Team
Ed Gilchrest
Founder | Principal Engineer
Ed has over 40 years of design, engineering, and manufacturing experience. His hands-on engineering and manufacturing experience spans military, medical, industrial, and consumer product categories.
For a decade, Ed worked in aerospace on satellite navigation systems in test, design, and program management roles. He developed a deep knowledge of advanced system testing, sensors, inertial navigation systems, and large team project management.
He took a role managing a small medical equipment company. He developed brand new product lines, built out the sales force, put lean manufacturing work cells in place, and developed the appropriate supply chain and accounting systems. Under his leadership, the company grew from a few people to a sizable acquisition by Invacare.
Ed moved on to build a medical equipment manufacturing company with a design and engineering program. He ultimately sold the OEM to Joerns Healthcare and the product development portion to his partners.
He founded Gyre9 in 2006 as a contract product design and engineering firm, adding contract manufacturing in 2012.
Ed currently leads the engineering team and is involved in all aspects of the company’s work.
Frank von Holzhausen
Chairman | Co-Founder
Frank excelled during the 46 years as Founder and President of Group Four, Inc., providing leadership in all phases of new product development. From developing market opportunities, to identifying manufacturing solutions, to assuring successful final production and placement, Frank is a recognized design industry leader. He served as President of the Association of Professional Design Firms, participated as a member of IDSA and the American Institute of Graphics Arts, and was a judge for the 2008 IDEA/Business Week International Design Competition. Frank has a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree from Syracuse University. Group Four was one of the top ten design firms in the US according to Business Week, serving both national and international clients. He has a close relationship with Tesla with his son Franz being the Chief Designer there responsible for all of Tesla’s auto design offerings.
Frank serves as the Chief Design officer for Gyre9 focused on maintaining client satisfaction, spearheading market research, and generating new business.
At G9EV, Frank is the Chairman and focuses on business development and managing the sales and marketing team.
Andrew oversees the Product Development Group at G9EV. He has previous work experience in EV drivetrains, robotics, and R&D. Andrew has a focus towards machine design, mechatronics, and design for manufacturing.
Wendy Gilchrest
Operations Manager
Wendy has taken her decades of manufacturing experience from her early years as an assembler in the aerospace industry to managing manufacturing teams into her Operations department. Her manufacturing know-how helps the Opps team see the larger picture.
Don McNeil
Head of Sales | Business Development
Acting as the Head of Sales and Business Development at G9EV, Don brings 15 years of experience in the EV industry. Don is a creative senior executive who has successfully increased revenue, expanded sales teams, built KPI benchmarking systems for four EV charging companies, and consulted for many others. So far, Don has contributed to G9EV’s premium brand strategy, as well as sales and marketing.
Andy Hayes
Sales Director
Andy is a seasoned sales professional with over two decades of experience in Sales and National Account Management. With a strong background in the Commercial EV Charging industry, Andy has demonstrated exceptional performance, consistently exceeding sales quotas with over $1 million in annual EV charger sales. Andy holds an MBA from Babson College and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, combining technical expertise with business acumen. Outside of work, Andy enjoys driving his Tesla and is a passionate hockey fan, reflecting his Canadian heritage.