Our Team
Sarah Richards
President & CEO
As President & CEO of Advanced Coil Technology and Jones Metal, Sarah follows her family’s legacy of entrepreneurship and her great-grandmother’s legacy of non-traditional roles for women in business. Sarah is focused on modernization, diversification, expansion, and sustainable growth with a strong commitment to employees and the greater Owatonna and Mankato communities.
Sarah attended the University of St. Thomas, earning a bachelor’s degree in education, health science and a minor in health. She holds an Interior Design Associate Science degree and has also earned a mini MBA and mini master’s in financial management and project management.
From an early age, Sarah wanted to be the first female quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Instead, she spent her early career in the Twin Cities; and in Florida working as a PGA golf professional and playing on the Futures Tour, ending her golf career after 10 years as Head Professional at Cannon Golf Club in 2005. She is still a PGA class A member.
Currently, Sarah is an active member of the Executive Board for the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association International and will become chair of the organization in 2025.
Community involvement is a Jones/Richards family tradition that Sarah embraces serving local organizations including: Mankato YWCA as chair of the board, Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association board member, Greater Mankato Growth nominating committee, MSU Big Ideas Challenge judge and mentor, Dream Big Planning Committee for Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, District 77 STEM advisory committee, South Central College President’s Advisory Committee, Mankato Area Foundation board of directors, and Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota board member and campaign committee chair.
Devon Barnes
General Manager
Devon joined Advanced Coil in February 2013 as General Manager. In this role, he oversees the company’s day-to-day operations. He also heads the Sales Department, where his primary responsibilities are managing customer relationships and identifying and exploring potential areas for growth, expansion, and marketing.
Devon’s professional career has involved the practical application of industrial heat exchangers in the food processing industry, specifically spiral freezers and process ovens. For 18 years, he worked for Freezing Systems, JBT FoodTech, and Stellar, holding positions in engineering, project management, field supervision, sales, and general management.
Devon holds a BS in physics from the University of Puget Sound and a BS in mechanical engineering from Washington University.
Dale Tracy
Operations Manager
Dale started his career in the coil industry in 1981 as a welder with the King Company. Over his 21 years with the company, he held many positions of increasing responsibility, including leading the coil department. Eventually, he moved into the coil sales, where he was responsible for the application and engineering of new coil projects.
In 2002, Dale joined Advanced Coil as a Sales Engineer. Because of his abilities and involvement over the past 21 years, Dale is now responsible for overseeing our manufacturing operations, engineering department, and drafting.
Dale studied Welding Technology for 2 years at Austin Vocational Institute.
Kim Nicolai
Controller
Kim has worked in accounting for manufacturing companies throughout her 25+ year career. She conducts financial analysis, researches significant variances, updates costing structures, and develops accounting processes for several new initiatives.
Kim graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She served on the board of directors for Advanced Coil Technology and is active in her church and the community.
Kim enjoys working on her family’s hobby farm, selling at the local farmer’s market with her husband and children, fishing, and being outdoors.
Karie Pankowski
Staff Accountant
Karie joined Advanced Coil in the Spring of 2023 as an Administrative Assistant to the Operations Department then transitioned into the Staff Accountant position in early 2024. Karie oversees accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger entries, and payroll, in addition to general Human Resources and Administrative Assistant duties.
Karie received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has over 30 years of combined accounting and business experience working through companies such as Mayo Clinic, Astrup Companies, and Jostens.
Tariq Wadood
Lead Engineer
Tariq Wadood worked for Hayden Industrial Products from 1996 to 2020. He started as a product design and applications engineer and held many different positions, including Product Designer, Application Engineer, ASME Engineer, Quality Manager, and Engineering Manager.
He Joined Advanced Coil Technology in 2022 as Lead Engineer and Quality Manager. He is one of the technical resources for Advanced Coil Technology.
Tariq received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pakistan and Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, majoring in Thermo-Fluids, from California State University, Northridge.
Matthew Quinn
Application Engineer & ASME QC Manager
Matthew joined Advanced Coil in January of 2023. In this role, he works with customers to provide custom solutions to their heating, cooling, and dehumidification needs. Additionally, he is responsible for Advanced Coil’s Quality Control program.
Matthew previously worked as a design engineer for an engineering services firm, where he identified customer needs and created unique solutions to their problems. During college, he interned for a variety of companies in roles such as R&D, Manufacturing, and Product Design.
Matt has earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University.
Todd Borwege
Design Drafter & Fin Press Manager
Todd joined Advanced Coil Technology in 2014 as a welder and has worked in various positions as welder, shop supervisor, fin press operator. He currently performs Product Design and Drafting duties as well as Fin Press & Bender Manager.
Todd has 27 years of experience in the metal fabrication industry working in custom fabrication shops and 9 years with Caterpillar Forest Products. He has a vast knowledge of various fabrication and manufacturing equipment.
Sean Tanberg
Account Manager
Sean Tanberg joined Advanced Coil Technology in July 2024 as an Account Manager, bringing with him four years of sales experience in the manufacturing industry. Prior to this role, Sean honed his skills at 3M and Grainger, where he developed a strong foundation in customer relations and sales strategy. He holds a BS in Sport Management from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, a background that underscores his dynamic approach to team collaboration and performance optimization.
