LayerZero Leadership Team

Meet the LayerZero Power Systems leadership team. Our leaders bring deep expertise across engineering, manufacturing, sales, finance, transformation, product management, service, HR, and IT - focused on delivering reliable, mission-critical power distribution and power quality monitoring solutions.

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LayerZero Executive Leadership Team

Patrick J. Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of LayerZero.

Patrick J. Taylor

Chief Executive Officer

Rich Cochran, Chief Financial Officer of LayerZero.

Rich Cochran

Chief Financial Officer

Rich Cochran has over 28 years of finance and accounting expertise, including 15 years in senior roles with private equity-backed and publicly listed companies such as Hexion and Synthomer. Prior to his work in corporate finance, he spent over 12 years at EY. Throughout his career, he has built high-performing finance organizations, driving scalable growth and stakeholder alignment. He holds a degree in Accounting from Ohio University and is a CPA.

Jason Diefenthaler, Chief Operations Officer of LayerZero Power Systems.

Jason Diefenthaler

Chief Operations Officer

Jason Diefenthaler brings nearly 20 years of leadership experience across global manufacturing, supply chain, and operations. He most recently served as Vice President of Manufacturing and Vice President of Supply Chain Strategy at Weber Grills and previously held progressive operations leadership roles at Schneider Electric, including Plant Manager and Director of Operations. Jason brings deep expertise in operational excellence, lean transformation, and scaling global manufacturing organizations.

Matt Franklin, Chief Information Officer of LayerZero.

Matt Franklin

Chief Information Officer

Matt Franklin leads LayerZero’s enterprise technology strategy, digital transformation, and information security initiatives. He previously served as Vice President of IT at Avtron Power Solutions, where he drove major modernization efforts across ERP, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Matt brings a strategic, security-focused approach to enabling scalable growth through technology. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration & Information Management from David N. Myers University.

Ben Hodson, Vice President of Quality at LayerZero Power Systems.

Ben Hodson

Vice President of Quality

Ben Hodson leads LayerZero’s Quality organization, scaling a 25-year legacy of engineering and manufacturing excellence as the company grows globally. He brings deep experience in quality leadership, operations, and complex systems, with a pragmatic, people-first approach to continuous improvement and disciplined execution. Prior to joining LayerZero, Ben held senior quality and operations roles at Weber LLC and Schneider Electric. He holds an MBA and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Brian Jackson, Chief Human Resources Officer at LayerZero Power Systems.

Brian Jackson

Chief Human Resources Officer

Brian Jackson leads LayerZero’s people strategy, talent development, and culture initiatives, supporting the company’s continued growth in complex manufacturing and technology-driven environments. He brings extensive experience building scalable HR organizations and aligning people systems with operational excellence. Prior to joining LayerZero, Brian served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Race Winning Brands and held senior HR leadership roles at Stanley Black & Decker and Amazon. He holds a B.S. in Organizational Communication from Murray State University and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Edie Reaves, Chief Transformation Officer of LayerZero Power Systems.

Edie Reaves

Chief Transformation Officer

Edie Reaves is a seasoned transformation and operations leader with deep P&L and private equity experience across manufacturing, logistics, and automotive industries. She most recently served as Chief Transformation Officer at Depot Connect International, leading large-scale acquisitions, global integrations, and enterprise-wide digital and operational excellence initiatives, and previously held senior leadership roles at Faurecia, Wabash National, Maxion Wheels, and Ford Motor Company. Edie holds an MBA and an M.S. in Engineering from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.

Heather McIntyre, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at LayerZero Power Systems.

Heather McIntyre

Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

Heather McIntyre has been with LayerZero Power Systems since 2007 and brings deep institutional knowledge across operations, product management, and customer service. She previously served as Director of Operations for nearly eight years and has led Product Management and Customer Service since 2018, driving cross-functional alignment, operational discipline, and customer-focused execution across the organization. In her current role as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Heather partners closely with executive leadership to translate company strategy into actionable programs, aligning operations, product, and customer experience initiatives that support scalable growth and long-term performance. She holds both a B.S. and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.

Rob Niedlinger, Vice President of Sales at LayerZero Power Systems.

Rob Niedlinger

Vice President of Sales

Rob Niedlinger brings extensive experience in electrical power systems and data center sales, beginning his career in the U.S. Air Force, working on medium-voltage distribution systems. He has held sales and sales leadership roles at Mitsubishi, Schneider Electric, and S&C Electric, and has been instrumental in expanding LayerZero’s commercial presence since joining the company in 2018. Rob holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Youngstown State University.

Lovisa Tedestedt

Chief Commercial Officer

Lovisa leads our global commercial strategy, driving revenue growth and strengthening customer engagement across key markets. She brings over 20 years of leadership experience in strategic sales, enterprise partnerships, and go-to-market execution. Most recently, she held senior commercial roles at Schneider Electric, where she worked closely with channel partners, distribution networks, and major cloud & service provider accounts. Lovisa combines deep industry relationships with a strong understanding of digital infrastructure and high-growth market development. She is also currently pursuing her M.S. in Datacenter Systems Engineering at Southern Methodist University.

Jameson Page, Vice President of Field Services at LayerZero Power Systems.

Jameson Page

Vice President of Field Services

Jameson Page brings more than 16 years of leadership experience in service, sales, and pricing, most recently at Schneider Electric, where he led large field service organizations with a focus on safety, customer satisfaction, and team development. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University and brings a strong commitment to building a high-performance service culture that supports LayerZero’s growth.

Marty Trivette, Chief Technology Officer at LayerZero Power Systems.

Marty Trivette

Chief Technology Officer

Marty Trivette brings more than 25 years of experience in engineering, energy systems, and data center infrastructure. As a recognized industry leader, Marty has designed and executed over 30 data centers worldwide, holds 10 patents, and has contributed extensively to advancements in mission-critical power systems and AI-driven energy design. Marty holds a Master of Engineering Management from Duke University and a BSME from NC State University. At LayerZero, he leads the development of innovative electrical distribution solutions that support the future of critical power infrastructure.

Michelle Charello, Vice President of Commercial Marketing at LayerZero Power Systems.

Michelle Charello

Vice President of Commerical Marketing

Michelle Charello leads the company's efforts to sharpen its go-to-market strategy, align marketing with commercial priorities, and support scalable growth. Her career spans both global and North America-based roles, shaping marketing and commercial strategy in the energy and power sectors. Before LayerZero, she was VP of Strategy, Marketing & Commercial Operations at AlphaStruxure, where she sat on the commercial team. There, she drove 1:1 enterprise marketing, account-based programs, and brand across complex, multi-year data center and infrastructure deals. She also spent over a decade at Schneider Electric, leading North American content strategy and thought leadership across 15+ business segments. She also led external communications for Schneider's Global Chairman and CEO for five years.

LayerZero Founders

Milind M. Bhanoo, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at LayerZero Power Systems.

Milind M. Bhanoo

Co-Founder and Vice Chairman - Board of Directors

Milind M. Bhanoo co-founded LayerZero Power Systems in 2001 and served as President for 24 years, helping to shape the company into a trusted leader in mission-critical power distribution. Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership roles across product development, sales, marketing, and general management. Milind holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics, an M.S. in Systems and Control Engineering, and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

James M. Galm, Co-Founder and Board Member of LayerZero.

James M. Galm

Co-Founder and Board Member

James M. Galm co-founded LayerZero Power Systems and served as Vice President and Chief Technical Officer for 24 years, leading the development of the company’s core technologies and high-reliability power solutions. With over four decades of experience in product development and engineering, his work encompasses advanced electronics, embedded systems, and the design of mission-critical systems. James holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, is a Registered Professional Engineer in Ohio, and has numerous patents.

The Founding of LayerZero Power Systems

Founded in 2001 by Case Western Reserve University alumni Milind Bhanoo and James M. Galm, LayerZero Power Systems began as a self-funded venture rooted in engineering excellence and a commitment to reliability. Working out of a garage, the founders designed and built the company’s first prototype, establishing a new standard for mission-critical power distribution focused on safety, fault tolerance, and advanced monitoring. As the company grew, Bhanoo and Galm assembled a multidisciplinary engineering team that developed the Optical Power Transfer Switch (OPTS), a triple-modular redundant static transfer switch that differentiated LayerZero from legacy solutions. Early innovations, such as fiber-optic controls, redundant architectures, fault-tolerant mechanical design, touchscreen interfaces, network connectivity, and waveform capture, helped secure early customer adoption and positioned LayerZero as a trusted provider for data centers, financial institutions, and other mission-critical environments. From those humble beginnings, LayerZero has grown into a 400+ person company with facilities in Aurora and Streetsboro, Ohio, and a global reputation for reliability. In 2025, the company entered a new chapter through a strategic partnership with Advent International, accelerating growth, expanding manufacturing and engineering capabilities, and creating new opportunities for local talent across Northeast Ohio. Recent milestones include a 120,000-square-foot expansion of the Philipp Parkway facility in Streetsboro, the creation of more full-time jobs, and continued investment in AI-ready, mission-critical power infrastructure—reinforcing LayerZero’s long-standing commitment to local manufacturing and delivering the most reliable power systems.

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