Management Team

David Gilliat | Machining Technology & Manufacturing Director/Co-Founder

With a strong Mechanical Engineering background, David is logically task-driven, result-oriented, objective, and analytical while steadily pursuing the company goals. He is one of our company's founders who is hands-on with the company's state of the art technology capital equipment and complex engineering processes to achieve high quality products. David serves as Director of Manufacturing and Machining Technology, and is responsible for the direct management of the manufacturing team for the Precision Machining Division of Ascentec.

Ian Ruef | President

Ian is a visionary, a natural leader who strives through challenges with ease to drive results each and every day. He has a straight forward-thinking approach with a mind for innovative solutions to difficult problems. Ian is transparent and results-driven when it comes to achieving the company objectives. He has the ability to see the "big picture". Ian effectively takes charge, efficiently defines goals, and intelligently applies sound concepts to overcome challenges. Ian serves Ascentec Engineering, LLC. as the President and responsible for the overall operations, strategic leadership and management for all divisions of the company.

Morris Torseth | R&D & Engineering Director/Co-Founder

Morris is determined, focused, and result-oriented with the high capacity for handling complex technical challenges that are unsuitable for many others. As one of the company's founders Morris does whatever it takes to overcome obstacles. He is an accomplished leader, a strong individualist who continually strives to see the best possible results for the company's best interests. Morris serves as Director of Engineering and is responsible for new product design and development.

We have assembled an executive team that combines progressive business leadership with extensive engineering experience.

President Ian Ruef

Ian Ruef serves as the company President of Ascentec Engineering and is responsible for the overall operations, strategic leadership and management for all divisions of the company. Before joining the executive management team at Ascentec Engineering in 2011, Ian held a number of positions within the company including General Manager, Divisional Operations Manager and Regional Sales Manager. Prior to joining Ascentec Engineering in 2004, Ian was employed by Tektronix Inc., as a manufacturing engineer, where he was responsible for the development of the soldering processes in the printed circuit board assembly division.

Ian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Marylhurst University.

Machining Technology & Manufacturing Director/Co-Founder David Gilliat

David serves as Director of Manufacturing and Machining Technology at Ascentec Engineering, and is responsible for the direct management of the manufacturing team for the Precision Machining Division of Ascentec.

David holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering, and a Master of Science degree in Computer Integrated Manufacturing, both from Brigham Young University. His graduate research focused on optimized machining using advanced materials where he gained extensive knowledge and experience with manual and CNC milling machines. He has more than five years of experience as a manufacturing engineer in the electronics assembly industry, and twelve years of experience as an engineer in the machining industry.

R&D & Engineering Director/Co-Founder Morris Torseth

Morris serves as Director of Research and Development at Ascentec Engineering and is responsible for new product/process design and development for all divisions of the company.

Morris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Portland. His research focused on advanced computer aided motion control. He has twelve years of custom automation design and integration experience and five years of experience as a process engineer in the electronics assembly industry. He was also an NPI engineer responsible for the successful integration of prototypes and new products into manufacturing. He is a specialist in custom requirements for designing and manufacturing fixtures that reduce time and increase accuracy for CAD and CAM, and is trained in NEPA70 and NEC1996 electrical codes.