Board of Advisors

• Dennis L. Ciemniecki
• Mark S. Kuehn
• Jan Margolis
• Roger W. Raber
• Peter Ross
• Ralph Schonenbach
• Stanley W. Silverman
• Kenneth R. Stokes

• Increased 2005 profit by $1.3M through an active review of customer accounts which identified back billing opportunities and secured additional future revenue.
• Reduced aged receivables by 10% by collecting $4.2M in 2005.
• Increased Health & Safety performance significantly to achieve $0.6M reduction in claims, a 60% decrease in lost-time injuries and multiple NJ State Safety Awards.
• Championed process and system changes for materials management / inventory as part of a successful, accelerated enterprise management system implementation.
• Increased distribution system efficiency saving $4.7 million, achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 96% and trimmed personnel requirements by three percent.
• Achieved reliable, consistent production and process quality, greater employee involvement and improved internal customer satisfaction using an ISO registered quality management system.
• Authored technical articles appearing in IDEA, ASCE and AWWA publications, pertaining to the operation and management of assets.

As co-founder and president of New Jersey-based General Messenger Service in 1984, Mr. Kuehn helped bring the company from start-up to a multi-million dollar business. From 1993 through 1998, Mr. Kuehn headed his New York-based mergers and acquisitions consulting firm, America's First Capital Corp., where he provided middle-market financial advisory services, working with numerous business owner/sellers and strategic and financial buyers in planning, strategizing and implementing business purchases, sales and mergers.

Recognizing the need for a forum for New Jersey-based professionals, investors, business owners and executives involved in Mergers and Acquisitions, Mr. Kuehn, in 2003, formed a Board of Directors and founded the New Jersey Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth listed as one of "the most important networking groups in New Jersey" in the NJBIZ "George Taber’s 2004-2005 Guide To Financing & Growing Your Business in New Jersey". He presently heads the Chapter as its Founding President.

Prior to founding Applied Research, Jan was senior vice president for executive resources at Bristol Myers Squibb. She also held a similar position at Bankers Trust Company, now Deutsche Bank, and worked for years in Washington, DC as a director for National Training Laboratories (NTL), and later as the vice president for human resources for the Greater Southeast Community Medical Center. In addition, Jan has held adjunct teaching positions at Georgetown and the University of Maryland. She holds a B.A. degree and a Masters of Science from Boston University.

In the 1970's Jan had a career in television broadcasting. She was for several years the co-producer and on-air host of the Emmy Award winning PBS series - Women: Choices and Challenges - a weekly prime time feature news show.

As a leading authority in leadership, Jan has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other leading publications. Her work has received national recognition from many professional organizations in her field, including the Academy of Management, the Human Resource Planning Society, the Society for Human Resource Professionals and the American Society for Training and Development where she served as their National President. Jan is a frequent speaker at national trade and profession association conferences.

Jan serves on the Board of Directors Trinitas Hospital, the Arts and Education Council of NJ, the Clausen Company and she is a founding member of the National Association of Corporate Boards of Directors, NJ.

As the chief spokesman for corporate boards, Dr. Raber has testified before Congress on the recent corporate governance legislation and reforms, and has provided commentary on board governance principles and policies to a variety of policymakers, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq, and New York Stock Exchange. He has also advised professional organizations representing corporate counsels, internal auditors, and institutional investors, among others. He has provided board advisory services for public, private and non-profit boards. His governance views appear regularly in professional publications, national press and media.

Dr. Raber has served on corporate boards and audit committees in the financial services industry. He also has served on the board of a private college, and was elected chairman of the board for a public school district. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige Award Program. He speaks frequently to national and international groups, including the American Red Cross, Japanese Management Association, and the World Bank Group. He has been influential in shaping the founding of new governance institutes in a variety of regions, including Asia, Central Europe, and Latin America.

Prior to his appointment to NACD in 1999, Dr. Raber was Director of Member Services for America's Community Bankers (ACB) in Washington D.C., and President of the ACB's Center for Financial Studies in Connecticut. He received his doctorate in education from Columbia University, and has taught in graduate and professional development programs at Johns Hopkins University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Virginia.

Peter earned his bachelor's degree in modern history from Leeds University and received a postgraduate diploma in HR management from the Bristol College of Commerce. He serves on the advisory board of SAFERMS, a Baltimore, Maryland-based risk management software company.

Through Trestle Group Foundation, he is passionately involved with providing support to both women and emerging entrepreneurs in developing countries. He has held an Advisory Board position with the United Nations sub-committee, ICCC (International Council for Caring Communities). Ralph frequently speaks at conferences and has authored a variety of publications. Ralph earned a degree in Business Management from Goucher College.

Mr. Silverman has served as an independent director of public company, university, and trade association boards. He has also served as a director of a private company board, as CEO. He is an invited speaker on private company governance issues at conferences of the National Association of Corporate Directors. As an executive in residence at the Krall Center for Corporate and Executive Education at the Lebow College of Business of Drexel University, Mr. Silverman serves as a guest lecturer and speaker on Executive Leadership at universities and companies.

Mr. Silverman began his business career in 1969 as a process engineer at Atlantic Richfield (ARCO). He joined PQ Corporation in 1971. During his career at PQ, Mr. Silverman held positions in engineering, operations planning, marketing and sales management, leading to his appointment as president of National Silicates Ltd., a PQ subsidiary in Canada. He was subsequently appointed president of PQ's global Industrial Chemicals Group. In 1991, he was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of the corporation. Mr. Silverman became PQ Corporation president and chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors in January 2000.

Mr. Silverman is a member of the board of C&D Technologies, Inc. (NYSE), a producer and marketer of electrical power storage systems and power electronics for the standby power, motive power, and telecommunication and information technology markets. He is a member of the board of trustees of Drexel University, and is chairman of the board's finance committee. He is the former chairman of the board of the Soap and Detergent Association, a trade organization representing over 100 North American manufacturers of household and institutional cleaning products. Mr. Silverman is also a former board member of the American Chemistry Council, a trade organization representing companies of the U.S. chemical industry.

Mr. Silverman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and a MBA degree from Drexel University. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

He served most recently as Executive Vice President of The Americas & Australia/New Zealand for Reckitt Benckiser plc, the world’s leading marketer of household cleaning products, where he was responsible for a $2.3 billion business representing 40% of the company. Ken led the integration of Reckitt & Colman plc and Benckiser NV across three continents following their 1999 merger, and then delivered four years of industry-leading growth, and more than doubled operating profit and cash flow in his area before leaving the company in 2004. Ken was previously responsible for Benckiser’s business in Western Europe, and has also served as President/CEO of operating units in the USA, United Kingdom, and Spain. With key roles in numerous M&A and business integration efforts, as well as the 1997 IPO of Benckiser, he has a deep understanding of driving shareholder value from both the theoretical and “make it happen” perspectives. During his four years with McKinsey & Company prior to joining Benckiser, Ken served a wide range of clients in the financial services, pharmaceutical, airline, office products, consumer goods, consumer services, and food & beverage industries.

Mr. Stokes is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), and serves on the Board of the Executive Forum, a non-profit senior executives networking organization. He has served previously on the Board of Directors & Executive Committee of the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), the Industry Affairs Council of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), and the Board of Directors of the SDA-equivalent industry associations in the UK and Spain while living in Europe. He earned a BA (magna cum laude) in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, and an MBA in Marketing & Finance from the University of Chicago. He began his career in brand management with the Clorox Company, and also gained early experience as a Director of Marketing at Wilson Sporting Goods.

Ken, his wife Dana, and their two teenage children reside in Mountain Lakes, NJ where he serves on the Board of Education, the Board of Directors of the Morris County School Boards Association, and also as an active Firefighter and President of the town’s Volunteer Fire Department.