Our Team

Boasting more than 100 years of combined experience working at Pace, our international team of Senior Executives possess incomparable industry expertise.

This team doesn’t just manage Pace, they helped to build it. And what they have built is a company that feels more like a family.

At Pace the success of the company is intrinsically tied to the success of our individual employees. The ROI of this philosophy is increased employee retention, engagement and productivity throughout our workforce.

Employee loyalty is a hallmark of our company. Our people are passionate about what they do and work hard to prove that Pace is deserving of the reputation it has built over the years. Our employees are encouraged to grow in their positions and use their industry knowledge to rise through the ranks of the organization. Because of this, they are highly skilled and vested in the overall success of the company and the quality of the end customer experience. Pace employees are committed to our company, our customers and our mission.

The benefits of investing in our people extend throughout the organization and our customers and manufacturing partners reap those benefits as well.

High employee retention means that our customers have access to decades of industry experience at every level.

The collective knowledge of our Executive Team has allowed Pace to curate supplier relationships to find the highest-quality low cost sources for materials, construct state of the art manufacturing and strategically located storage facilities in Asia as well as the US, create a seamless transportation network for product delivery, and build an infrastructure of sales and administrative support to meet any customer need. This provides continuity in customer relationships, bringing unmatched stability to our manufacturing partnerships.

Learn more about our Executive Team here.

Pace’s regional stateside sales team is also composed of experts in the field. These industry veterans bring their insights into their Project Management and can find solutions to even the most difficult manufacturing challenges. Any project, big or small can benefit from their experience and ingenuity.

Learn more about our Sales Force here.

We have assembled and fostered a diverse and committed administrative support staff, in-house sales team, engineering team both here and abroad as well as skilled workers in our dedicated manufacturing plant who all share the commitment to make the customer experience second to none.

It is the people of Pace that help to make us a partner of choice. In addition to competitive pricing and high quality products, Pace offers an experienced workforce who stand behind every product and provide ongoing customer support.

Pace continues to exemplify the values of our founder in recognizing that our people are our number one asset.

Click here to connect with us and see what our people can do for you.

Our Executive Team

Seasoned executives and industry veterans with the insights and experience to grow our business and yours

Dawn M. Smith

Dawn M. Smith

Chief Executive Officer

chevron_right

Dawn M. Smith

Chief Executive Officer

Dawn joined Pace in 1997 and has more than 15 years of experience in sales and marketing in the electronic contract manufacturing industry. She worked her way through the Pace organization after starting as the executive assistant to Founder and President F. Patrick Kehoe. This has given her not only thorough knowledge of Pace’s policies and procedures, but also invaluable insight into Pace’s customers and niche market. She was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2009 and is currently the lead salesperson on the majority of Pace’s top customers. Her focus on expanding the contract manufacturing side of the business has helped bring Pace to the more than $40 million company it is today. Dawn is also the liaison with Pace’s China and Hong Kong operations. During her multiple visits to China since 2005, she has accompanied existing and potential customers to audit the facility, been instrumental in vendor selection and qualification, and worked on the startup of new manufacturing programs. Dawn is also an expert in the emergency lighting industry, responsible for all of the agency’s product-safety certifications and serving customers in that industry as program manager since 2002. Dawn has an associate degree in business from The University of Phoenix and is working toward her Bachelor of Science in business management.

Dawn recently redesigned the Pace website and sales literature to provide the sales team with the most updated sales tools. She has also improved the organization’s daily communications with the Hong Kong and China operations.

Dawn has been actively involved in the policy and procedure decisions and, in her role as CEO, continues to make these decisions to form the future of Pace. Dawn lives in Fair Haven, NY, with her husband, Jeff, and daughter Courtney. She is actively involved in Courtney’s competitive dance and soccer, and the family enjoys camping, motocross and snowboarding.

Dawn M. Smith
Alan P. Zimmer, CPA

Alan P. Zimmer, CPA

Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer

chevron_right

Alan P. Zimmer, CPA

Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer

Alan has been the Chief Financial Officer at Pace Electronics since 2001, where he is responsible for the overall financial guidance of the company as well as identifying opportunities to improve profitability, evaluate expansion opportunities and provide analysis and projections. Prior to joining Pace, Alan was a controller at a small electronics contract manufacturing company in Rochester, NY. He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. From there he worked to obtain his CPA license and began his career in a small local public accounting firm. In 1995, Alan joined Mengel, Metzger, Barr and Company, a large regional accounting firm. It is there, while specializing in audits of manufacturing companies that Alan began to develop his real-world business skills.

Upon joining Pace, Alan’s initial focus was to bring stability to the accounting department as well as improve the company’s balance sheet. In his daily capacity he handles the banking relationship, daily cash management, vendor selection/negotiation and day to day operational decisions. He also manages logistics, has responsibility for a key customer and oversees the purchasing department. Alan has been key in managing the growth of Pace from a $20 million dollar company in 2001 to over $50 million today.

Personal: Alan lives in Webster, New York with his wife Jennifer and their three children, Nicholas, Alicia and Jonathan. He is an avid Yankee fan. Aside from baseball the family likes to travel and spend time on their boat on nearby Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario.

Alan P. Zimmer, CPA

Charlene Yang

Managing Director, Pace Manufacturing Facility

chevron_right

Charlene Yang

Managing Director, Pace Manufacturing Facility

Ms. Yang was trained and raised to be a reliable successor to her father, Peter Yang, a successful and experienced businessman. Ms. Yang grew up and received her education in Taiwan. In 2013, she left her hometown to start a wonderful adventure by joining Pace Technology in Heshan, China. The more Charlene learns about the business, the more she feels interested and motivated in her career. She began by assisting in purchasing and finance, and after a year moved into the sales department. She hosts most Pace customers during their visits to the factory and also handles all the activities for one of Pace’s top customers. Given her accounting background, Ms. Yang also has responsibilities for very significant decisions, both financially and operationally.

Fun Fact: Charlene now lives with her husband, Manson, in China and they make video calls to their lovely dachshund, Mrs. HotDog, in Taiwan every night. Charlene very much loves to travel alone. The first time she traveled to America, she was only 19. She took a journey from Manhattan to Boston, and then all the way to Chicago by herself. She finds American culture to be irresistible, just like the taste of their pizza.

Charlene Yang
Peter Yang

Peter Yang

Managing Director, Pace Manufacturing Facility

chevron_right

Peter Yang

Managing Director, Pace Manufacturing Facility

Mr. Yang has spent more than 25 years in the Asian electronics industry. His relationship with Pace began in 1980, when he partnered with Pat Kehoe to form PaceTaiwan. Since then, Mr. Yang has cultivated numerous relationships with Pacific Rim suppliers to provide Pace customers with high-quality, low-priced components and electronic contract manufacturing. Mr. Yang was instrumental in establishing the Pace office in Hong Kong and the nearby Pace Technologies manufacturing plant. As Managing Director of the Pace Technologies plant, Mr. Yang is responsible for all aspects of plant management and day-to-day operations, including job scheduling, staffing and quality control. Mr. Yang holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Taiwan National Chung Hsien University.

Peter Yang

Sales Force

Paul McGill

Paul McGill

Regional Sales Manager

east

Paul McGill

Regional Sales Manager

Paul joined Pace Electronics in 2014 and has worked in the electronics industry for more than 30 years. He has an extensive background in mechanical design, supply chain and component sales. Over the past 15 years, he has been a business development manager in the EMS industry.

Paul McGill
Tim Ratcliffe

Tim Ratcliffe

Regional Sales Manager

east

Tim Ratcliffe

Regional Sales Manager

Tim has been in the Electronics industry since 1982 working almost every territory in the country at one time or another focused on component supply and contract manufacturing.
Current responsibilities are: Southeastern USA, IL/WI, and the 11 Western States. Tim has traveled to China many times with customers and to see the factories we work with getting to know the culture of our sourcing regions as well as the product strengths of our factory partners. Originally from Rochester, NY but currently based in Clearwater, FL

Tim Ratcliffe
Charlie Crotser

Charlie Crotser

Regional Sales Manager

east

Charlie Crotser

Regional Sales Manager

Charlie Crotser is a Regional Sales Manager and Battery Product Manager assisting customers to make smart buying decision and coaching a great team of field sales professionals.
After spending 24 years with an electronics industry leader, Charlie came to Pace through their acquisition efforts and is well versed in strategic supply chain management with a focus on electronic components and contract manufacturing.
In his off time, Charlie is a passionate outdoorsman with love of the turkey woods. Additionally, he serves in a leadership role of a major regional sportsman’s club and is active coaching youth and adults in a verity of outdoor sports activities.

Charlie Crotser
Robert Reece

Robert Reece

Regional Sales Manager

east

Robert Reece

Regional Sales Manager

Robert (Robby) has been the Southeastern Regional Sales Manager since 2009. With more than 30 years of experience in the electronics industry, he is responsible for the sales efforts throughout the nation’s “Dixie Region,” including Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Robby also directly manages account responsibilities for some of Pace’s most notable customers.

Robert Reece

Nicholas Zimmer

Regional Sales Manager

east

Nicholas Zimmer

Regional Sales Manager

Nicholas has been a Regional Sales Manager at Pace Electronics since 2021. Since joining the team, Nicholas has been dedicated to creating a partnership with customers to fulfill their specific needs efficiently and effectively. Nicholas believes in a personalized approach to sales, understanding that every client is unique and deserves tailored solutions. By listening attentively to your needs and objectives, he ensures that every interaction is meaningful and productive. He is responsible for the “Pacific Northwest Region,” including Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Northern California.

 

Dave Rockefeller

Inside Sales Manager

east

Dave Rockefeller

Inside Sales Manager

Dave Rockefeller is an Inside Sales Manager, with 35 Years in the Electronics and Electronics Contract Assembly field.
Dave has extensive knowledge in Asian products in Sight, Sound and Power Products, along with value added service of contract manufacturing. He enjoy’s helping customer’s obtain quality and cost-effective sources for their electronics needs and providing them top notch customer service.
Dave believes that team work is the only way we can ensure a successful relationship for our customers and vendor partners.

Crystal Yates

Lighting Division Sales Manager

Courtney Phillips

Inside Sales Manager

Brooke Angelo

Sales Account Representative

Erica Spencer

Lighting Division Sales Account Assistant

Lisa Lagasse

Sales Account Representative