James G. Barrett, Jr.
For nearly five decades, James Barrett has led Link’s engineering team to create innovative solutions for our customers’ press productivity and safety challenges. Before Link, James served as Professor and Head of Electrical Engineering and Safety Engineering specialties at the University of Tennessee at Nashville. His background also includes consulting for industry and government, including extensive involvement in ANSI and OSHA standards. James earned his B.S.E.E. (1965), M.S.E.E. (1966), and Ph.D.E.E. (1968) from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
James G. Barrett, III
James has been designing and applying safety, control, and automation systems at Link since 1991, after a stint at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. He earned his B.S.E.E. (1989) from Tennessee Technological University and his M.S.E.E. (1990) from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Lance D. Curtis
Lance has served with the Link team for 20 years. He began his Link career as a Sales Engineer and then advanced to Assistant Vice President of Sales before taking over the position in 2005. Prior to joining Link Systems, Lance was the Sales Manager at Pearl Equipment Company. Lance is a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. He served in the Navy's Advanced Electronics Program as a Sonar Technician Petty Officer First Class.
John M. Shouse
Along with his engineering team, John is responsible for ensuring Link’s customers receive the precisely-correct, custom-engineered integrated press and automation control solution they need for their specific applications. John started with Link in 1987 as an Applications Engineering Manager. With a BSEE from the University of Missouri, John has 37 years of experience in the field of Industrial Controls and Automation, as a Sales Engineer, Project Engineer, and Manufacturing Systems Analyst. John served as the first Education Chair for the District Board of the Precision Metalforming Association’s Tennessee district, helping to create its Metalforming Education Scholarship.
Michael Hastings
Michael joined Link in 2000 as an Information Technology Manager. Along with implementing and managing many of the human resources and operational programs used internally, he interacted directly with customers as both installer and support for Link's LinkNet software. As Vice President of Operations, Michael’s experience is invaluable for leading the Link team to satisfy customer needs. He spent six years in the Army National Guard and he has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati.