Management
Ted Altshuler, Founder / CEO / CTO
Ted was born in Concord, Massachusetts, the son of a PhD Metallurgist Engineer who was also a university professor. Ted experienced creative problem solving and manufacturing at an early age in the 1970’s as he assisted his father in manufacturing his Hemotensiometer, an IR100 award-winning invention used to measure blood clotting time and strength.
Ted went on to study at the University of Vermont where he graduated first in his class in Mechanical Engineering. He continued his studies at Carnegie Mellon University and while attending, applied for his first US patent in the sporting industy.
A born competitor, Ted had long been involved in competitive cycling and cross-country ski racing. Now, energized after seeing the 1992 Albertville Winer Olympics, he turned his focus to becoming a national speed skater. In 1993, after receiving his MSME in computational fluid dynamics from Carnegie Mellon, and while also working as a product development engineer, Ted moved to Milwaukee to begin his formal training.
In training, Ted learned that precisely, repeatably sharpened skates are absolutely essential for shaving thousandths of seconds off the clock. And, frustrated by the slipshod quality of available sharpening tools, Ted designed his own – The Ultimate Edge: a precision sharpening jig that completely changed the dynamic of machine tool performance in the industry.
Four years into his training, Ted, now 28, faced a crossroads. Although he was consistently a highly competitive speed skater, he knew that becoming an Olympian at his age would now require massive lifestyle changes. Concurrently, demand for The Ultimate Edge was quickly growing to a level that required a solid commitment if it were to be produced commercially. So in 1997, Ted put his Olympic dreams on hold and founded Old Schoool Industries to manufacture and market The Ultimate Edge, still acclaimed – and still in production today.
As CEO and Development Director, Ted is a visionary leader, and an insightful and gifted design engineer, helping OSI clients achieve their goals and maximize thier profits. Ted has currently been awarded 16 US design patents for his work.
Ted’s background in sports and engineering has given him the opportunity and honor to be the Chairman of Sports Science for the USA Speedskating team, consultant for professional hockey equipment manufacturers, and science consultant for professional bicycle racing teams. His expertise in creative engineering, influenced by his father, has also propelled him and OSI to work with many top businesses in the country and his products are known worldwide.
Outside of work, Ted continues to compete as part of OSI’s bike racing team (OSIracing.com), and enjoys spending quality time with his wife and children.
Rod Steffen, COO
Rod was born in Southern Pennsylvania, and was Ted’s roommate at the University of Vermont, receiving his BSEE in 1991. Rod helped set Ted on the road to founding OSI early on by heartily encouraging his interest in competitive speed skating as a career. This lead to Ted designing The Ultimate Edge speed skate sharpening jig and to the founding of Old School Industries as the manufacturer.
Rod originally joined OSI in 1999, then moved to Seagate Technology for 15 years in development and ultimately, management, before returning to OSI in 2017 to once again enjoy the ground floor work and camaraderie of growing a smaller company.
As Chief Operations Officer, Rod is responsible for, as he says, all that flows in the doors, out the doors, and between the doors. His broad organizational skills, technical insight, and common sense keep it all moving smoothly. Rod’s customer-focused philosophy treats OSI’s external customers at the beginnings and ends of projects, and the many OSI internal customers at every stage between with the same high level of care and respect.
In between keeping OSI on track, Rod enjoys traveling and hiking with his family, and is a big soccer fan.
Tom Wynne, Vice President Sales
Originally from upstate New York, Tom received his BA in Biology from Hartwick College in 1982. His long and distinguished career in optics and microscopy has given him unparalleled insight into a broad range of biological, industrial, and academic applications. OSI microscopy clients view Tom as a trusted guide in helping them find, or create, the best solutions for their specific needs. Tom’s encyclopedic knowledge of OSI’s stock offerings and decades of custom components means microscopy clients always get the most effective and cost-efficient solutions from OSI.
Aside from his position as Vice President of Sales at OSI, Tom is also a veritable Swiss army knife for internal operations, making sure that microscopy orders move smoothly through the shop, and in the traditional small business model, wearing as many hats as necessary to keep OSI customers smiling.
In his spare time, when he has some, Tom enjoys travel, birding, bike touring, golfing, and craft beer.
Sales
Mike Pinchback, Global Sales Director
Mike was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and grew up with a passion for music and science. The son of an accomplished trumpet player, Mike followed suit, where he met his future wife, Cari, as two young trumpet players in eighth grade. They quickly became inseparable.
Mike enjoyed microscopes from an early age and would regularly collect minerals and insects from the backyard to examine microscopically. Following his passion for science, Mike attended the University of Victoria completing a B.Sc. with Honors in Biology in 1999, which was followed by a Master of Science in Molecular Genetics where Mike studied a pathogenic fungus responsible for decimating Elm trees in the US and Canada.
During grad school, Mike taught microscopy classes to undergraduate students, which prepared him well for the guidance he would provide as a professional salesperson in the microscope industry. Mike brings nearly two decades of sales experience in biological and materials science microscopy, including managing key account projects on a global scale. Mike’s 17-year career with Evident Scientific (formerly Olympus) has brought him to Central America, Singapore, and Japan, and he has relished the opportunity to expand his horizons with lifelong learning.
As Global Sales Director, Mike is responsible for keeping OSI’s focus on our customers while cultivating continued growth into the future. Old School’s continued success relies on the voice of our customers and Mike is listening attentively to understand a project’s current needs as well as the market’s future requirements.
In his spare time, Mike and his family love exploring and adventuring, preferring to be outdoors discovering new places and new experiences. Mike loves golfing and hiking and has recently rekindled his passion for mountain biking with his wife, Cari.
History
Beginnings
In 1996, Ted Altshuler founded Old Schoool Industries to manufacture and market The Ultimate Edge, a revolutionary speed skate sharpening jig that is still in production 27 years after its introduction.
The next year, OSI was awarded its first contract engineering job when the National Pollen Network asked Ted to design and manufacture fully automated pollen collectors to continually capture, count, and identify airborne pollen particles in various cities throughout the US. The pollen collector required a sophisticated optical system for counting and identification, which led OSI to interface with the optical industry, more specifically microscopy, where Ted met Tom Wynne.
Tom connected Ted with Capra Optical, Micro Video Instruments and other microscopy dealers who needed quality microscope stands and custom solutions that the major microscope companies could not supply efficiently at scale, and OSI soon became a go-to source for quality stereomicroscope stands and custom components.
Since then, OSI has grown organically, by carefully listening to the needs of its dealers and their clients, then successfully solving their problems. From simple jobs such as designing a quick, cost-effective extension for adapting a major manufacturer’s boomstand to a client’s particular application – to complex engineering projects, such as manufacturing a one-off, face-to-face dual stereomicroscope workstation for a major university lab. OSI listens, then OSI builds success.
Microscopy
Today, OSI is the largest supplier of microscope stands and fixtures in the US, stocking over 500 unique assemblies, and thousands of parts, thereby providing off-the-shelf solutions for 99% of all client applications. The remaining 1% can be met with modification of stock items or custom development and manufacturing services. OSI stereomicroscope stands are sold internationally, and now support some of the world’s finest optics, giving our clients the stability, reach, articulation, and mounting options to get the most from each of them. OSI stands are also currently in use by art restorers in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Manufacturing
High value manufacturing is at the heart of OSI. We are trusted partners to some of the world’s most respected corporations, producing high-tolerance components for aerospace, industrial, medical, military, optical, and scientific applications while meeting our clients’ strict quality standards and tight deadlines.
OSI’s Manufacturing division also offers design engineering services, with many clients routinely choosing to have Ted optimize their production files before manufacturing. Our knowledge of materials, finishes, and production processes ensures that OSI customers get the absolute maximum return on every dollar of their manufacturing budget.
Development
Twenty-seven years of successfully designing, manufacturing, and marketing our own products and those of our clients has taught us a few things, and all of that knowledge can be accessed through our development services. For existing clients, we can help troubleshoot issues with their current products, and we are available to consult in real-time on components we manufacture, eliminating any production difficulties and raising overall ROI.
For those who choose to take a product to market, OSI also teams up with selected product-based ventures to provide development assistance, prototyping, branding, and marketing through our network of business affiliates. We know all about taking products to market. We do it every day.
OSI Today
Now in it’s 28th year of business, starting from Ted’s apartment in Milwaukee, OSI is a trusted international engineering and manufacturing partner to companies worldwide, is the largest producer of stereomicroscope stands in the US, and is a respected source for new and existing product engineering and development. Ted Altshuler’s insight as a design engineer is one of the company’s core strengths.
Equipment
Machining
• Hurco VM1 Vertical CNC Milling Center (24 x 12 x 14 inch work envelope), Qty. 2
• Hurco VM20i Vertical CNC Milling Center (40 x 20 x 18 inch work envelope), Qty. 3
• Hurco VM30 Vertical CNC Milling Center with 4th axis indexer (36 x 18 x 18 inch work envelope)
• Hurco VMX 60 Vertical CNC Milling Center (60 x 24 x 26 inch work envelope).
• Brother SPEEDIO S700X2 Compact CNC Machining Center (20 x 16 x 12 inch work envelope), two turning centers.
• Hwacheon Cutex 24 CNC Lathe with 12-tool turret / bar feeder, accepts 2 inch diameter stock through spindle, 8 inch chuck, 9 inch swing, 24 inch tail stock.
• Hurco TM10i CNC Lathe with 12-tool turret and bar puller, accepts 3 inch diameter stock through spindle, 10 inch chuck, 8 inch swing, 24 inch tail stock.
• Hanwha Swiss Turning CNC Lathe with 12 foot bar feeder, accepts 32mm diameter stock through spindle.
Laser
• Epilog Helix 50 Watt Laser (CO2 laser source, 10600 nanometer) with a 24 inch x 18 inch bed, capable of laser marking wood, acrylic, anodized aluminum, Delrin, glass, leather, rubber. Vector cutting wood (up to 3/8 inch thick), acrylic (up to 3/8 inch thick), leather, rubber.
• Epilog Fusion Pro 32 with 30 Watt Laser (fiber laser source, 1064 nanometer) with a 32 inch x 24 inch bed, capable of laser marking bare and anodized aluminum, brass, stainless steel (etching, polishing, annealing), titanium, plated metals, powder coated materials.
3D Printing
FDM Printing (Fused Deposition Modeling)
• Markforged Onyx One
Build platform: 12.60 x 5.20 x 6.06 (XYZ, in.),
Materials: Onyx (Nylon 6 w/chopped CF)
• Markforged X7
Build platform: 13.00 x 10.63 x 7.87 (XYZ, in.)
Materials: Onyx (Nylon 6 w/chopped CF), Onyx FR (Fire Retardant), & Onyx ESD (Electrostatic Discharge Resistant), Smooth TPU 95A, PLA (8 colors), Nylon
Onyx with CFR (Continuous Reinforcement Fiber), Carbon fiber, Kevlar, Fiberglass, High Strength High Temperature Fiberglass (HSHT)
Metal FFF 3D Printing (Fused Filament Fabrication)
• Markforged Metal X
Build platform: 9.25 x 4.85 x 6.37 (XYZ, in.)
Materials: 17-4 SS, Tooling Steels: H13/A2/D2, Copper, Inconel 625
LFS 3D Printing (Low Force Stereolithography)
• Formlabs 3+
Build platform: 5.7 x 5.7 x 7.3 (XYZ, in.)
Materials: 18+ materials, call for information
SLS 3D Printing (Selective Laser Sintering)
• EOS P396
Build platform: 13.4 x 13.4 x 23.6 (XYZ, in.)
Materials: PA 1101, PA 1102, PA 2200, PA 2201, PA 2210 FR (Fire Retardant), PA 3200 GF (Glass Filled), PrimePart FR (PA 2241 FR), Alumide, EOS TPU 1301, FR-106, HP 11-30, PA 640-GSL
