It's hard to go much higher than the guy who ran GM Powertrain on River Road for 11 years.
Lithium ion startup Viridi Parente has nabbed business and community leader Steve Finch as its new president of manufacturing and community engagement, the company announced recently.
Founded and run by Jon Williams, Viridi Parente is pursuing multiple applications of its battery technology out of a former American Axle plant on the city's East Side. The company raised $29 million in venture capital in 2019, a round led by Tom Golisano, and expects to someday establish a major manufacturing operation on its 42-acre campus.
Finch retired from GM Tonawanda in 2017 and became senior vice president of automative services at AAA Western and Central New York. He chairs the Buffalo Urban League board of directors and is former board chair for the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County.
Viridi Parente recently appointed Dennis Elsenbeck, formerly National Grid's regional executive, as president.
