Ken Cleveland

Biography

Born in Virginia, I grew up within 10 miles of our current Virginia plant. I graduated from Virginia Tech in 1988 with a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and was fortunate during my college days to spend a summer working for a one-machine, 3 person start-up called Specialty Blades. I caught the “fever” for small business that summer and probably learned as much in 3 months as I had the previous three years. After graduation, I was lured by the bright lights of “big company” life and went to work for Westinghouse in Aiken, SC. But the “fever” never went away and after going back to school and receiving an MBA from the University of South Carolina, I came to work for Specialty Blades (now Cadence) in 1996 as Controller and several years later became CFO. My wife has endured my “noise” since 1990 (supposedly I’m so tight I squeak when I walk). We have been blessed with two wonderful kids, a son and daughter, and we think Joshua said it best - “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Something that not many people know about me… Relaxing for me is flip flops, shorts, a camper, no cell service, no internet, and no TV…I call it Linked Out. One college summer, I wrote a budget program in basic computer language on IBM’s first “laptop” (IBM’s Portable Computer 5155) for my personal use…what a geek! I guess it should have been a sign!

Research Interest

Industrial Engineering,design