President
Rich is the third generation of the Gimmel family to lead Atlas, joining the company in 1985. He compares his role at Atlas to that of a "steward", maintaining that "it's my responsibility to do all I can to grow, strengthen, and improve the company -- and then to pass it on." His son, Richard Gimmel III joined Atlas in 2007 after working as a mechanical engineer at an Indiana electronics component manufacturer.
Rich emphasizes the Atlas culture of taking a long-term approach to decisions. "We don't operate from quarter-to-quarter, but rather from generation-to-generation," he says. He claims the company's biggest challenge is to "feed the pipeline" of skilled employee talent for future generations. With that in mind, Atlas has instituted a unique internal growth program to cultivate the next generation of skilled employees. "When it comes right down to it, all we have to sell is what our people can do, and it is imperative that we plant the seeds now to develop future skilled employees."
He equates Atlas to an "industrial fire department," maintaining that quick response to industrial equipment problems is the company's key market strength.
