Joe M. Rife
Executive Coach – Disruptive Technology
Business Executive, Engineer and Entrepreneur, Joe Rife helps technical founders of hardware companies create and build successful businesses.
Dr. Rife coaches members of startup companies on business strategy, operations, and product development as Executive in Residence at Greentown Labs and mentors early stage companies across the New England cleantech ecosystem.
A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Rife founded American Brake and Wheel, a heavy-duty distributer of truck and bus running gear components and GENEVA Group, an enterprise systems integration firm and Microsoft partner. At GENEVA Group, he worked on turn-around projects as acting CIO, CEO and CFO. GENEVA Group sold its operations to Admiral IT and restructured as a holding company.
Dr. Rife is an expert in engine technology, enterprise software, distribution, supply chain and management of early-stage business organizations. Current academic experience includes teaching Field Studies in Management at Brandeis International Business School. (IBS) and MIT courses, Management in Engineering and Elements of Mechanical Design.
A Kansas farm boy, Dr. Rife came to Boston as a first-year student and earned three degrees at MIT. Connecting with research at the Sloan Automotive Laboratories, he wrote three theses, published papers on engine technology and became Executive Director of the lab after earning his PhD.