Eric P. Rose, NPDP, MBA Executive Profile

ERIC P. ROSE, NPDP, MBA is president of Pinnacle Product Innovation, Inc. He is a product innovation and management consultant who provides entrepreneurs and established companies the expertise to move new products from opportunity to market reality. Eric has more than 35 years’ experience in product innovation, product development, manufacturing, commercialization, and project management. He has worked in the consumer, medical, and industrial product industries with companies ranging from startups through Fortune 500 firms.

Eric’s areas of expertise include business growth through new product innovation, new product strategy, project management, and product innovation education. Eric evaluates existing corporate New Product Innovation (NPI) processes, identifies opportunities for improvement, and supports the implementation of those improvements to drive earnings growth.

Services include:

  • Entrepreneur NPI Mentoring
  • Entrepreneur Pitch and Funding Preparation
  • Corporate Product Innovation Process Improvements (Under ISO 9000, FDA, NIOSH, CPSC)
  • Corporate and Startup Advisory Board Member
  • NPI Strategy
  • NPI Project Management
  • Product Design Assistance and Reviews
  • Product and Purchasing Requirement Documents, Technical Development, Manufacturing Sourcing & Startup
  • Product Design and Manufacturing Expert Witness serving Product Liability, IP, and Commercial Dispute litigators

Eric’s accomplishments include the following:

  • As Founder and President of Pinnacle Product Innovation, Inc. Eric has provided the expertise to entrepreneurs and established businesses to develop and launch new products and improve the business processes to do so. Services provided to Clients in the medical / dental, consumer, and industrial markets.
  • As Director of Research and Development for Moldex-Metric, Inc., he created NPI processes that drove new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) product earnings. Key successes included the simultaneous development and launch of the 7000 half mask respirator and the 9000 full face, NIOSH approved, respirators. This launch was the most significant New Product Development (NPD) and launch in the company’s 30-year history. Significant ISO 9000 / ISO 9001 work.
  • As Executive Director of Product Development, Devices for Discus Dental, Inc., he led the company’s new dental device development efforts. Key NPI successes included Zoom Advanced Power whitening lamp, EndoVac irrigation system, and the award-winning Zen Cordless Prophy. Significant ISO 9000 / ISO 9001 work.
  • As Business Development Director for Interlink Electronics, he assumed the role of intrepreneur, and identified new business, technology, and innovation opportunities. Key successes included the NPI, NPD, and launch of GoSpeak! Portable PA system, as well as an innovative interactive TV gaming solution that used the company’s touchpad-based remote control. Eric pitched the Interactive TV demo to Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder.
  • As Product Engineering Manager, Intel/Mattel Smart Toy Lab at Mattel, Inc., he managed development expense and capital tooling budget in excess of $1.0M. New products aimed at the PC-enhanced toy market. Intel Play QX3 Digital Video Microscope was the best-selling technology toy of Christmas 1999.
  • As a (Mattel) Product Development Manager, Games, he was a key member of core team launching new Mattel Puzzles and Games business in 1996. He provided planning, vendor sourcing, and technical guidance in support of sales growth to $100M business accomplished within 2 1/2 years post start-up.
  • As a (Mattel) Product Development Manager, Disney Infant Preschool, he was responsible for domestic product development and project management for Infant Preschool toys. He recruited, hired, and managed staff including, administration, CAD designers, and project engineers. He contracted and managed outside engineering firms and traveled to Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Mexico in support of new product projects.
  • As Engineering Program Manager for Guardian Sunrise Medical, the largest U.S. manufacturer of aluminum crutches, he was responsible for the design, development, program and technical staff management for durable medical equipment. Key successes included the NPD and launch of the company’s first ever rolling walker and the NPD and launch of a line of all injection-molded bathroom safety products offering customers the highest quality and lowest cost products in the industry. Significant ISO 9000 / ISO 9001 work leading to corporate certification.

Various Design and Engineering Positions

  • Design Development Engineer for leading U.S. leisure furniture manufacturer.
    Brown Jordan, El Monte, California.
  • Staff Engineer for world’s largest wheelchair manufacturer.
    Everest and Jennings, Camarillo, California.
  • Engineering Designer for American Hospital Supply (Baxter) disposables division.
    Pharmaseal, Glendale, California.

Eric received an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BS in Engineering and Applied Sciences from Arizona State University, Industrial Design and Technology curriculum. Since 2009 Eric has held part-time positions teaching product innovation, entrepreneurship, and marketing at numerous universities including Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Cal State University Northridge, and Rice University. At Loyola Marymount University, Eric taught Product & Business Design using Steve Blank’s Lean Startup methodology. He has been a guest lecturer and student mentor at the USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and a featured speaker at numerous trade and business events.

Eric’s article, “Managing NPD Project Tradeoffs,” was featured on the cover of PDMA’s Visions magazine (Dec. 2013). Recognized as an industry expert, Eric has been a guest writer to a series of blogs on invention and new product innovation for the California Women’s Conference (Jun. 2012), a contributing author to the McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course: Product Development by author Andrea Belz (Nov. 2010), and co-author of “Product Obsolescence: Removing Parasites From The Portfolio” for PDMA Visions (Mar. 2007).

Eric is a named inventor on numerous patents issued and pending worldwide in the consumer, healthcare, and industrial product categories. He is a certified New Product Development Professional (NPDP) through the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA). He is a co-founder and President Emeritus of the Los Angeles Chapter of PDMA and received the PDMA-LA Distinguished Innovator award for a lifetime of product innovation and building the Los Angeles product development community in 2011. He is a former Co-Chair of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), San Fernando Valley Branch, and has served as a member of the Board of Advisors for Tempo Plastics Company, Inc. since 1986.