SOLUTIONS INDUSTRIES ABOUT CAREERS NEWS CONTACT OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM CEO & Chairman of the Board Ken Coggins Ken is a founding partner of PREMIER and has been serving as an executive leader since it was founded in 1991. During Ken's tenure, he has supported technical delivery, business development, and operations. Presently, Ken is focused on supporting and developing the next generation of leadership, to ensure that the potential for PREMIER’s future is being realized. Ken began his career in 1980 supporting and improving manufacturing systems for General Motors. He joined a system integrator as a project engineer in 1983. His responsibilities grew into project and operations management. In 1988, he was selected for the position of Vice President of Regional Operations. Ken is involved in his local church and community. He actively supports local charities and youth athletic organizations. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Ken relocated to the Nashville, TN area in 1988 where he and his family reside. President David Lax David was promoted to President in 2019. Prior to this, David has served in various roles of senior leadership since 2011. David’s primary responsibilities are oversight and leadership of operations and all corporate functions which includes the management of the company's financial activities. David graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and began his career at PREMIER as a controls engineer in 1998, where he developed an invaluable understanding of the core fundamentals of PREMIER's business. He became a key implementation specialist and project manager, playing a leading role in PREMIER’s business expansion into the food and beverage industry. David received his MBA from MTSU in 2006 and an M.S. in Finance from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management in 2009. David claims his roots in West Tennessee where he credits his values to his grandmother and his Christian upbringing. He currently lives in Nashville, TN. When he isn't working, he can be found on a golf course, a ski slope, a yoga studio, or cheering on the Commodores at a Vanderbilt sporting event. Senior Vice President of Business Development Kirk McCaleb Kirk is based out of our corporate office in Nashville, TN and manages PREMIER’s manufacturing business unit. His focus during the founding and growth of PREMIER has been in the areas of sales, new business development, and vendor relationships. In 1981, Kirk graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.E. in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, he joined the Allen-Bradley Company in Milwaukee, WI and completed their sales training program in 1982. He was assigned to their New Orleans office as a Sales Engineer. After working in Allen-Bradley’s Nashville sales office he was hired by Stuart C. Irby Company to help launch a new electrical distribution office in Nashville. In 1988, he and Ken opened a Nashville branch for an Atlanta-based system integrator. In January of 1992, Kirk joined PREMIER. Kirk is a seventh-generation Tennessean and resides in Franklin, TN. He has three daughters that are his primary focus outside of work. Vice President of Operations Andy Ask Andy was promoted to Vice President of Operations in 2019. Andy is responsible for providing oversight and leadership of PREMIER’s operations including the manufacturing, engineering, and quality groups. Andy joined PREMIER in 2016 and engaged in several roles in the areas of project management, account management, business development, and manufacturing operations. Prior to his time at PREMIER, he spent 16 years with The Timken Company in both technical and management roles. Andy began his career at Timken as a Systems Engineer working on engineering, MES, and business systems and then progressing into management roles including Lean, Materials, and Operations Management. Prior to that Andy spent 6 years with Striker Systems as a Software Engineer and Production Manager. Andy grew up in the small town of Glenwood, MN, where he worked in the family business with his father, learning the metal fabrication trade and the values essential to operating a small business. He graduated from Bemidji State University in 1993 with a B.S. in Computer Science. Andy is certified in Lean Leadership and is a Project Management Professional (PMP). He and his wife have three children and reside in Nolensville, TN. Outside of work, Andy enjoys spending time with family, woodworking, welding, hiking and is an avid golfer. Vice President of Business Development Shaun Guy Shaun was promoted to Vice President of Business Development in 2021 and is responsible for providing insight and leadership to PREMIER’s business development and marketing team. Shaun joined PREMIER in January 2020 as Director of Business Development after a twenty-two-year career with Rockwell Automation where he held various sales leadership and global business development roles across multiple industry segments. Shaun also has previous engineering and management experience with a systems integrator and diverse manufacturing companies including Lever Brothers, Continental Can, and General Motors. Shaun grew up in a small coastal town in North Wales UK, in 1988 he graduated from Chester College with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Shaun and his family are proud first-generation Tennessean’s and live in Franklin TN, outside of work he enjoys motorcycle restoration and riding and playing guitar. Director of Business Development - Food & Beverage Brian Pascoe After a seventeen-year career that included working with end-users, OEM’s and other integrators, Brian joined PREMIER in March 2002 as an Account Delivery Manager and was promoted to Director of Business Development in 2021. Brian has over 35 years in controls automation and during his nineteen years at PREMIER, he has been responsible for the delivery and growth of both the automotive and food & beverage accounts. Brian is originally from London, Ontario Canada where he graduated from Fanshawe College in 1985. Brian moved to the U.S. in 1988 and lives with his wife in Mt. Juliet TN. Brian’s hobbies include golf, motorcycle riding, and is an avid hockey fan. Director of Business Development - Digital Transformation Tyler Graham Tyler was promoted to Director of Business Development in 2021 after spending 12 years in an Account Management role. Tyler’s primary responsibility is the continued growth of PREMIER’s sales and technical capabilities in Manufacturing Information Systems and MES. Tyler started his career at PREMIER as a co-op in 1996 while working towards his Electrical Engineering degree at Tennessee Tech. Upon graduating, Tyler started full-time with PREMIER in 1999 and relocated to the newly-opened Cincinnati office. This experience in a small, new office provided numerous opportunities for growth, as Tyler was able to quickly grow his technical skills in the areas of controls, SCADA, and custom software development across multiple industries. In 2005, Tyler relocated back to his hometown of Nashville and spent the next 15 years leading and managing projects, with a primary focus on custom manufacturing information solutions and multi-site MES deployments. Tyler has always enjoyed solving technical challenges and is passionate about helping customers achieve business goals through continuous improvement culture, stakeholder ownership, and end-user adoption. Outside of work, Tyler enjoys golfing, video-gaming, movies, home automation, watching sports, and playing referee for his 4 kids. Director of Business Development - DCS / Process David Johnson David joined PREMIER in 1998 as a controls engineer working in the Decatur, AL office with a focus on DCS related business in the process industries. Over the years he held a variety of positions in the office and in 2021 he was promoted to Director of Business Development. David has a computer science degree from UAH and has been working in the industrial automation world for over 30 years. He has delivered solutions across a wide variety of industries including metals, pulp and paper, and specialty chemicals. David continues to serve on the Foxboro DCS national steering committee and is active with the Southeastern I/A Users Group. Outside of work David enjoys spending time with his family, tinkering with Arduino and Raspberry PI microcontrollers, and going to concerts. Director of Technology Larry Grate Larry joined PREMIER in 2007 as a senior controls engineer working in the Decatur, AL office. In 2016 he was promoted to Director of Technology and continues to serve in that role. Larry has been working in the industrial automation industry for over 30 years delivering solutions in a variety of industries using DCS platforms, PLCs, and various SCADA systems. For the last several years he has been working in OT network convergence leveraging ICS data to improve operational efficiency for our customer base. This has included architecting solutions to secure OT/ICS networks to related cybersecurity standards from identified threats. Larry is a professional engineer registered in the state of Georgia and holds several Cisco certifications as well as a GICSP. Outside of work Larry enjoys working with young people through his church. Director of Engineering Tony Valasek Tony serves as the Director of Engineering with responsibility for project delivery oversight, employee performance, and career development. Tony also represents the engineering team’s perspective in recruiting, best practices, and corporate planning and development. Tony joined PREMIER in 2009 as the Engineering Manager. Tony has over 30 years of engineering and manufacturing experience in diverse, international industries with various industry leaders such as Oberg Manufacturing, Tyco Electronics, and Triumph Aerospace. Tony holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University, an MBA from the University of North Carolina, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a specialization in International Business from Northcentral University. Tony is a certified project management professional, a certified MBTI practitioner as well as a U.S. Patent holder. Tony works out of our Smyrna, TN office and lives in Murfreesboro, TN with his wife and close to his two sons. Tony enjoys camping and hiking, reading, recreational shooting, and playing video games with his sons. Director of Engineering Dr. Thomas Pool (Tommy) Tommy serves as the Director of Engineering for the Atlanta Business Unit, located in Marietta, GA. Tommy has the responsibility for the performance and career development at this location. He is responsible for oversight and leadership for the Atlanta office, building and encouraging the PREMIER team, and promoting customer relationships through quality engineering. Tommy joined PREMIER during the acquisition of FeedForward in 2020; he served as a key member during the integration process. Tommy had been serving as Feed Forward’s Executive Vice President since 2012 after a long career in control systems design and implementation. He worked for Kliklok-Woodman for 17 years designing motion control systems for packaging and product handling machinery. Tommy graduated from the University of Florida in 1989 with a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering after presenting his dissertation, “Motion Control of a Citrus-Picking Robot”. He received his B.S. from the University of Georgia and M.S. from Texas A&M University, both in Agricultural Engineering with control systems focus. Tommy was raised in Tifton, GA and has lived in the Atlanta area for over 20 years. He is an avid water skier and general lake bum. He loves gardening, machinery, and doing anything that involves being pulled behind a boat. Director of Human Resources Pete Eiden Pete joined PREMIER in 2013 as Human Resources Manager. In this role, Pete provides leadership and support for all areas of HR including Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Training & Development, Benefits, Compliance, and Safety. Prior to joining PREMIER, Pete held various HR leadership roles in both the Manufacturing and Technology industries. Pete was raised in Tampa, FL where he attended Saint Leo University earning both a B.A. in Psychology in 2004 and a Masters of Business Administration degree in 2007. Pete also holds certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). He and his wife relocated to the Nashville area in 2011. Director of Project Management Steve Orth Steve was promoted to Director of Project Management in 2021 and is focused on enhancing all aspects of our project methodology. This includes ensuring the performance of active projects, growing our project management staff, and driving continuous improvement of our processes. Steve is a lifelong member of the PREMIER team. After graduating from Tennessee Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Steve began his career with PREMIER in 2002. Several years of design and programming in our automotive and food & beverage industries prepared him to eventually manage projects and lead teams within PREMIER’s largest accounts. Steve is proud to be a Nashville native and is excited about the growth his city has recently experienced. Outside work, he loves cycling, sailing, and adventuring to out-of-the-way destinations around the globe with his wife and two sons. HOME Join our mailing list and never miss an update! Subscribe Now