09/09/2025
By Zhiyong Gu

Richard Pierro, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Life Science Division of the E Tech Group, will give a seminar titled, "My 40 year journey from chemical engineering to management to successful biotech entrepreneurship".

Date: Thursday, Sept. 11
Time: 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.
Location: Ball Hall, Room 210

Abstract: This presentation will chronicle Rick Pierro’s journey, marked by the successful founding of 11 companies. His entrepreneurial journey started with an automation firm grown from a two-person team into a 600-engineer industry leader. More than a business narrative, this presentation will offer a blueprint for a successful career built on three core tenets: the critical importance of a lifelong learning mindset, the necessity of embracing opportunities outside your comfort zone, and the strategic art of building a strong and supportive professional network.

Biography: Rick Pierro co-founded Superior Controls, a Life Science automation engineering firm, in 1993 and sold the company to E Tech Group in 2019. He continued as President of the 200-engineer, Life Science Division for the next 5 years and now serves as the Chief Strategy Officer. Pierro has served as President of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) Boston Area Chapter and the ISPE Board of Directors. He served as Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Chemical Engineering Department. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of Acumentrics Corporation, a leading power supply, development and manufacturing company, E-Trolz, a leading provider of technology for electrophysiological medical devices, MindChild Medical, a leading developer of neonatal EKG devices, Mirtle Medical, a leading manufacturer of EKG equipment for the MRI, and Definitive Biotechnologies, a developer of diagnostic tests for infectious diseases.

Additionally, Pierro started and/or financed 12 separate biotech and automation companies, several of which are now owned by public companies. Prior to Superior Controls, Pierro held various positions in project engineering, sales, and sales management. His work experiences include serving as an automation engineer at a systems integrator, where he designed and implemented PLC-based control systems for both the chemical and food and beverage industries.

Pierro graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Chemistry in 1981 and received his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lowell in 1983.