Our Team

Ken is a dynamic professional with 35 years of experience in the aerospace industry. His career includes leaderships roles with companies such as B/E Aerospace, Unitech and Textron. As president and CEO he provides direction for our strategic path to operational excellence and a superior customer experience. After receiving a BS in Engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and serving 12 years in the Navy Reserves, he went on to earn his MBA from the University of New Haven. He also holds numerous certificates in executive education, operational excellence and Lean Manufacturing.

Tawne joined TIGHITCO, Inc. in July of 2005 as Engineering Manager. He was promoted to the position of Vice President of Engineering in 2009, and then to the position of Vice President and General Manger in 2012. His career includes roles at Indy Honeycomb, Bonded Technology and Lunn Industries. Tawne received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut.

Eric joined TIGHITCO in 2018 and has more than 40 years of experience in the aerospace industry. His experience includes overseeing composite, elastomeric and metallic design functions as well as, materials and process, testing, manufacturing and research and development engineering functions. His background also includes leadership roles in production control and data control.  In 202, he was promoted from Senior Director of Engineering and Quality to Vice President of Engineering and Technology.  Prior to joining TIGHITCO, Eric held the positions of Director of Engineering, Estimating and Quality, Program Engineering Manager and Manager of Quality for Ducommun AeroStructures, Cobham Mission Systems, and Molded Fiberglass.  He received his Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.

DaShon has been part of the TIGHITCO team for 2.5 years. He has 10 years of finance, accounting, and auditing experience. This includes five years in public accounting where he worked in the public and private sectors for clients in the manufacturing, aviation, and various other industries. DaShon brings years of accounting research, technical guidance, as well as SEC and statutory reporting experience to the team. He earned both his BS in Business Administration and Master of Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Andrew has over 15 years of experience in leadership at the OEM and Tier 1 levels. He spent his formative years at Cessna Aircraft Company as a Value Stream Leader in Composites, Metal Bond Assembly, and the Aircraft Completions Center. At Cessna he earned Textron Sig Sigma Lean Manufacturing credentials and became the Chairman of the Board for WSU Tech’s NCAT Composites Industry Advocate Team. In 2012, he pivoted to senior leadership and P&L roles at Tier 1 companies such as Zodiac Seats, B/E Aerospace, Unitech, and Kaman. Operational turn-arounds and accelerating growth are his areas of expertise.

Conrad currently serves as Vice President/General Manager of our Berlin, CT facility. He started working for Ellcott Manufacturing in 1994 which was purchased by TIGHITCO in 1997.  His career with the company started as a Manufacturing Engineer followed by multiple promotions over the decades. Conrad served as Engineering Manager then Materials Manger, Operations Manager, and Director of Operations before his recent promotion. He oversees the daily operations including planning and orchestrating monthly sales goals. Conrad has over 30 years experience in aerospace and previously worked for Kaman Aerospace and Bonded Technology.  He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University along with earning certificates including Continuous Improvement Champion Certification (CICC) from Connstep and ITO University through UTC.

Prior to joining TIGHITCO in 2001, Humberto led or participated in the leadership of three manufacturing startups in Mexico, including two in the aerospace industry with Nadcap and AS9100 certifications. He has over 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry and his signature is in the incorporation bylaws of the Mexican Federation of the Aerospace Industry association (FEMIA). At FEMIA, he served as Vice President and Treasurer. Currently Humberto is an active Member of the Board. He has an MBA from Monterrey Tech in Mexico and other degrees from universities in Germany, Canada and Japan. Humberto is also able to speak German, English, Spanish, Japanese and Portuguese.

Esther is a founding member of TIGLA SLP with 20 years of experience managing various areas. Areas include quality, manufacturing and customer service. She was responsible for initial certification in AS9100. Since 2013, Esther has full responsibility of facility’s P&L results. Over the years, she has selected, trained and challenged her team members while building a work culture based on company values. Her focus on teambuilding has resulted in a strong, diverse, empowered and accountable management team within facility. Esther holds a Bachelor in Industrial Engineering as well as a MBA from Instituto Tenológico y de Estudios superiored de Monterrey.