobbyist, Jo Anne has been published in a number of journals and has spoken at many conferences. Her work has been quoted by The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and CBC.

Working closely with the CTO, Jo Anne now directs the internal team at UTComp to work in accordance with strategic objectives as developed by senior management and the Board of Directors.

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Geoff Clarkson, Chief Technical Officer

Geoff completed his engineering degree at the University of Waterloo, Canada in 1982, specializing in Systems Design Engineering.  Throughout his career he has worked in maintenance and project roles in  pulp and paper, mineral processing, water treatment, nuclear energy and chemical processing. In 1998, he established himself as an independent plant and project engineer for industrial clients and has worked throughout North America as well as Russia, Mexico, New Caledonia, and other locations.  Throughout his work, he found a consistent gap in support for end users of equipment made from fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP).

Geoff developed the patented UltraAnalytix® NDT system, an innovative approach to non-destructive evaluation of FRP which gives end users reliable and valid information about their FRP assets.

His career has enabled the development of a high level of expertise in all aspects of the engineering, design, inspection and evaluation of FRP. Since 2006, Geoff has focused his attention on the development of non-destructive tools for evaluating FRP and providing useful reliability information to end users.

Geoff is an Associate Member of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE).

In 2019, he was awarded the Ernest C. Manning Innovation Awards’ David E. Mitchell Award of Distinction in recognition of his pioneering work in developing a safe, non-destructive method for evaluating the reliability of composite materials.

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Bob Ilmonen, Director of Operations

Bob is a proven leader with a 25-year record of success as a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur developing cutting-edge processes and innovative products across multiple sectors including advanced manufacturing, plastics and clean energy. He brings a unique combination of technical skills and business acumen to advance UTComp’s global mission to improve the safety and reliability of industrial assets and infrastructure made from fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) and other composite materials.

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Tom Shewfelt, Director, Sales and Business Development

Tom is a seasoned sales professional and Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) with more than 30 years of experience driving business on a global scale. His career prior to UTComp includes more than a decade in business and sales management in the protective linings and corrosion industries. Tom is focused on advancing UTComp’s growth in industrial applications for UltraAnalytix NDT technology to ensure FRP composite reliability and safety worldwide.

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Rick Crawford, FRP Composite Specialist

Rick heads up UTComp operations in Sarnia and area as our FRP Composite Specialist. He has been involved in the FRP corrosion industry since the late 1970s, as an end user as well as a supplier of FRP products and services. Rick also serves on the RTP1 and Non-metallic Pressure Piping Standard committees of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Connect with Rick on LinkedIn.