Andy Xilas is the President of HuFriedyGroup. In this role, he is responsible for overall P&L management, day-to-day operations, integration, long-term strategic direction, market assessment, and product development.

With over 30 years of experience at the company, Mr. Xilas brings a deep understanding of the intricacies of each key functional area of the enterprise. He has built a strong reputation as a results-focused global business leader with a successful track record of growth and expansion in key markets. He began his career in customer service and sales and moved into manufacturing management before assuming executive commercial roles. Prior to taking on the role of President, Mr. Xilas was Senior Vice President for Global Strategic Business Units.

In his two-plus decades in leadership positions, Mr. Xilas has helped accelerate growth through new product development and the creation of valuable industry partnerships. Most recently, Mr. Xilas played a leading role in guiding the creation of the HuFriedyGroup brand identity as the Dental Division of Cantel Medical.

Mr. Xilas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business. He also received a KMI Certificate from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a Breakthrough Six Sigma Certificate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Patrick Bernardi is Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President for Marketing & Brand Strategy. In this role, he is responsible for directing and managing the global brand marketing function, including brand strategy, digital customer engagement, content marketing, distributor demand generation, public relations, customer relationship management, and creative services.

Since joining HuFriedyGroup in 2009, Mr. Bernardi has been a part of a team that has helped the company achieve strong financial results. During his time, he has focused on clarifying and amplifying the HuFriedyGroup brand story in addition to implementing contemporary marketing approaches designed to better align with mobile and digital expectations of modern target audiences.

Mr. Bernardi was instrumental in developing the new HuFriedyGroup brand and has played a key role in the design of the organization’s CRM and customer engagement strategy, as well as optimizing learning and sharing through customer communities such as Friends of Hu-Friedy.

Mr. Bernardi earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He stays active in the marketing community through his involvement with such groups as the CMO Club, Direct Marketing Association, and the American Marketing Association. Mr. Bernardi is a frequent speaker at Marketing conferences and serves as a mentor through the Future CMO program.

Matt Berns is Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, he oversees Legal, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs and IT.

Joining the company in 2006, Mr. Berns assumed increasingly broad responsibilities for legal matters, supporting corporate and transactional work, in addition to overseeing regulatory affairs. During his tenure with HuFriedyGroup, he has also played a commercial leadership role, overseeing the private label / OEM business unit.

Prior to joining HuFriedyGroup, Mr. Berns spent much of his legal career in-house, notably in telecom and water treatment. Prior to that, he worked in public policy for the State of Illinois and then as a litigator.

He currently serves as a board member of the Dental Trade Alliance and has previously served as a trustee for Illinois public pension funds.

Mr. Berns earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the Gies College of Business – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School

Chris Wright is the Senior Vice President, North America Sales for HuFriedyGroup. Chris brings over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry. He has a keen ability to capitalize on market trends, build high-performing sales and management teams, and foster a culture of accountability and engagement. Chris excels at crafting and executing growth strategies, restructuring operations, and delivering sustainable, profitable results.

Prior to joining HuFriedyGroup, Chris held key leadership positions at Dentsply Sirona, including Vice President of Commercial Operations & Planning and Vice President of Sales. His earlier roles at the company encompassed Senior Director of US Sales & Distribution Management, Area Sales Director, Senior Regional Sales Manager, and Regional Sales Manager. Before joining Dentsply Sirona, he held Territory Sales Manager positions at Coltene Whaledent, Inc. and other industry-leading organizations.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University

Crystal Diaz is the Chief Human Resources Officer and leads the global HR team. She brings over 15 years of experience in Human Resources, including building HR functions from the ground up and aligning HR initiatives with business goals. Crystal has a track record of success in complex businesses, including building organizational value by strengthening people, processes, and performance.

Prior to joining HuFriedyGroup, she served as Vice President of Human Resources at Dynamic Manufacturing, a privately held motor vehicle manufacturing supplier of drivetrain components serving the OE automotive industry.

Crystal holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Roosevelt University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Megan Mendes is Senior Vice President for the Instrumentation, Infection Prevention & Control, and Conscious Sedation Strategic Business Units, where she has complete global responsibility for all  associated product portfolios. In this role, she supports product development, strategic direction, and day-to-day operations.

Throughout her tenure, Ms. Mendes has consistently delivered above market sales results, developing and implementing strategic plans for improving the product development pipeline as well as overseeing key business initiatives to ensure continuous development across global markets. She has overseen multiple successful product launches, coordinating with cross-functional teams to develop integrated product marketing strategies.

Since joining HuFriedyGroup in 2006, Ms. Mendes has held roles as a product manager for orthodontic instrumentation; senior product manager overseeing orthodontic, restorative, endo, and private label instrumentation; and director of the GP Specialty, Surgical, and Private Label Strategic Business Units, where among other accomplishments, she contributed to the launching of more than 30 new products and managed multiple areas of the business.

Ms. Mendes earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Business Management from Albion College. She began her career as product manager at GC America before joining HuFriedyGroup.

Fabio Molinaro is the International Chief Strategy Officer for HuFriedyGroup. In his role, he oversees the strategic direction and execution of all commercial activities outside North America, ensuring continued growth and success across the markets outside North America. Additionally, he focuses on identifying and developing key partnerships, as well as potential acquisition initiatives in the international markets, to support HuFriedyGroup’s long-term expansion and innovation strategy.

Prior to joining HuFriedyGroup, Mr. Molinaro partnered with the company as an external dental consultant, formally joining the team in 2010 as the Regional Sales Manager for South Europe, Middle East, and Africa. He later took on the roles of Managing Director of Sales and Marketing (EMEA) and Vice President, Managing Director (EMEA).

Mr. Molinaro served in the Army before earning a Political Science degree from Trieste University. He completed his MBA at Bocconi University in Milan and is currently working towards a Certificate in General Management from INSEAD business school in Singapore and Fontainebleau (FR).

David Platt is the SVP, Manufacturing, Engineering Research & Development, and Quality Assurance, Chicago, Chips & Accutron Operations at the Chicago facility that manufactures class 1 and 2 Dental/Orthodontic medical devices. He is also the head of R&D and the New Product Development team for launching new products.

Mr. Platt has over 30 years of experience in designing and development of medical devices. Mr. Platt began his career in 1990 at Littelfuse, Inc. as a Production Foreman and Manufacturing Engineer. He managed 5 Automotive and Electronic production lines representing $75M in sales. In 1995, Mr. Platt moved into the medical device field working for a family-owned business Beltone Electronics in Chicago. Then, he led the organization including manufacturing engineering department and plant floor cell associates at both the domestic and international plants. In 2000, Mr. Platt joined Hollister, Inc a medical device manufacturer of Ostomy, Continents and Mother/Baby products. Here he managed the design engineering services team to support global plant manufacturing via automation equipment, which drove cost reduction efforts to products.

In 2003, Mr. Platt joined VIASYS Healthcare and worked in the disposable medical device division (Corpak). Here he led the R&D team that developed a product for bedside location of NG (Nasal Gastric) Feeding tube placement without the need for X-ray or Fluoroscopy. This product won a Medical Design Excellence Award while acquiring many patents. In 2007, Mr. Platt joined Ohio Medical Corporation. The leader in Suction, Oxygen Therapy Devices. Here Dave led the R&D, Engineering and Product Assurance Teams.

In his free time, Dave enjoys spending time with his family, watching sports, running & fitness and golfing.

Mr. Platt is a graduate from Marquette University who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Engineering Management (MEM) with a focus on Project Management from Northwestern University.

Paul Texiera is the SVP, Operations, Continuous Improvement, and Employee Health & Safety  for PPE and Sterility Assurance product manufacturing at six (6) locations throughout North America.

Mr. Texiera has over 38 years of business experience in operations and general management for several public, private, and private equity organizations before joining HuFriedyGroup. His background includes experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, appliances, motors, and machine tool industries. He has led multi-site operations in the U.S. and internationally. His expertise is in organizational development and troubleshooting, applying both lean and Six Sigma methodologies to drive operational excellence.

Mr. Texiera is a graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering and was honorably discharged at a Lieutenant from the U.S. Navy after 10 years of service.

John Scimone is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) where he leads the overall global finance operations and oversees the entirety of the HuFriedyGroup financial organization, including accounting, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), commercial finance, tax, and treasury functions.

He brings over 25 years of experience in financial and internal controls, strategic planning, cash management, and talent development. John’s experiences cross multiple industries in manufacturing, distribution, and service. Prior to joining HuFriedyGroup, he served as CFO at Interior Logic Group, a $2B+ organization in the building products space for single-family homes.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Accounting, and Economics from DePaul University in Chicago.