MEET OUR TEAM
GREG HEILAND
FOUNDER
Greg Heiland, a recognized leader in contamination control, has dedicated himself to promoting critical environment excellence for over 30 years. After graduating from Santa Clara University in 1982, Greg launched a 6-year career with American Scientific Products in sales and management roles. In 1988, Greg and his wife, Mary, founded Sierra Scientific, an Arizona-based cleanroom products distributor. They acquired the Texas-based supplier, Class 10, and started Valutek, a controlled environment consumables manufacturer in 2000.
Known as an industry expert, Greg is a frequent contributor to contamination control publications, trade shows, and the development of cleanroom standards. For his long-term commitment to IEST, he was awarded the 2018 Robert L Mielke award. When not promoting the protection of products, people, and practices, Greg enjoys travel, the outdoors, and spending time with his family.
MARY HEILAND
CO-FOUNDER & VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES
A native Californian, Mary graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. She began her career in neuro rehab at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, CA. She then worked as a pediatric OT for California Children Services in Orange County, CA and Howard County Schools in Maryland. In 1988, Mary co-founded Sierra Scientific with her husband, Greg, and subsequently Valutek in 2000.
As our internal and external “goodwill ambassador”, Mary’s role as culture advocate, team builder, talent recruiter and celebrator is the heart of Valutek. Whether planning monthly themed “team appreciation” luncheons or celebrating any and all milestones, Mary’s legacy is her genuine care for the well-being of the team and the business. In her leisure time Mary enjoys cooking, crafting, volunteering, travel and keeping connected with four grown children and their exciting lives.
JOHN HEILAND
PRESIDENT
John has officially been part of the Valutek staff since the beginning of 2019, but unofficially part of the family business since he could walk, talk, and move boxes in the warehouse. He now oversees the Valutek’s Sales, Marketing, and Operations departments. When not at work/reining in his dad’s next business idea, John and his wife Samantha (and dogs Panda and Nacho) spend their free time boating at a local lake, camping up north, or road tripping somewhere new
Reach John directly at jheiland@valutek.com.
SALES
NEAL WOODS
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER
Neal graduated from Penn State University and started his career in controlled environment manufacturing and contamination control over 25 years ago. As a recognized contamination control thought leader, he and his family relocated to Chicago in 2006. His hands-on experience includes doing audits and assessments for industry leading organizations in life science and advanced materials. Neal recognizes that each critical environment is different, and he commits the resources to do on-site discovery to ensure that the Valutek product recommendations are the most appropriate for each application.
Once the Valutek product solutions are tested, qualified, and approved, Neal is the customer ambassador to ensure the entire Valutek team is aligned with specific client expectations. This includes dedicated inventory allocations, certificates of compliance reporting, updating usage forecasts as demand shifts, and conducting scheduled on site meetings to review Valutek’s’ performance. In his free time, Neal enjoys travel, spending time outdoors, and being with his wife Michele, family, and friends.
Reach Neal directly at nwoods@valutek.com or (630) 669-3003.
MARKETING
YUNUS AKCALI
MARKETING MANAGER
Yunus is originally from Turkey and joined the Valutek Team in 2021. His concentrations are marketing, business & data analytics. Yunus’s enthusiasm for traveling and history led him to travel to different parts of the world. His extended journeys allowed him to explore the old world’s ancient civilizations and cultures. He lives in Gilbert, AZ with his family. In his spare time, Yunus enjoys outdoor activities, spending time with family and friends
Reach Yunus directly at yakcali@valutek.com.
KELSEY GATES
MARKETING INTERN
Reach Kelsey directly at kgates@valutek.com
OPERATIONS
KAREN BLACK
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER
Reach Karen directly at kblack@valutek.com.
JOSE HERNANDEZ
WAREHOUSE COORDINATOR
Originally from Colorado, Jose has been the warehouse coordinator at Valutek for years. A seasoned and dedicated employee, Jose is the core of order fulfillment at Valutek as he does inventory receiving, order picking, and stock rotation. He also monitors all the raw material components required for the manufacturing. Jose and his family reside in the East Valley of Arizona.
Reach Jose directly at jhernandez@valutek.com.
IAN SUTTON
ON-SITE COORDINATOR
MICHAEL REDEAGLE
WAREHOUSE TECHNICIAN
Michael began in the Valutek warehouse in 2020 and proved to be a hard-worker and willing to tackle any project. He specializes in clean room production and inventory management.
RENUGAA KRISHNAN
SUPPLY CHAIN ASSISTANT
Renugaa joined Valutek with experience in computer systems administration. Originally from Penang, she works as a Supply Chain Assistant to maintain inventory levels, fulfill orders, and communicate with the suppliers. She loves listening to music during her spare time.
Reach Renugaa directly at rkrishnan@valutek.com
FRANCISCO ARCINIEGA
OPERATIONS SUPPORT
Reach Francisco directly at farciniega@valutek.com.
CHERYLL CAVADA
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
Reach Cheryll directly at orderdesk@valutek.com.
ISABELLA SANTAMARIA
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE / OPERATIONS SUPPORT
Reach Isabella directly at orderdesk@valutek.com.
PATTY VAN WEST
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
Reach Patty directly at orderdesk@valutek.com.
QUALITY
VIJENDRAAN VENKITASALAM
QUALITY MANAGER
Based in the Malaysia office, VJ is a high-tech manufacturing consumable expert. He's been with Valutek for more than a decade and has held roles of increasing importance throughout the years. VJ has an extensive education in electric and electronic engineering and enjoys traveling and playing sports in his free time.
Reach VJ directly at vijen@valutek.com.
SUNNY WU
QUALITY ASSURANCE ENGINEER
Sunny plays a crucial role in the Asia market as she leads on-site inspections for all apparel products manufactured in China. She excels at both improving product quality and reducing quality issues while also maintaining superior communication with multiple suppliers. Sunny enjoys playing badminton and rope in her leisure time.
Reach Sunny directly at swu@valutek.com.
FINANCE
NICHOLAS KADLEC
SENIOR CONTROLLER
Reach Nicholas directly at nkadlec@valutek.com or 602.761.2310
SHARON LOOI
STAFF ACCOUNTANT / ASIA OFFICE MANAGER
Based in Malaysia, Sharon has been invaluable to the Valutek team for over a decade. She handles the majority of financial matters in Asia, especially accounts payable and receivable. Sharon specializes in sending friendly reminders to clients and always ensures prompt payments. Outside of the office, her favorite pastime is to go sightseeing with family members.
Reach Sharon directly at slooi@valutek.com
DANIEL PRESTON
STAFF ACCOUNTANT
Reach Daniel directly at dpreston@valutek.com.