Employee Profiles

Employee Profiles

JOHN LORENTSEN is a founding partner of Mid-America Dynamics, incorporated in 1990. He has over 20 years experience in the operation of power generation equipment, vibration analysis, balancing, modal analysis, and large-scale data acquisition.

Mr. Lorentsen was employed by Commonwealth Edison for over nine years where he was responsible for vibration analysis and balancing at ten fossil-fueled and six nuclear plants. He developed several computer based data acquisition systems including a stored influence coefficient fan balancing system for use by plant personnel. Since that time, Mr. Lorentsen has been involved in developing predictive maintenance programs at large industrial sites, including several power plants, paper plants, and steel mills. He has developed methods for monitoring and analyzing variable speed machinery and has conducted numerous training classes, teaching these methods.

Mr. Lorentsen has specified and managed the installation of several on-line vibration monitoring systems including Turbine Supervisory Instrumentation (TSI) on large turbine generator sets, and networked systems on many large papermaking machines. He has also used his knowledge of signal analysis techniques in the testing of non-rotating equipment such as nuclear power plant check valves and in the structural redesign of various power plant components.

Mr. Lorentsen received a B.A. degree from Taylor University and a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

MARK SMITH is a founding partner of Mid-America Dynamics, incorporated in 1990. He has extensive experience in vibration analysis, balancing, predictive maintenance, strain gage testing, radio telemetry, instrumentation calibration, and large-scale data acquisition. He also has supervised the installation of many TSI and other automated data collection systems.

Mr. Smith was employed by Commonwealth Edison from 1983 to 1990 an in-house consultant for the company's sixteen generating stations. In that capacity, he was responsible for coordinating the startup and day-to-day support of the predictive maintenance programs at each of the generating stations. He also performed vibration analysis and balancing of rotating machinery on a wide variety of equipment.

Mr. Smith has also been involved in a diverse range of mechanical testing and analysis and instrumentation projects involving piping vibration, strain measurement, rotor torsional response, moveable bridge balancing, control valve response, and continuous on-line machinery monitoring. Mr. Smith has provided consulting, training, calibration, and project management services to the power, steel, paper, petrochemical, manufacturing, and food industries.

Mr. Smith received BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a licensed professional engineer. He has had several papers published on vibration analysis, predictive maintenance, and remote monitoring applications.

Jay Miller

JAY MILLER is a Consulting Engineer at Mid-America Dynamics. He has been with Mid-America Dynamics since 1991. He has over twenty-seven years of experience in machinery analysis and related disciplines including vibration analysis, balancing, predictive maintenance vibration monitoring, laser alignment, noise analysis, and modal analysis. He is also experienced at providing engineering, sales, and installation services of vibration monitoring systems for turbine-generators, motors, fans, pumps, and other machinery.

Mr. Miller joined Mid-America Dynamics after working two years in customer support and sales for a company that represented a number of predictive maintenance product lines. In that capacity, he coordinated or assisted in the startup of predictive maintenance programs in a variety of industries.

Prior to that, he worked as an in-house consultant for nine years at Commonwealth Edison’s corporate vibration group. There, his primary responsibilities were to advance the company's predictive maintenance vibration monitoring program, provide vibration analysis of many types of power plant machines, and to perform turbine-generator vibration analysis and balancing.

Mr. Miller received a BS in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Vibration Institute and has given several presentations and training seminars, and published papers on vibration analysis, predictive maintenance, and balancing.

MICHAEL TITONE is a Consulting Engineer at Mid-America Dynamics. He began his engineering career in 1989, and has worked in the fields of vibration analysis, balancing, predictive maintenance, and vibration monitoring, mechanical system design and analysis, and instrumentation and controls system design.

Since joining Mid-America Dynamics, Mr. Titone has been responsible for several TSI projects and has provided analysis and balancing services. The project work involved various types of rotating equipment including steam turbine generators, gas turbine generators, boiler feed pumps, large compressors, smaller pumps and fans. Likewise the analysis and balancing assignments have required addressing problems with numerous steam turbine generators and a wide variety of related plant equipment.

Mr. Titone joined Mid-America Dynamics after working for Entergy in several positions. Most recently, his primary responsibility was to oversee the vibration analysis and monitoring program for five oil and gas burning power plants. In this role, he monitored and analyzed transient vibration data, balanced equipment, and provided general troubleshooting advice in addition to managing the routine activities of the program.

Prior to his work in the fossil organization, Mr. Titone worked in the mechanical systems design group at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, in the central design engineering group at Entergy’s nuclear headquarters organization in Jackson, MS, and in the instrumentation and controls design group at Grand Gulf. In these roles, he performed steady state pressure and flow analyses of piping systems, analyzed cooling tower performance, led and participated in corporate projects, and oversaw the mechanical aspects of instrumentation and controls projects.

Mr. Titone earned a BS in mechanical engineering from Louisiana Tech University and an MBA from Mississippi College. He earned eighteen hours of graduate engineering credit from Mississippi State University and Georgia Tech. He is a member of the Vibration Institute and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is a licensed professional engineer, a certified Category III Vibration Analyst through the Vibration Institute, and a certified Level I Machine Lube Analyst through ICML.

PHIL KINNUNEN is a Field Service Consultant at Mid-America Dynamics. He has over 13 years of experience in predictive maintenance, vibration analysis, balancing, and training.

Mr. Kinnunen joined Mid-America Dynamics in 1996 after working for seven years as an in-house vibration consultant at Commonwealth Edison. While at ComEd, his responsibilities included providing hardware and software training and support for the predictive maintenance program at each of the company’s generating stations.

Mr. Kinnunen has provided vibration analysis, alignment, and balancing services on various types of rotating equipment. He has performed strain gage testing, modal testing, acoustic analysis, and radio telemetry testing on machinery, piping, and structures at power and manufacturing facilities. Mr. Kinnunen has also been involved with the startup of numerous on-line data acquisition systems, the installation of accelerometers, and other facets of large-scale data acquisition.

Mr. Kinnunen received an AAS in vibro-acoustic technology from the Red Wing Technical Institute and Inver Hills Community College, Red Wing, Minnesota. Mr. Kinnunen has retired from his service in the Air Force Reserve.

WILL KELM is a Field Service Consultant for Mid-America Dynamics. He has over 24 years of experience in vibration analysis, infrared thermography, and oil analysis/filtration.

Before joining Mid-America Dynamics in September of 2008, Mr. Kelm worked for over 21 years at a coal-fired power plant in the Midwest for Commonwealth Edison. And most recently he worked eight years at a nuclear power plant for Exelon Corporation. At both sites, he was the Predictive Maintenance Specialist and was responsible for the vibration analysis and timely repairs of all critical rotating components. He also coordinated all PdM activities including vibration analysis, motor current analysis, oil analysis and infrared thermography.

Mr. Kelm is a certified Category III vibration analyst and is a member of the Vibration Institute. He has attended numerous technical courses and seminars.

John Gasparic

JOHN GASPARIC has over 23 years experience in vibration technology including the application of predictive maintenance programs, surveillance and protection monitoring systems, and balancing machines for steam turbines, machine tools, steel and food processing equipment, and turbo-machinery. He has specified, sold and managed the retrofit of over 50 Turbine Supervisory systems.

Mr. Gasparic was employed by Rockwell Automation formerly IRD Mechanalysis and EntekIRD from 1986 to 2009 as an Area Sales Manager responsible for the sale of predictive maintenance instrumentation in the Great Lakes District. He also trained over 1000 technical personnel on vibration analysis and balancing of rotating machinery. Prior to Rockwell Automation Mr. Gasparic was a Product Manager for Dresser Industries Power Transmission Division responsible for the launching of a new product line serving the turbo-machinery market.

Mr. Gasparic received a BS degree in mechanical engineering technology from the Bradley University and is a Level l Certified Vibration Analyst. He also has papers published on the application of vibration in the steel and machine tool industries.

As a Solutions Architect, Mr. Gasparic assists customers in the development of the best predictive maintenance and protection monitoring system for their needs. He utilizes his broad range of knowledge and experience to promote long-term health and maintenance of your machinery which translates into cost savings for your organization.

JONATHAN HAWLEY, Technician, joined Mid-America Dynamics in 2007 and is responsible for producing mechanical and electrical CAD drawings and for building and wiring Turbine Supervisory Instrumentation (TSI) cabinets.

He has worked with Bently Nevada 3500 Systems, Rockwell Automation Entek XM systems, and Shinkawa VM-5 and VM-7 equipment.

Jonathan is also an apprentice field technician and has installed sensors and junction boxes as a component of the expansion of several customers’ predictive maintenance programs.

BRIAN KELSEY is a Technician for Mid-America Dynamics. He joined Mid-America Dynamics after graduating from high school in 2005. Currently Brian is a student at LaTourneau University in Longview, Texas working on completing his Bachelor’s Degree in engineering.

While employed at Mid-America Dynamics, Brian has been responsible for creating technical drawings, building, programming and wiring turbine supervisory instrumentation and cabinetry and has worked with Bently Nevada, Rockwell Automation Entek and Shinkawa equipment.

He has also been an apprentice field technician by installing sensors and junction boxes on machinery for implementation of a vibration monitoring program.

Liz

LIZ KASPERSON is your “voice at the other end of the phone” when you call Mid-America Dynamics to solve your service needs. She has been with the company for ten years and is responsible for making sure your service request is handled efficiently and quickly.

During Liz’s time with Mid-America Dynamics, she has been responsible for organizing and upgrading computer networks, computerized financial systems, job scheduling and electronic processing of purchasing, proposals and report writing. In addition to her management, accounting and organizational responsibilities, she is the key contact for customer service and inside sales.

Liz joined the company after working in the legal field and enjoying a time at home when her children were young. She received an AS degree from Triton College in Legal Secretarial Science in 1977 and has taken additional computer science classes to update her skills. Liz continues her education attending seminars and small business training.

PATTY SMITH joined Mid-America Dynamics in 2002 taking on a variety of roles as needed throughout the growth of a small company. As the Process Manager, her responsibilities include bookkeeping, inventory, and assisting with financial issues. Because of her technical background, Patty has been a valuable addition to our technical team, particularly in the areas of data acquisition and programming.

Patty received a BS in Information Systems and Computer Programming from Purdue University Calumet. She was formerly employed by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL as a programmer for the Accelerator Controls Group. During her six years at Fermilab, Patty’s duties primarily included writing and maintaining specialized software for in-house microprocessors that monitored and acquired data from various IEEE-488 devices. Subsequent to Fermilab, she set aside several years at home to raise a family.