Martin Miller

Martin was a Mel Foster customer for many years prior to joining the team in 2001. His role is to help customer’s understand what solutions the principles on our line card offer and then support them through the design phase of a project.

He has a wonderful wife and two daughters in fifth and sixth grade. They enjoy snowmobile racing, camping, soccer, and being outside.

Ed Thurmes

After graduating from Mankato State University, and prior to joining Mel Foster, Ed worked for several years in store management at the Target Corporation where he really learned the value of customer service. He joined the Mel Foster team in March of 1998 as a member of the distribution sales team and marketing team. “I’m fortunate to work with a great team and great distribution partners. The distribution channel is an extremely important channel partnership for the Mel Foster group, as the majority of our customers choose distribution for their supply chain needs.” Ed and his team strive to be “best in class” in the market through the highest level of customer service.

Outside of work, his wife Kelly and two young daughters, Hanna and Elysia, keep him constantly on the move. He enjoys playing softball, volleyball and racquetball, and exploring his creative side in the kitchen with new foods for his family to enjoy.

Jerry Watson

Jerry started with the company after graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1998. He began his career with Mel Foster in distribution sales and marketing and today he holds to the position of field sales engineer.

Jerry has a passion for the outdoors and when not working is most likely with his two sons – Yellow Labrador Retriever, Duke and German Shorthair, Jake.

Jake Hansen

Jake graduated with an AA degree in Business Administration & Marketing from Kirkwood Community College and received his CSP designation in 2006. Jake’s started working in the distribution side of the electronics industry. He gained valuable product knowledge from heading back to night school for electronics training and working as a PM for a major distributor. He eventually made the move to outside sales to broaden his efforts in the distribution world and gain valuable sales experience. Jake has the experience from two other organizations where he held the position of manufacturers representative. He started his role as a field sales representative for the Mel Foster Company in 2000.

Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his family, his two dogs and his close friends. He enjoys the great outdoors whether it be hunting with his kids, watching his youngest daughter play softball, or riding his Harley. Jake enjoys working out and is a big fan of Iowa wrestling, at the high school and college level.

Darin Rasmussen

Right out of college Darin has chosen to pursue a path in field sales for Mel Foster Company. Darin went to school at North Dakota State University(Go Bison) for electrical engineering.  His  hobbies include football, baseball, basketball, golf, hunting, and being outdoors. Darin recently moved from Fargo to Minneapolis and looks forward to his career at Mel Foster Company.

Carrie Yeary

Carrie is the newest member of the team. She was brought on to fill the shoes of the recently retired Dick Kinsell. Carrie brings vast experience in the electronics industry.  She spent 13 years with Avnet Electronics in various capacities including inside sales, account management and sales management. In that capacity, she got to know the Mel Foster team. Carrie brings such great enthusiasm and energy for the business and her dedication to her customers is inspiring.

Outside of work, Carrie keeps busy with her husband, Randy, raising their two kids (sixth grade daughter Riley, and third grade son, Cooper). She also enjoys watching and playing most sports, especially golf.

David Gustafson

David Gustafson started with Mel Foster in 2000 as an electrical engineer graduate from the University of Minnesota. His focus was on ROW field sales. A decade later, he is leading a business development effort for Embedded Systems & Solutions (ESS), a new division of Mel Foster. ESS was formed to support higher level integrated solutions involving wireless, display, single board computer, and complete system technologies.

David enjoys spending time with his family including two boys Gavin and Charlie, singing & playing the piano and mountain biking.

Sonja Bridge

Sonja has been involved in the manufacturers rep business since 1981. In 2001, she joined the Mel Foster team and now holds the position of inside sales for the Iowa office. She works closely with Mel Foster customers, principals and distributors to help design the best solutions possible.

Sonja and her husband, Joe are empty nesters and enjoy traveling, music and good wine.

T. Benjamin Heisel

Benjamin joined Mel Foster in June of 1994 to build presence in the Dakota’s. Benjamin represents South Dakota and Nebraska accounts as well as many in North Dakota and western Minnesota. Prior to Mel Foster, he worked as a branch manager for Newark Electronics, as a broadcast engineer with KELO TV/RADIO, and as a sales engineer with Sencore Electronics. He graduated from SDSU with a BS in Commercial Economics, with an Electrical Engineering coursework concentration. He focuses on creating strong customer relationships by building trust and solving real problems with integrity and accountability.

Along with his wife Michelle, three sons (Drew, Cody, and Haydn), Benjamin enjoys travel, gaming, and creating music. “Living and working in Sioux Falls allows me to be close to my customers and my family while enjoying my personal passions of fishing, hunting and camping”

Pam Vinquist

Pam has the voice you first hear when you call, and the face you see as you enter Mel Foster. She is the glue that helps keep the company together.  She performs general clerical duties, shipping and receiving administration, research, supplies, photocopying, faxing/scanning, and filing. She supports the staff in assigned project based work and sets up accommodations arrangements for company visitors. If you need something and don’t know who or where to go Pam is there to help answer those questions and help you to find the answer.

Outside of the office Pam loves being around dogs, especially her Shih Tzu – Choo-Choo, taking walks around the city lakes, Italian food, and church on a Saturday afternoon.

Linda Schulz

Linda joined Mel Foster in 1977 and quickly moved into distribution sales. She has been working on inside sales for OEM for the past 27 years where she enjoys the interesting challenges each day brings. “Always something new or interesting everyday!”

Linda enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Jim Eken

Jim graduated from University of North Dakota (the Sioux) with BSEE in1985. He worked at Norand (now Intermec) for four years in engineering, reliability and project management jobs. Jim has been in representative sales since 1989 and with Mel Foster since 2000. “I am happy to be with Mel Foster Company as we work together to provide the people and resources to assist our customers in product and system designs.”

Jim and his wife Liz have two boys, Joe and Mike who have kept them busy over the years with high school soccer, hockey and scouting. In the summer Jim enjoys spending time with his families on Pelican Lake near Detroit Lakes, MN.

Greg Winters

Starting with Bosch/Telex, Greg worked in the Quality and Design Engineering departments on various electronic and electro-mechanical products.  During this time, He went back to school at St. Thomas University to complete his BA degree in Management.   In 1995,Greg accepted a position with Pioneer to start a career in Distribution Sales and proceeded to expand the role to include FAE responsibilities for various firms.  Recently Greg was in account sales for a local manufacturer representative organization.

Greg is married with three boys and enjoys living and playing in White Bear Lake area.  When time permits, his favorite interests include fishing and coaching/supporting my boys in soccer, baseball, football, and hockey.

Scott Sanders

Scott joined the Mel Foster team in April of 2008. Prior to Mel Foster, Scott spent three years with another local rep and four years as a passive distributor at TTI. Scott enjoys working with Mel Foster’s principals and taking care of his customers. The ever-changing electronics industry offers Scott many exciting challenges that he loves to conquer.

Scott loves spending his time with his three children. Scott also takes pleasure in coaching football and basketball, playing co-rec softball, boating, and rooting for “the greatest franchise in all of sports, the Green Bay Packers”.

Chris Marschel

Chris graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2006 and joined the Mel Foster team about three weeks later in the distribution sales & marketing group. Chris loves this group because it interacts daily with the distribution partners where he can be a line champion to those on the line card. He really enjoys building strong relationship ties with the distributor partners. “Over the past few years I have had the luxury of learning from, and working with a great group of people that have been in the industry for many years.”

Outside of work, Chris loves spending time with his fiance, Kelly and son, Jackson. In addition, he loves spending time outdoors, hunting, fishing, golf, wake boarding and riding dirt bikes and four-wheelers.

Mike Swenson

Upon graduating from the University of Minnesota as a loyal Gopher fan, Mike’s first real job was with the Mel Foster Company. Over the years he has worked within the company in various positions – distribution sales, field sales, sales management and today, President. His primary goal is to make Mel Foster Company “best in class” along customer service, product lines represented and distributors partnerships. Mike focuses each day on driving the organization to grow in the markets they serve.

Outside of Mel Foster Mike loves to spend time with his family. He likes golf, biking, downhill skiing and watching Minnesota Gopher games.

Mike Gorman

Mike started with Mel Foster Company as an inside salesperson for the distribution group in 1984. For the majority of his 20+ years with the company, his role was distribution manager. Today, Mike is the Vice President and he is responsible for helping keep Mel Foster disciplined and on target. He is very proud to be a member of the dynamic team.

He and his wife Patti have travelled extensively throughout the United States with their three grown sons – Nick, Alex and Ryan.

Kyle Neururer

Kyle joined the Mel Foster team as a field sales engineer in 2011 fresh out of the University of Minnesota electrical engineering program.

When not working, he likes to hunt and fish in northern Minnesota.

Chad Rasmussen

Chad joined Mel Foster in 1995 and has held many positions with-in the organization including inside sales, CEM manager, field sales representative and even handyman. He is a graduate of the University Of Wisconsin-River Falls which means he cheers for both the Vikings and the Packers. He enjoys the sales process, especially face-to-face time with customers and is passionate about solving their problems with that innovative Mel Foster spirit.

Outside of work Chad enjoys spending time with his wife Lisa and two kids (ten year old Erik and seven year old Megan) in the outdoors taking advantage of all Minnesota has to offer.

Kristine Melser

Kristine graduated from University of St. Thomas and started with Mel Foster in 2002. She works very closely between the distribution partners, manufacturers and customers to provide top level service across the board.

Besides cheering on the Huskers, she enjoys staying busy by working out, being outdoors, spending time with friends and family, scrap-booking, entertaining and spoiling her German Shepherd.

Phil Portz

Phil has had the pleasure of working in the Electronics industry as a partner with the Mel Foster Company for the past ten plus years and is very excited to be a part of the organization. Phil’s career in the industry included 7 years at All American Semiconductor as an Outside Sales Person.  He then went to Taylor Industrial Electronics as a Territory Manager and was promoted to Sales Manager after the Master Electronics reorganization.  As an outdoorsman  Phil enjoys hunting in the fall, winter and spring and fishing in the summer.