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Ridley Gunderson is an experienced appraiser recognized by many lenders and manufacturers as a national expert on the value of metals and commodity inventory. He has had a 25-year career in the metals industry, which includes ferrous and nonferrous metals sales, production, and information technology with several leading metals producers and traders including Usinor Sacilor Steel. Mr. Gunderson founded Sector3 in 2004 and the Company is now one of the largest metals and commodity appraisal firms in the U.S. In addition to valuing and appraising companies throughout North America, Mr. Gunderson has worked extensively in Europe valuating inventories of manufacturers and distributors. Mr. Gunderson is a graduate of Georgetown University.
Expertise: Long and flat-rolled carbon, nickel-based alloy, aluminum, stainless, brass and copper.

David Violette has led the analysis of several of the country's largest commodity and specialty metals producers and service centers. In addition to his appraisal work, Mr. Violette was previously Senior Manager of an operational costs group, gaining significant exposure to the operations, marketing and sales side of that business. This cross functional experience provides him with a strong understanding of the interrelationship of business activities and the impact that intersecting factors have on the value and saleability of company inventory. Mr. Violette has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island.
Expertise: The coordination of valuation efforts for large multi-divisional firms, the application of qualitative and quantitative valuation metrics, and a firm understanding of both the operational and financial sides of the metals business.

Rick Wallace has worked within the chemicals industry in a variety of capacities for companies such as Dow Chemical, ARCO Chemical, Great Lakes Chemical Co. and Huntsman Advanced Materials. In his 34-year career, Mr. Wallace has had extensive experience selling commodity and specialty chemicals to the agricultural, plastics, tobacco, pharmaceutical, textile, water treatment and automotive industries. Working for Huntsman Advanced Materials, he sold commodity resins and specialty chemicals to the paint and coatings, powder coatings, automotive and plastics industries, which also included international sales and exposure to the import and export chemical markets. Most recently, Mr. Wallace operated his own agency selling both domestic and offshore commodity and specialty chemicals. Mr. Wallace has a Bachelor of Science degree from Bowling Green State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Miami University in Oxford, OH.
Expertise: Alcohols, glycols, ketones, esters, acrylates, acetic acid, epoxy resins, specialty chemicals and emulsion polymers.

Dave Michel has spent over 25 years working in the steel industry, and brings a broad international experience to Sector3 Appraisals. Mr. Michel started his career with law firm Pont-A Mousson S.A., negotiating international sales, transport, joint venture, acquisition, finance and construction contracts as well as managing the company’s litigation and arbitration proceedings in various countries. Working with the U.S. import and distribution units of Usinor and Arcelor for 17 years, Mr. Michel gained an in-depth perspective of the North American steel industry and the role played by imported steel products. His years with Usinor and Arcelor also included serving as director of several U.S. operating subsidiaries and unsecured creditors’ committees in steel sector bankruptcies. Mr. Michel is a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska School of Law.
Expertise: Business development, client relations and new business opportunities.

Ted Davis has over 30 years of experience in the metal recycling industry and is a former partner in the largest scrap metal recycling company in the southeast, where he designed, engineered and installed major new processing equipment and assessed scrap metal inventories for various purposes including bank relations, in-house marketing, and acquisitions and mergers. In 1981, Mr. Davis founded Carolina Scrap Consultants, Inc. (CSC), which focused on identifying and resolving the scrap metal concerns of southern power companies, and in 1985, CSC merged with Industrial Metal Processing (IMP). As the Vice President of Operations at IMP, Mr. Davis was responsible for the day-to-day operations of two scrap facilities that processed both ferrous and nonferrous scrap. Mr. Davis and three partners purchased the total assets of IMP in 1988 and in 1995 purchased a brownfield property that allowed the company to develop into a modern and leading recycling facility. In 1999, IMP merged with Spartan Iron and became Carolinas Recycling Group (CRG). During his tenure at CRG, Mr. Davis established new inventory programs that improved average inventory turns and managed the design and installment of a $6.5 million steel scrap shredder. Mr. Davis also assessed and valued all equipment and scrap inventory as CRG acquired seven different companies.
Expertise: Ferrous and nonferrous valuations, physical count services, policy and procedure practice assessments.

James Knight has over 25 years experience in the scrap recycling industry. Mr. Knight began his career in 1979 as an outside salesperson at Industrial Scrap and was later given responsibility for the purchase and sale of all ferrous and nonferrous metals. When Industrial Scrap merged with Carolina Scrap Consultants in 1985 to form Industrial Metal Processing (IMP), Mr. Knight was made president of the company. Mr. Knight purchased IMP with three other partners in 1988. In 1999, IMP merged with Spartan Iron and became Carolina Recycling Group (CRG). One of the largest scrap recycling companies in the Southeast, CRG had sales of over 570 thousand tons of ferrous and 100 million pounds of nonferrous metal per year. As president of CRG, Mr. Knight was also involved in the acquisition and assimilation of seven other scrap companies during his tenure at CRG. He retired from CRG in 2004 and is the current owner and president of Legacy Timber Investments LLC.
Expertise: Ferrous and nonferrous valuations, physical count services, policy and procedure practice assessments.

Robert Parker has had a 25-year career in the metals distribution industry in sales, sales management, and as a branch manager. He has managed multiple general line service center locations, distributing both processed and unprocessed carbon long products, flat-rolled products and plate. Mr. Parker joined Sector3 Appraisals in 2009 and is using his experience and knowledge of the distribution industry to provide accurate and reliable appraisal information.
Expertise: Long and flat-rolled carbon products.

For 40 years Bill Schiefen has worked in the metals industry in both a distribution and manufacturing capacity in a wide range of managerial positions in sales and marketing.  Working for major distributors, an aluminum flat-rolled company, aluminum and steel extrusion facilities, and a copper and brass strip mill, Mr. Schiefen has a broad range of experience to support him in his current position at Sector3 Appraisals.
Expertise: Aluminum flat-rolled and extruded products, stainless steel, nickel alloys, copper and brass strip as well as carbon, alloy, and stainless steel extrusions.

With over 25 years specializing in steel and specialty metals, Andy Schnog has worked both as an international trader and in mill sales, and brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to his appraisals for Sector3. Working for Ferrostaal Inc., Arcelor International America, Commonwealth Metals and Midland Metals International, Mr. Schnog has negotiated and conducted domestic and international sales and purchasing agreements for specialty steel, stainless steel, and wire rod and bar products. Most recently with Midland Metals, Mr. Schnog evaluated the purchasing costs of overseas specialty steel and hedged nickel as necessary to protect profitability from market fluctuations. Additionally, his hands on as well as managerial international business experience has required Mr. Schnog to become adept in product development, logistics, insurance and risk management, all of which will be valuable resources in his role as appraiser. Mr. Schnog has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Rochester.
Expertise: Specialty metals including stainless steel and tool steel products as well as carbon and alloy experience including special bar quality (SBQ), merchant bar quality (MBQ), wire rod and flat-rolled products.