You are here: Home > Our Company > Management Bios

Management Bios


	Larry Acquarulo - CEO Founding Foster in 1989, Larry Acquarulo is CEO of Foster Corporation in Putnam, CT. He is a graduate of University of Massachusetts, Lowell MA, (BS in Plastics Engineering), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (MS in Materials Science), and Kennedy Western University, Thousand Oaks, CA (PhD Engineering Management). Today, Larry Acquarulo holds five U.S. and international patents, with three more patents pending in the fields of nano composites, cross-linkable polymers, lubricated and drug-filled polymers for medical device and industrial applications. A prolific writer, he has had over a dozen technical papers published in leading journals including Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry Magazine, Modern Plastics, Plastics Engineering Magazine, Design News, and Medical Plastics and Biomaterials. His professional memberships include Society of Plastics Engineers (senior member), Connecticut Technology Council, University of Connecticut Insitute of Materials Science Associate, and Vistage (an international organization of CEO’s).

	Ken Pickering - President Ken Pickering is the President of Foster Corporation in Putnam, CT. Previously, he was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Foster, and the Director of Operations. Earlier, Ken had a long career at Polaroid Corporation as Manufacturing Plant Director, SAP Implementation Program Manager, Operations Manager for Reagent Manufacturing, and Manufacturing Manager for Film Coatings Chemical Development. He also was a member of Polaroid’s Worldwide Lean Manufacturing Leadership Team. Before that, Ken was the Supply Chain & Manufacturing Director at Aprilis, Inc. Ken holds a BS in Chemistry from Bridgewater State College (cum laude), and earned his MS degree in Management from Lesley University (4.0 GPA), writing a thesis on Variability Reduction in Components Manufacturing. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt Champion and holds memberships in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Vistage (TEC) International, among other associations. An avid sportsman, Ken Pickering is an official USSF Soccer Referee.

	Ronn L. Schrader - Director of Quality & Information Technology Ronn L. Schrader is the Director of Quality at Foster Corporation in Putnam, CT, a key position underscoring Foster’s long-range commitment to maintaining the highest industry standards, creating new ones, and becoming the benchmark of quality in specialty compounding. Ronn holds a Master of Science Degree in Engineering Technology from Middle Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Middle Tennessee State University. He also has an Associates Degree in Industrial Engineering from Nashville State Technical Institute. Adding to these professional credentials, Ronn has earned the designation of a Certified Quality Manager in the American Society for Quality. Ronn comes to Foster with extensive experience in Quality Management Systems. He was Quality Systems Support Manager at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco in Nashville, Tennessee, before joining Foster Corporation. Prior to his position at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, Ronn established his career at Comalloy International in Nashville and ABC Technologies in Gallatin, Tennessee.

	Brian LaBrec - Director of Applications Development Engineering Brian C. LaBrec is the Director of Engineering responsible for R&D and engineering activities at Foster East and West. Brian has been with Foster for 3 years; his first two years he was the Engineering/cGMP Manager responsible for manufacturing engineering in the medical device and operations in the pharmaceutical division. Brian holds a BS in Biology and Chemistry from Eastern Connecticut State University, an MS in Plastics Engineering from UMASS Lowell, and an MBA from Nichols College in Dudley, MA where he earned the Academic Excellence Award for scholastic achievement (GPA 4.0). Brian’s background includes over 18 years of project management in small and large companies commercializing a broad array of products and processes from the R&D phase. Brian holds two U.S. patents and 11 pending. He is a member of the Society of Plastics Engineering and enjoys fishing and boating.