Here we feature decision makers in flow who have played an important role in the flowmeter market today: Matt Olin, Dan McQueen, Pascal van Putten, Steve Walton, John Harris, and Mike Wasson.
Matt Olin
Matt Olin served as President of Sierra Instruments from 2003 to 2020, until shortly after the company’s May 2019 acquisition by the TASI Group. A family owned business founded by his father, Dr. John G. Olin in 1971, Sierra’s mission was to be the leading manufacturer in the world of fluid flow and environmental flow measurement and control instrumentation in terms of QD PICS (Quality, Delivery, Price, Innovation, and Customer Support).
Matt joined Sierra in 1995 and served as Service Manager, Quality Manager, Director of the Engine Emissions Division, Director of Operations, and Director of Sales and Marketing. Matt also maintained a position on Sierra’s Board of Directors. Under Matt’s leadership as president, Sierra strengthened its global position in the flow measurement and control industry. In addition to founding Sierra-Asia operations in 2003, now located in Shanghai, Matt oversaw Sierra’s European headquarters in Holland. Between Sierra-USA, Sierra-Europe and Sierra-Asia headquarters, Sierra managed a network of over 150 offices in over 50 countries.
Since taking over as president, Matt more than doubled Sierra’s annual global shipments and dramatically expanded Sierra’s product line to cover nearly every gas, liquid, and steam flow application on the planet.
Matt says he is bringing his expertise in precision measurement, control, and innovation to his current passion for tackling the urgent challenge of global water management. He is now the Founder and CEO of Lookout Lab, Inc. the creator of Bluebot, where the company is transforming water management with the world’s first AI-powered, self-adjusting, non-invasive smart water meter. Bluebot tackles a trillion-dollar market fueled by rising droughts, aging infrastructure, and increasing water costs.
Matt received a full athletic scholarship to play Division 1 Basketball at University of the Pacific, where he graduated in business. Matt holds an MBA from University of San Diego with an emphasis on marketing, finance, and strategic cost management.
Dan McQueen
Dan McQueen was president and CEO of Fluid Components International (FCI) until his death in February 2023. The company, now a DwyerOmega brand, is a recognized world leader in thermal dispersion process instrumentation used in flow, level and temperature measurement. Dan started with the company in 1985 and served as International Sales Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing prior to becoming president and CEO in 1995. He also served as president of Vortab Company, a recognized leader in flow conditioners offering unique patented designs to serve a wide variety of flow conditioning applications.
Dan graduated from U.C.L.A with a degree in Economics and completed Executive Management certificate programs at USC and Caltech. He was an active member in the (ISA) Instrument Society of Automation and served on (MCAA) Measurement Control and Automation Association Boards. Dan also served on various San Diego manufacturing company boards and formal advisory councils in banking, insurance and manufacturing companies.
Pascal van Putten
Pascal van Putten together with his brother, Michel, founded VPInstruments in 1999. However, the history of the company’s technology goes back to 1974. That year, Pascal and Michel’s father, Anton van Putten, pioneered the development of MEMS flow sensor technology by implementing world’s first thermal mass flow sensor on a silicon substrate. This flow sensor is the mother of all CMOS flow sensors, and its revolutionary design can still be found in many other flow sensors around the world.
VPInstruments provides high quality, easy-to-use flowmeter solutions that help customers reduce compressed air consumption and energy costs. They are also used for nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, and other technical gases. In fact, about 90 percent of VPInstruments’ customers are from outside the Netherlands .
Pascal received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering (precision engineering) from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands , in 1997. He worked on his master’s research project at the Precision Engineering Center, North Carolina State University. In his free time, Pascal is interested in music, art, and playing the piano.
Steve Walton
Stephen A. Walton (SWalton208@cs.com) is President and Managing Principal of WALTON Associates. The company has more than 30 years of experience in corporate strategy, new venture management, diversification (alliances and acquisitions), and market planning and research. It provides consulting services aprimarily to industrial technology companies with emphasis on instrumentation and automation. Steve is also a Partner of PAI Partners, a consulting group that specializes in process analytical instruments.
Steve was a founder and principal of DMCW Associates, a consulting firm, which served process control clients since 1982. He was also a senior consultant in the Electronic Industries Group of SRI International. Steve’s operating experience includes planning and management positions with Xertex (instrumentation) and Envirotech Corporation (process equipment and instrumentation). He has also held sales and marketing positions with Beckman Instruments and Moore Products Company. He is a graduate chemical engineer and the International Society of Automation (ISA); and American Chemical Society.
Since 1982, Steve has managed or participated in nearly 650 projects. More than 90 percent of these were proprietary projects for individual clients, and the rest were multiclient activities. Of the proprietary projects, more than 70 percent were related to specific process control products. Basic field instruments and control devices accounted for nearly 40 percent of the product research, with flow measurement and pressure measurement accounting for nearly one-half (76 projects) of the basic measurement project activity. Flow technologies covered a wide range including differential pressure, turbine flow, ultrasonic flow, Coriolis mass flow, magnetic flow, positive displacement, bulk material flow, and their related accessory products.
John Harris
John Harris, formerly publisher of Flow Control, helped initiate the launch and success of the magazine of fluid handling systems during its infancy stage. He became publisher of Flow Control magazine in 1996 and has been in the fluid handling industry for more than 20 years. Flow Control is the #1 publication for fluid handling engineers and focuses exclusively on technologies and strategies for effectively measuring, containing and controlling liquids, gases, and slurries.
Prior to joining Flow Control magazine, John was the Associate Publisher of Precision Cleaning Magazine, a publication concerned with general issues of precision cleaning, contamination control, analytical techniques, surface quality, and environmental issues. John was also involved in the magazine world of trade shows as a Conference & Exhibition National Sales Manager and Event Planner for the North American CleanRooms Exhibition and International CleanRooms Exhibition.
Mike Wasson
Mike Wasson, retired VP & Publisher from Processing and GVMG, wrote in his own words a few years ago:
I guess the peg for being on the Legends site, would be my 20 years in the publishing field helping readers understand the various flow products. As publisher I’ve visited hundreds of companies and dozens of plants in the process industries. It’s been my dedication to help buyers connect with equipment manufacturers. My background is a unique blend of equipment, process plants, and communicating information about these subjects. I’ll be 62 next month and I have over 40 years experience with equipment. So here are the details.
I graduated from Bradley University in 1970 with a BS degree in Journalism.
I joined the Marine Corp Reserves and trained as a combat engineer, mostly learned how to build and blow up bridges and sweep for mines.
I worked for Caterpillar starting in 1970 as an Advertising Copy Writer in Parts and Service Sales. Moved to Minnesota for Caterpillar in 1975 as a Parts Sales Rep primarily doing dealer development work.
In 1978, I moved to Caterpillar fork lift product lines and worked in various roles (parts marketing, dealer development, sales and field warranty responsibility) until 1985, when I joined the Caterpillar dealer in Philadelphia . I was responsible for forklift product support. We had 5 branches, 5 sales reps, over 20 parts employees and over 100 repair servicemen. I learned lots about equipment in my 20 years association with Caterpillar — engines, hydraulics, pumps, and wear characteristics of equipment placed in many different applications.
I went back to my first love, publishing, in 1990, starting as an advertising sales rep for Processing and taking on the Publisher’s role in 1993. I have had the Publisher’s job ever since, except for a 3 year sabbatical from 2000 to 2003 when I did some market consulting work for DuPont, started a webinar company with two other partners, and then returned to the publishing world with a magazine called GPS World.
I grew up on the farm, always working around equipment. So I know and love machinery. For fun, I love the outdoors. I ski, golf, hike, shoot photography, and enjoy sharing it all with my family.