Our Company

Formed by necessity. Progressing through ingenuity and resourcefulness. 

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and we know that’s true from experience!

 

Necessity

American Innotek began with a mission of creating products to keep workers healthy, safe, and productive. When a telecommunications client experienced “the worst” that could happen on a job, our founders couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

An OSHA inspector had just suspended all of their underground work on a major project all because of a preventable problem—workers urinating on the job. Inventors and natural problem solvers, our founders jumped at the chance to create a solution for them.

 

Invention

To get work underground started again, they created the first human waste bag for workers in remote and inconvenient places. … and we never imagined we’d sell so many of them to so many businesses across the globe. Like tripping over an elephant, we stumbled upon a behemoth of an unmet need and American Innotek was born.

 

Today

Now, our brands create the most technologically advanced personal waste management products, and they also highly engineer plastic parts to solve design dilemmas for people in the industries of aviation, auto, medical, and more.

Our team maintains the same level of dedicated service we had at the start, and we love to involve our customers in making our products better and creating new ones.

Meet the Leadership Team

Jim Goode, American Innotek CEO

Graduating with an accounting degree from Illinois State, Jim Goode began his career at an international CPA firm in Chicago. Since he preferred working with people and processes over numbers, he never registered as a CPA after passing his exam. Instead, he made a move to California to work for a major wireless telecom company and begin his over 30-year career in management.

With talents for problem-solving and optimizing operations, Jim ended up serving in multiple director-level roles in operations, sales support and marketing during his many years at AT&T Mobility, Cingular Wireless and LA Cellular. During that time, he earned an MBA from the University of Southern California. 

He later honed those skills serving as vice president of corporate development in the aerospace and defense industry working for AP Labs (later Kontron); then, COO for Rad Works, a reseller of medical imaging equipment; and also vice president of client solutions for EGS, a business processes outsourcing company. 

A shareholder in American Innotek, Jim was offered the position of VP of Administration at AI in 2015, but immediately dismissed it. When his career coach pointed out that it was an opportunity to do what he does best—help an underperforming business reach its potential—he took the job, later becoming president and CEO. 

Jim has brought his strong customer success experience to AI, believing trust is the greatest part of any relationship. He enjoys motivating the AI team to execute flawlessly and honestly when serving customers, and to go out of their way to make things right when they’re not so flawless.

When he’s not leading the team at AI, he enjoys beach volleyball, tennis, traveling, and dinner with friends and family—wife Analia, son Nick and their dog named Luna.

John Hahn, CFO

John Hahn is a business professional with over 35 years of leadership experience with Fortune 500 companies including L3Harris and GE Aviation.  He has an MBA in Finance from CSULB and BA in Economics from UCLA.  John’s financial leadership experience has been primarily in Defense Electronics and Aerospace Manufacturing; with compliance expertise in government accounting.  He also served as the President for GE’s Aviation’s Landing Gear and Fuel Systems business located in Santa Ana, Ca and was responsible for the landing gear delivery of Blackhawk, Predator C and X47B plus the development and delivery Aerial Refueling Systems for the 767 Global Tanker Transport Aircraft.  John has training in Hoshin Kanre (Continuous Improvement) and has attended GE’s Leadership Development Program in Crotonville, NY.

John enjoys spending time with his family and participates in outdoor adventure sports like mountain biking, surfing and off-roading.  He resides in Huntington Beach, Ca with his two college age children, two dogs and wife of 31 years.

Eric Witt, National Sales Director

Eric Witt graduated from Western Michigan University with a business degree and loves rooting for Detroit-area sports teams and the Michigan Wolverines. He brought that love of sports and competition, as well as his abilities to organize and prioritize into his results-driven work in sales and management. During his career, Eric worked his way up from sales executive to sales VP and now national sales manager at AI. 

He almost accepted another job before coming to AI in 2013, but when he came across a listing for his current position, he was intrigued. It ended up being a perfect fit for him, and he loves the clients, the growth potential, and the culture. He also loves working with and motivating his passionate sales team, believing attitude plus effort equals results.

In his spare time, Eric takes advantage of now living in Florida by doing some fishing,  playing golf, and rooting for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also enjoys traveling with family and friends, spending time with his wife, Barbara, and watching his teenaged son play high school sports.

Johnny Pedroza, Director of Operations

Johnny is a seasoned professional with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and over 20 years of experience in manufacturing. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Johnny has led numerous initiatives aimed at optimizing operations and enhancing efficiency within manufacturing organizations. Through the application of lean principles and statistical analysis, Johnny has successfully streamlined processes, reduced waste, and improved overall productivity, resulting in substantial cost savings and increased customer satisfaction.

Throughout Johnny’s extensive career, he has held key leadership roles in prominent medical device manufacturing companies, overseeing various aspects of the production process, from design and development to manufacturing and quality control. Johnny’s expertise extends to regulatory compliance, ensuring adherence to strict industry standards and guidelines.

Recognized for his ability to drive continuous improvement, Johnny has implemented innovative strategies to enhance product quality, reduce cycle times, and enhance overall operational effectiveness. His collaborative approach, coupled with strong problem-solving skills, has enabled him to successfully lead cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and achieving exceptional results.

In his spare time, Johnny enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking and Brewing Craft Beer.

Pam Duncan, Manager of Human Resources and Customer Service

Pam Duncan’s talent of motivating her coworkers and creating positive experiences for others led to her taking on two important positions at AI. Her journey started over 20 years ago when a friend let her know about an open position in Customer Service and Order Fullfillment. Her positive attitude and attention to detail quickly earned the trust of her managers and also a position as accounting coordinator.

After completing courses in accounting, she earned her first management position—accounting manager and HR administrator. The VP of administration took Pam under wing, sharing her HR knowledge and further developing her talent for managing people. Pam then went on to become HR manager, and now manager of both that and customer service.

She believes in always being prepared and taking on tasks as a team. Pam and her husband, Mark, have three grown daughters and enjoy spending time with them and their six grandchildren fishing, camping in their trailer, and making homemade ice cream (so far, strawberry made with fresh, local berries is the best!).

Sue Goode, Corporate Secretary

Being a hiker, cross-country skier, and lover of the outdoors, Sue Goode joined Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund as a young 20-something to support environmental causes, because “actions speak louder than words.” Having grown up in the Midwest, she decided to attend DePaul University in Chicago and graduated with an education degree and a certification in computer programming. She later earned an MBA from Pepperdine University. 

When her son was young, Sue took advantage of her education training and taught elementary school. She’s also worked as a computer programmer for US Gypsum Company, an account manager for PepsiCo, the sales director for Alliance Manufacturing Software, and the sales VP for eLabor.com. 

An early investor in American Innotek, in 2014 Sue’s father encouraged her and her siblings to also become shareholders. Her love of nature and desire to “leave no trace,” made it an easy investment to make, and she took on the position of corporate secretary a few years later.

Sue loves working in AI’s collaborative environment and being involved in a company concerned with keeping people and the planet safe and sanitary. She’s the proud mom of a now-grown son, and in her free time, she travels, plays golf, practices yoga, and listens to a lot of non-fiction on Audible.

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