OUR PEOPLE
Cascade is made up of a diverse team of more than 100 employees with more than 600 years of experience in institutional asset management, recycling operations, risk management, worker and health safety programs, employee relations, financial accounting, law, government regulations, and electronic disassembly R&D. Together, Cascade’s staff and partners are eager to provide our customers with consistent, quality service.
Cascade has been named as one of the Top 25 Best Small Companies to Work For by SHRM and Gartner called Cascade the “nicest” ITAD firm in the country.
Executives
Neil Peters-Michaud
CEO, CO-FOUNDER
Neil grew up in Silicon Valley, where he gained technical work experience in IT and supply chain management. Prior to founding Cascade in 1999, he earned his BS and MBA from University of Wisconsin and worked in environmental NGOs and state government. Neil received the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association “Forward Under 40” award, and was recognized in the Hall of Fame of the Electronics Reuse Conference.
Todd “TJ” Barlmann
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Todd joined Cascade in 2002. He held an operations management position for several years and became Vice President in 2023. Todd has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, focused on Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, and other Operational Management processes. He is a NAID Certified Secure Destruction Specialist.
Kelly Kleven
VICE PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION
Having led finance and administrative duties in both public and private companies prior, Kelly joined Cascade in August of 2022. She is a CPA and earned her BA in Economics, with an emphasis in accounting, from St. Olaf College in 1996, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Kelly also brings experience with Auditing, M&A, SOX governance, and regulations surrounding GAAP and the SEC.
James Ellison
GENERAL MANAGER – INDIANAPOLIS
James joined Cascade in 2015. He holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from the University of Indianapolis, an MBA from Anderson University and an undergraduate certificate in homeland security from American Military University. A combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, James has additional experience in the Army Reserve in Germany, Japan, and Southwest Asia. He served as Security Team Lead at St. Vincent hospital and has experience in emergency preparedness, security assessments, hazardous materials and risk assessments.
Jeremy Penfold
GENERAL MANAGER – ORLANDO
Jeremy joined Cascade in 2021, bringing 9 years of experience in business and finance management. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Fine Art from the University at Buffalo.
Aaron Piotrzkowski
GENERAL MANAGER – WISCONSIN
Aaron joined Cascade in 2007 and held several positions in supervision and EHS (Environmental, Health, and Safety) before his appointment as General Manager in 2023. He has a leading role in continuous improvement activities at our Madison facility.
Joe Netzer
INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER
Joe started at Cascade in 2006, providing strategic IT management for Cascade and leading customer technology support projects. Joe has an education in computer science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Sales and Service
Kristina Accardo
ACCOUNT MANAGER/BUSINESS ANALYST
Kristina joined Cascade in 2010. She earned a bachelors in business administration from San Jose State University and a master’s certificate in project management through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She maintains current certification as an IT Asset Management Professional (CHAMP, CMAM) through theInternational Association of IT Asset Managers.
Lorna Doering
ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT
Lorna joined Cascade in 2006 and worked in Operations while earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Jason Jensen
CUSTOMER SERVICE ACCOUNT MANAGER
Jason joined Cascade in 2015 and brings more than 15 years experience in customer service and operations management and supervision. Jason has an accounting degree and provides direct customer support and account analysis.
Robert Mayoh
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE – WISCONSIN
Rob is a Sr Business Development Executive with over 20 years of professional business experience focusing on developing Enterprise Mobile Disposition & ITAD solutions for regulated industries. Using a consultative approach Rob ‘s experience helps identify customers’ needs, provide solutions, and build mutually beneficial relationships. Rob holds CMAM (Certified Mobile Asset Manager), and CHAMP (Certified Hardware Asset Management Professional) certifications through IAITAM.
Mark Salmon
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE – INDIANA
Mark joined the Cascade team in July 2018. He has more than 15 years of sales experience, including work with SaaS and cloud based application industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in financial advising from Purdue University.
Marla Waugh
CUSTOMER SERVICE ACCOUNT MANAGER
Marla began work at Cascade in 2011 and provides customer support, account management, logistics and scheduling assistance. Marla has over 20 years of experience as an advocate for customers and holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.
Jennifer Courtney
CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Jennifer joined the Cascade team in 2021. She has over 22 years of experience in the customer service and sales industry, passionately serving more than 20,000 customers. Jennifer has a degree in Laser and Electro-Optics from Vincennes University.
Setareh Ardestani
CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Setareh joined the Cascade team in 2019. She has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and has over 5 years of experience in customer service.
Human Resources
Jennifer Jackson
HR GENERALIST
Jennifer joined Cascade in 2020, providing high quality, front line service to our staff. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and a SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resources Management- Certified Professional) certification.
Kiersten Johnson
HR COORDINATOR
Kiersten joined Cascade in 2022. She provides Human Resources support to Cascade’s current employees while recruiting and selecting the best new talent to join the team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation and Disability Services from Northern Illinois University.
Compliance
Karen Dietel-Jenks
QUALITY ASSURANCE COORDINATOR
Karen joined Cascade in 2014 to lead Cascade’s quality programs. She brings with her professional experience in AS9100 QMS coordination and maintenance, document development and control, and aerospace Certificate of Conformance verification and creation. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
Nivedita Shastry
EHS & SUSTAINABILITY
Nivedita joined Cascade in 2022 as EHS & Sustainability Coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from India and a master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University.