Interim & Fractional Executive

Interim leadership for operations, sales, engineering, and lean manufacturing — joining the leadership team when it counts.

Mark Rimkus brings 25+ years of operations, sales, and engineering leadership to interim and fractional executive roles across industrial, aerospace, EV, and technology sectors — from General Motors and ITW to founding an EV thermal management company. Available for Operations, Sales, Engineering, and Lean Manufacturing leadership.

Get in Touch See the Track Record

M. Rimkus Available

Based

Chicago, IL / Orlando, FL

Engagement Type

Interim · Fractional · Advisory

Core Roles

Operations · Sales · Engineering · Lean Mfg

Reach

mrimkus@frtepro.com

01 / PROFILE

Builder first, executive second.

Global manufacturing, automotive, and mobility leadership across five continents.

Builds and repairs organizations under pressure. Over a 25+ year career spanning General Motors, ITW, UGN, Concentric AB, and independent ventures, Mark has run business units from the shop floor to the boardroom — carrying full P&L, sales, and operational responsibility for divisions up to $250 million in global revenue.

Served as General Manager of an 85-person manufacturing plant in Argentina, conducted business in Spanish and Portuguese, opened new markets from Brazil into the US, and negotiated directly with Tesla, Honda, Audi, GM, Ford, and Chrysler-Fiat at the VP level.

Most recently, co-founded and leads EV Thermal Flow Solutions as CEO — taking a patented thermal management technology from concept to an installed, revenue-generating, cash-flow-positive product. That same builder's instinct — assess fast, fix what's broken, install the team and systems that outlast the engagement — carries into every interim leadership role.

Holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University, and is the author of Pillars, Pyramids & Grids, a book on leadership, teams, and careers.

IndustriesIndustrial · Aerospace · EV · Technology

LanguagesEnglish · Spanish · Portuguese

Country Experience10 countries, 4 continents

Largest P&L$250M global division

Patents2 issued / granted

EducationM.S. Mech. Eng., Univ. of Illinois

B.S. Mech. Eng., Kettering University

PublishedPillars, Pyramids & Grids (2020)

AvailabilityOpen to travel · M–Th on-site engagements

TrainingToyota Production System — Executives

Why Interim Work, Now

Not chasing a rung on the corporate ladder or positioning for the next promotion — that track record is already built. The focus now is making other leaders successful, delivering results (especially measurable financial ones), and doing the work with a sense of purpose and urgency.

Meeting great people and great teams along the way is one of the best parts of the job.

Current Venture — 2022 to Present

CEO & Co-Founding Director, EV Thermal Flow Solutions LLC

Developer of FlowRithm™ — an algorithm and software platform that reads a zero-emissions vehicle's run state over CAN and LIN networks and controls thermal management for minimum energy use, paired with coolant flow hardware to execute the control logic. Patent WO 2024/097862 A3.

Mark wrote and developed the run-control algorithm, guided the team through hardware development and patent filing, manages commercial arrangements with customers and suppliers, and leads the board and business development as CEO.

Status

Cash-flow positive · installed on vehicle

Key Team

Philip Dingle (35+ patents) · Dave Stenson (former GM Exec, CEO ZMD)

Patent WO 2024/097862 A3

02 / CAPABILITIES

Where the value shows up.

Across industrial, aerospace, EV, and technology sectors — installed on interim or fractional terms.

Operations

Plant and division leadership, P&L ownership, budgeting and forecasting, and business-readiness turnarounds — including running a full manufacturing plant as General Manager.

Sales & Business Development

New market entry, OEM account management, and pipeline building — from cold-call and tradeshow lead generation to quoting $20M+ opportunities with Tier 1s and OEMs.

Engineering & Product

Product launch leadership, cross-functional engineering management, and IP development — two patents to date, and experience managing global engineering teams.

Lean Manufacturing

Toyota Production System-trained; has driven throughput up 40% in five months through one-piece flow, cell arrangement, and work-balance analysis on the factory floor.

End-to-End Coverage

Product Development & Launch Sales & Business Development Purchasing & Supplier Development Quality Engineering & Validation Production Processes Lean Manufacturing & Waste Reduction

Across the full value chain, the goal is the same: improve revenue and the bottom line — from innovative, first-to-market products to high-volume commodity production.

03 / TRACK RECORD

Three decades, mapped.

Scroll for the full sequence — General Motors to present.

2022 — Present

CEO & Co-Founder

EV Thermal Flow Solutions

Patented thermal management tech, installed and cash-flow positive.

2019 — Present

Principal

Forte Projects LLC

$20M+ in quoted opportunities, new US market for Brazilian manufacturer.

2015 — 2018

VP / General Manager

Concentric AB

$60M division sales, $48M in new opportunity, ran Argentina plant.

2013 — 2015

Global Sales & Technical Mgr.

ITW Fuel Systems

Sales growth $15M to $50M, 40% throughput gain via lean methods.

2005 — 2013

Director → Product/Ops Mgr.

UGN Inc. / ITW Deltar

Led $154M JV product line and BMW business unit, patent granted.

1988 — 2005

Engineering → Product Mgmt.

General Motors, Dana, Peer Bearing

Rose from engineering to responsible engineer, then product/business lines.

YEARS Role Company / Location

2022–PresentCEO & Co-Founding DirectorEV Thermal Flow Solutions LLC

2019–PresentPrincipalForte Projects LLC — Chicago, IL & Melbourne, FL

2015–2018Vice President; GM, Chivilcoy Plant (Argentina)Concentric AB — Itasca, IL

2013–2015Global Sales & Technical ManagerITW — Mokena, IL / Röttingen, DE / Velká Bíteš, CZ

2012–2013Product & Business Unit Manager (BMW)ITW Deltar Release & Trim

2010–2012Manager, EngineeringITW Deltar Release & Trim

2005–2010Acting Director / Sr. Manager, Technical Sales & PMUGN Inc. — Tinley Park, IL (JV: Rieter / Nittoku)

2003–2005Product Manager, Sales & Business Line Dev.Peer Bearing Company (SKF) — Waukegan, IL / Changsha, CN

2000–2003Manager, Sales Accounts & EngineeringDana Corporation, Victor Reinz Division — Lisle, IL

1996–2000Senior Project Engineer / Project LeaderSenior Automotive Corp. — Bartlett, IL

1988–1996Engineering, Small Car DivisionGeneral Motors — Lansing & Detroit, MI

05 / CONTACT

Let's talk about what's next for your team.

Available now for interim and fractional executive engagements in Operations, Sales, Engineering, and Lean Manufacturing leadership. Based in Chicago and Orlando, with the flexibility to work from Santa Barbara to support Los Angeles and California-market engagements — and a passport full of stamps if the role calls for it.

Emailmrimkus@frtepro.com Phone773 294 4894 LocationsChicago, IL · Orlando, FL · Santa Barbara, CA

Accepting New Engagements

Well suited to situations that need a fast operating assessment and a leader who can execute immediately, including:

Open to travel; M–Th on-site with remote Fridays
Interim VP / GM coverage during a leadership transition
Turnaround or plant-readiness engagements
Lean manufacturing / throughput improvement sprints
Sales and new-market launch leadership
Fractional executive support for growing manufacturers