Leadership

Steve Culmone serves as Chief Executive Officer of Ashcroft and has been a key leader in the organization since joining the company in 1990. He was appointed President and CEO in 2011 following a 20-year track record of leadership roles across operations and executive management.

Throughout his career at Ashcroft, Steve has held a variety of senior management positions and became an executive board member in 2000 as Senior Vice President of Global Operations.

Steve’s leadership has always been grounded in accountability, operational discipline and a culture of collaboration that supports Ashcroft’s global reach and local presence. His industry knowledge, operational expertise and commitment to standards of care and excellence have helped position Ashcroft for sustained growth and strong business performance.

Effective January 1, 2026, Steve transitioned the role of President to Adam Freyler and continues as CEO, working closely with the leadership team to execute Ashcroft’s strategic plan and support long-term success.

Steve began his career at C. Cowles in 1983 where he served seven years as Quality Manager and Vice President of Operations. He earned his MBA from Quinnipiac University and his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Fairfield University. He also holds a Six Sigma Black Belt and is affiliated with Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Manufacture CT, CBIA and Vistage.

Steve is an avid sports fan and has followed, coached and played numerous sports through the years.

Adam Freyler was appointed President of Ashcroft effective January 1, 2026. He previously served as Vice President of Global Marketing and Business Development where he led market, product and technology strategies supporting global alignment and sustained business growth.

During his 21-year career at Ashcroft, Adam has held other commercial and operational leadership roles including Vice President of Sales and Marketing Americas and Vice President and General Manager Latin America. His experience spans global markets with a strong focus on customer partnerships, strategic planning, product development and long-term value creation.

Adam’s leadership approach reflects Ashcroft’s values of accountability, collaboration and innovation, with an emphasis on aligning global teams around customer needs.

Prior to joining Ashcroft, Adam held positions with Druck (General Electric) and Gems Sensors (Danaher/Fortive), building deep expertise in the industrial measurement instrumentation market. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Maryland.

Adam enjoys fishing, kayaking and spending time outdoors with his family.

Tomohiko serves as Senior Vice President and liaison between Ashcroft and Nagano Keiki, Ashcroft’s parent company in Japan. He will work with both Ashcroft and Nagano Keiki to grow revenue and profit through close collaboration. Prior to joining Nagano Keiki, he was President of Sanden International Philippines, a division of Sanden International. Tomohiko has extensive experience in global business. He has over 30 years of experience not only in Japan, but also in Singapore, the USA, and the Philippines. Tomohiko earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Niigata University in Niigata, Japan.

Jim is the Vice President/General Manager of North America and is responsible for the overall operations, strategy and P&L management to achieve growth, deliver profitability and drive world-class lean manufacturing. A team member since 1993, Jim most recently served as Vice President/General Manager of Stratford and Querétaro. Prior to that, he held several leadership positions within the company including Vice President of Global Operations, Director of Manufacturing, Manufacturing Manager, Electronic Products and Manager Customer Service and Sales Support. Jim attended Southern Connecticut State University and earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Charter Oak State College. Professional affiliations include ManufactureCT, formerly the New Haven Manufacturers Association.

Tyler joined the Executive Team in November 2016 as Director of Engineering and promoted to Vice President in April 2021. He is responsible for leading the developmental engineering activities including new products, product upgrades and Custom Engineering Solutions (CES^SM) to deliver the most reliable and innovative product solutions to meet our customer's demanding requirements. He began his career at Ashcroft in 1997 as an engineering co-op while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After joining the company full time in 1999 as a Development Engineer, he advanced through the company as Project Engineer, Senior Project Engineer and Senior Project Engineer/Lead Mechanical Engineer in which he was the key project leader and designer for numerous products. Tyler earned his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Tyler is a highly skilled wood worker whose accomplishments include making furniture for his home and an outdoor hockey rink for his three boys to use in the winter.  He also coaches youth hockey and enjoys tackling DIY projects.

John joined Ashcroft Inc. as CFO in August of 2021, leading the financial aspects of the company and is responsible for financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, risk management, tax management and credit and collections. Prior to Ashcroft, John held global roles with increasing responsibility including CFO, Chief Accounting Officer, Leader of Finance and Pricing Strategy. His vast industry experience includes technology, transportation, consumer products, and mostly manufacturing acquired through his time at Xylem, ITT Corporation, IBM, Element Solutions, Pitney Bowes, PepsiCo and PricewaterhouseCoopers. John is a CPA and holds an MBA in Finance from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University where he also received his B.S. in Accounting. He currently serves on the Audit Committee of the North Salem Central School District.

John has been a long-standing sports fan, participant and coach of youth sports including baseball, basketball and soccer. In recent years, he has become a devoted golfer.

Sam is the Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Middle East markets. He is responsible for the overall operations, strategy and revenue growth in these regions. A team member since 1999, Sam was the Director of Sales and Marketing (APAC/EMEA) & General Manager (China), Business Unit Manager, and Senior Analyst/Project Leader. His initial role with the company was Business Analyst. Sam earned a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Information Systems from Post University, an MBA from the University of Connecticut, and an M.S. in Computer Information Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Hartford Graduate Center.

Sheila is our Vice President of Human Resources leading the company’s HR team initiatives, including talent acquisition, retention and the employee experience, training and development, wellness and safety, labor relations and community engagement.  In this role she is responsible for ensuring Ashcroft has dynamic, diverse and skilled people in place to drive our growth and strategic plan.  Sheila has held numerous roles in Ashcroft, managed through many acquisitions and divestitures and was appointed Vice President in 2018. Sheila holds a B.S. in Finance from Fairfield University and attended certificate studies at Cornell University ILR School. She is a member of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council’s Board of Directors, Stratford Chamber of Commerce Executive Board, and Vice President of Board of Directors, Burroughs Community Center, SHRM, CBIA and ManufactureCT. 

You can find Sheila boating and at the beach with her family in the summer, skiing in Killington, VT in the winter and enjoying time outdoors.

Sven joined Ashcroft in 2025 as the Vice President and General Manager of Europe & Africa. Based in Alsdorf, Germany, he is responsible for the strategic operations and revenue growth in these regions. He brings over 20 years of diverse industry experience to this role. Prior to joining Ashcroft, Sven was the Vice President of Sales at COGNEX Corp in the USA and spent 19 years with Emerson where he held leadership positions across sales, marketing, engineering and operations. Sven earned his Diplom-Ingenieur (FH) Degree in International Sales and Purchase Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Kiel, Germany.