Riptide Autonomous Solutions Welcomes New COO/CFO

Riptide Autonomous Solutions, a leader in low cost micro unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs), is pleased to announce a significant new executive hire. Mr. John Vestri has joined Riptide with a joint appointment as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer effective March 5, 2017.

Mr. Vestri brings significant experience supporting high growth technology companies, with a focus in manufacturing and operations. Most recently at VideoRay, he created significant growth in sales and profitability by introducing beneficial changes in mission, culture, operations and financial performance. He holds an engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and an MBA in Finance from Chapman University.

“We look forward to welcoming John to our quickly expanding, dynamic team” said Jeff Smith, Riptide’s President. “During 2016 Riptide built over two dozen systems and delivered units to multiple military, academic and commercial customers. We generated a solid backlog of vehicle orders and John will help us deliver on that foundation and grow into the future.”

Mr. Vestri added: “together with other members of the senior management team, and Riptide employees, I look forward to advancing processes focused on exceptional customer service.” Riptide’s micro-UUV is a flexible and affordable tool that can be built, delivered and applied in volume at affordable costs.

“We welcome John’s significant talents and experience and look forward to his leadership in this next phase of our market expansion.” Smith said.