Rick E. Russell – President of Merit Sensor Systems

Rick joined Merit Sensor in October of 2009. Rick has over 20 years of experience managing sales and business development, including 15 years developing new business for MEMS devices in industries that include aerospace, automotive, consumer, industrial and medical.

Rick has studied mathematics and computer science at Eastern Michigan University and received an engineering degree from Lawrence Technological University (BSEE). In addition, Rick has written and presented several papers/articles on 3D MEMS technology.

Scott R. Sidwell – Sales & Business Development Manager – Americas

Scott leads Sales & Business Development for Merit Sensor Systems over the Americas region. He works closely with customers to develop custom sensor solutions and to provide technical support.

Scott joined Merit Sensor in September of 2003. Previous to Merit Sensor, he served in a variety of engineering capacities with semiconductor companies such as ON Semiconductor and Motorola.

Scott received an engineering degree (ChemE) and MBA from Brigham Young University. In addition, Scott enjoys volunteering his time and is fluent in Spanish.

Luca Salmaso – Sales & Business Development Manager – EMEA & APAC

Luca joined Merit Sensor in December of 2013.
Luca has over 10 years of experience in the pressure measurement industry, including 6 years managing worldwide sales. Prior to his position in sales Luca lead the engineering department dealing with packaging processes, piezoresistive/capacitive on ceramic technology and MEMS for applications in the automotive, industrial and medical industries.

Luca has a technical background and received an engineering degree of microelectronics at Technological University of Yverdon-Les-Bains (Switzerland). Luca is located at the Merit Sensor European office at the World Trade Center in Lugano, Switzerland. Luca enjoys travelling and is fluent in 4 languages: German, French, English and Italian (mother tongue).

Scott Brown – Manager of Engineering

Scott joined Merit Sensor in January 2016 after having over 17 years of experience in the pressure sensor market. Prior to joining Merit Sensor, Scott worked as a VP Engineering, VP sales and as a mechanical engineer for an oil and gas pressure sensor company. Currently, Scott leads the engineering group in new product development and MEMS and Sensor manufacturing.

Scott obtained a Mechanical Engineering Degree at the University of Utah, and also holds an MBA from University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business.

Aaron Olson – Manager of Operations

Aaron is a new addition to the Merit Sensor team. He joins us after working for more than 10 years with IM Flash Technologies as an engineer and senior program manager. Aaron is responsible for all Merit Sensor operations that pertain to production, purchasing, planning, logistics, scrap/lean, and maintenance engineering.

Aaron is a certified Program Management Professional (PMP) with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University. He also holds a Masters in Industrial Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration, both from Arizona State University.

Jeff Madsen – Production Manager

Jeff joined Merit Sensor Systems in July of 2011 after working for the parent company, Merit Medical Systems, as a Supervisor of the Prelude medical device line. Prior to Merit, Jeff gained more than eight years of experience in three wafer fabrication facilities at Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector.

Jeff has a Bachelor’s of Information Systems degree from Arizona State University. He received training and certifications in Six Sigma, Ford 8D Problem Solving and JIPM (Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance).

Chase Winegar – Quality

Chase joined Merit Sensor in 2009 as an engineering intern and soon after was offered a full time position as a Process Engineer. After spending three years as a process engineer Chase was promoted and transitioned into the Quality Engineering position that he currently holds. Chase enjoys working closely with customers and suppliers on quality issues.

Chase received an engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering (BS) from the University of Utah and an MBA from the University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business.

Chris London – Marketing and Communications

Chris joined Merit Sensor in 2017. He comes from the medical-device industry, where he worked for almost 12 years supporting R&D, operations, quality, regulatory, and marketing. He brings with him experience in copywriting, technical writing, editing, presentations, and quality management systems.

Chris has a bachelor’s degree in English from Weber State University and a master’s degree in communication from Westminster College. He speaks Spanish and enjoys working with colleagues and customers around the world.