Board of Directors

President | Rob Upright
OEM Sales Manager, Vishay Transducers, Ltd.

Rob Upright serves as the Vice President of the Scale Manufacturers Association.

Rob began his career in the load cell industry at Revere Corporation in Wallingford, CT in 1983. Working in the strain gage and load cell production departments, he remained there until 1994 when Revere completed its relocation to California as part of RTI. In 1996, he moved to MA and worked for Flintec, Inc., first as Production Manager, then moving into sales. In 2004, he joined the sales team at Vishay Transducers located in CA and is currently one of Vishay Transducers, Ltd OEM Sales Managers. Rob has a home office in North Grafton, MA and resides with his wife Dawn and their son Nicholas. In addition to the SMA, Rob is a member of the NCWM & ISWM.

Vice President | Steve Parkman
Chief Operating Officer, Rice Lake Weighing Systems

Steve Parkman serves as a Director of the Scale Manufacturers Association.

Steve has been in the Weighing Industry for over 25 years, spending his first 10 with Transducers Inc./Revere Transducers and the last 15 with Rice Lake Weighing Systems. He started his career at Transducers Inc./Revere Transducers as a Product Planner, and later became Materials Manager. He also worked in the Sales side of the business including managing the Customer Service group and select National Accounts. In 1997, he left California and moved to Wisconsin to join Rice Lake Weighing Systems as their Load Cell Product Manager. From there he progressed through the organization service as a Business Unit Manager, Director of Product Management, Vice President of Product Development and most recently COO. In this role Steve oversees not only the majority of US operations, but also all of Rice Lake Weighing Systems international interests. Steve holds a business degree from Long Beach City College, and has attended many University of Wisconsin courses since moving to the state in an effort to keep his skills sharp.

Secretary / Treasurer | Open Position

Director | William Fischer
President, Emery Winslow

Bill is currently President of Emery Winslow Scale Company in Seymour, CT. He joined the company in 1979 as Materials Control Manager and took on increasing responsibilities in operations and administration until being named President in 1990. A New Jersey native, Bill received his Bachelor’s Degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and has remained a New Englander ever since. He received an Executive MBA from the University of New Haven and later served as an adjunct Professor of Management there for several years.

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Director | Rick Norden
President and Chief Operating Officer, Fairbanks Scales

Rick Norden serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Scale Manufacturers Association.

Rick is President and Chief Operating Officer of Fairbanks Scales in Kansas City, MO. He has been with Fairbanks Scales since 1994. Prior to that he practiced law with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom in New York and London. Norden holds a BS degree from the University of Michigan, a JD degree from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Northwestern University.

Norden has been active in the SMA since 1995 and has served multiple terms as a member of the board of directors and is a past president. He and his wife Britton and their three children are residents of the Kansas City area.

Past President | Todd Manifold
General Manager, Industrial Products, Mettler-Toledo, LLC

Todd Manifold serves as the Past President of the Scale Manufacturers Association.

Todd has been in the scale industry for 12 years, and is currently the General Manager of the Mettler-Toledo, LLC facility in Worthington, OH. He has served on the board of directors of the SMA for the last 9 years. He has a bachelor's degree in engineering from The Ohio State University and a master's degree in Finance and Marketing from Northwestern University. Todd is the proud father of 4 daughters and in his free time enjoys tennis, basketball, coaching, and fishing.

Technical Committee

Chair | Steve Langford
Vice-President of Engineering Services, Cardinal Scale Manufacturing Co.

Steve Langford serves as the Chair of the Scale Manufacturers Association, Technical Committee.

Steve holds an MBA from Missouri Southern State University and a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Arkansas. He is a registered professional engineer and has worked for Cardinal Scale Manufacturing Co. since 1971 serving a number of functions.

He is an active member of the Scale Manufacturers Association and has served as past president.

Vice Chair | Lou Straub
Consultant, Regulatory Affairs, Fairbanks Scales

Lou Straub serves as the Vice Chair of the Scale Manufacturers Association, Technical Committee.

Louis Straub has worked for Fairbanks Scales as a Regulatory Affairs Consultant for the last 7 years. Straub received a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement with a minor in Business from the University of Maryland. He began his weights and measures career in 1973, as a weights and measures inspector for Prince Georges’ County, Maryland. He also worked as a scales and weighing specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture, Packers and Stockyards Administration. In 2004, he retired after 22 years of with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, his last 13 years serving as Chief of the Maryland Weights and Measures Section. He is a past Chairman of the NCWM and twice served as Chairman of the NTEP Committee. He currently resides in Southport, NC with his wife Debbie.