Christopher Sussek

John Stadler is an educator and start-up investor with seven years experience in China. He has been a principal, an investor, teacher, and Board member in several schools in China, ranging from Eton Academy (a kindergarten) to the Institute of Digital Design (a post-graduate training program in Animation, Visual Effects, and Compositing). Stadler wrote the first comprehensive consumer’s guide to international education in China – the Stadler’s Guide to Education for Beijing and Shanghai. He has investigated over 150 schools as due diligence for investments in the education sector in China. Prior to China, Stadler founded the Parker Charter School (www.parker.org) in Devens, Massachusetts (USA), where he was also a teacher. The school has grown in size and reputation; it is now one of the preeminent Essential schools (www.essentialschools.org) in the US; it has a long waiting list and students coming from nearly 40 districts in Massachusetts. In 1997 Stadler was one of the first teachers awarded the prestigious National Bureau of Professional Teaching Standards (www.nbpts.org) Master Teacher certification in High School Mathematics. Stadler was a co-founder or Director of several companies in Massachusetts, including Clearpoint Research Corporation, which grew from zero to $70M in revenue under his general management. Stadler is a graduate of Harvard College (AB in Economics, magna cum laude; 1975) and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard (MPP, 1979; PhD student (ABD) 1980-1982).

John Stadler is an educator and start-up investor with seven years experience in China. He has been a principal, an investor, teacher, and Board member in several schools in China, ranging from Eton Academy (a kindergarten) to the Institute of Digital Design (a post-graduate training program in Animation, Visual Effects, and Compositing). Stadler wrote the first comprehensive consumer’s guide to international education in China – the Stadler’s Guide to Education for Beijing and Shanghai. He has investigated over 150 schools as due diligence for investments in the education sector in China. Prior to China, Stadler founded the Parker Charter School (www.parker.org) in Devens, Massachusetts (USA), where he was also a teacher. The school has grown in size and reputation; it is now one of the preeminent Essential schools (www.essentialschools.org) in the US; it has a long waiting list and students coming from nearly 40 districts in Massachusetts. In 1997 Stadler was one of the first teachers awarded the prestigious National Bureau of Professional Teaching Standards (www.nbpts.org) Master Teacher certification in High School Mathematics. Stadler was a co-founder or Director of several companies in Massachusetts, including Clearpoint Research Corporation, which grew from zero to $70M in revenue under his general management. Stadler is a graduate of Harvard College (AB in Economics, magna cum laude; 1975) and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard (MPP, 1979; PhD student (ABD) 1980-1982).

The company was founded in 1960, as Rajo Industry, in Waterloo, Wisconsin in a 3000 sq. ft. facility with a handful of local employees. In 1978, Phil Sussek purchased the company from his partners and changed the name to Sussek Machine Corporation and it began to flourish. In 2003, Chris Sussek took the reins from his father and continued to drive the family business, tripling in size, and completing eight plant expansions increasing the companys footprint to 130,000 sq. ft., during this same period the company was also launching its China operations in Suzhou, which continues to thrive today. In 2012, Chris Feller purchased the business changing the name to Sussek Machine Company (SMC) and continues to be dedicated to increasing sales, diversifying customer base, investing in equipment and its people. In 2014, the company launched its Mexico facility, located in San Luis Potosi, which continues to provide further diversification and solutions to its customer base. SMC’s most recent expansion came via an acquisition of Reynold’s Machine Company, located in New Berlin, WI., which provides services primarily to the on-highway truck markets.