As Director of Innovation and Business Development at STERIS, Rick Nardo manages global innovation programs including technology development, business partnerships, market research, innovation strategy, and product development projects; additionally, he manages internal and external engineering organic innovation, industrial design and market research efforts across North America, Europe and rest of the world. Prior to Steris, Rick was a Program Manager for DEKA R&D - Dean Kamen’s innovation think tank and product development company north of Boston.
Besides aforementioned medical device programs, Rick led the development activities for the Coca-Cola Freestyle dispenser which continues to revolutionize the carbonated soft drink industry for Coke. These programs spanned product lifecycles including product definition with Fortune 100 companies, new product introduction with large contract manufacturers, and final commercialization to integrate these products with their sustaining engineering and service systems.
Rick’s varied background includes time in the service as an Army officer, as an Environmental Engineer, positions with Johnson & Johnson as Manager of Worldwide Operations Strategy and Contracts Management, and a tour in Iraq as an Economic Development Officer.
Rick graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, a Minor in Economics, and a specialization in Biomedical Engineering. He also holds an MBA and a master’s in mechanical engineering from MIT as a Leader for Global Operations Fellow.
Rick is married with three children. Sailing, biking, family, and vintage restorations occupy Rick’s mental free time.