Meet the team
Peter L Ochs, Founder & Chairman
Peter is the Founder and Chairman of Capital III, an investment company that owns and operates various privately held companies in the United States, Honduras, and Mexico. Industries in which Capital III has invested include banking, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, energy, and private education with a geographical focus on the US and Latin America. Prior to founding Capital III, Mr. Ochs spent eight years in the commercial banking industry. Mr. Ochs graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in business and finance. He currently serves on the boards of UTG, Inc., the American Independence Funds, World Impact, and Trinity Academy. Mr. Ochs is married to Deborah and they have four children and eight grandchildren.
Austin Ochs, Chief Executive Officer
Austin is the Chief Executive Officer of Capital III and has provided leadership, strategic development, and marketing expertise to the Capital III portfolio of companies since 2008. Prior to that, he spent nine years working for Kanakuk Kamps. He graduated from Wheaton College with a Business/Economics degree and played four years of varsity basketball for the Wheaton Thunder.
Josh Pearce, Chief People Officer
Josh has provided leadership and direction to all HR activities since 2007. Prior to his work with Capital III, he spent two years teaching English to business school students in North Africa. He currently serves on the board of FOCUS International and the Spiritual Life Center at Hutchinson Correctional Facility. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Business Management and a Master of Business Administration. Mr. Pearce is married with three children, all boys.
Gary Snyder, Chief Financial Officer
Gary has been a Finance and Accounting professional for over 35 years. He graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Wichita State University with a Master's Degree in Accounting. Over the years, Gary has earned his CPA, CMA, and CFM certificates. He has held various leadership roles in several manufacturing and aftermarket support businesses in the Chemicals, Medical Products, Electronics, Aerospace, and Power Transformer industries. Gary and his wife of 30-plus years, Dianne, have three children.
Nick Coulter, Chief Development Officer and
C3 Services General Manager, Capital III
Nick oversees all day-to-day operations of Capital III. Prior to his current role, he held the positions of General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Development Officer and spent over 20 years mastering and leading the manufacturing, quality, and engineering components of the Capital III portfolio of companies. He has a strong desire for excellence and his leadership spirit motivates almost 1,500 employees in the organization to provide the best products and services for our valued partners. He graduated from Central Christian College of Kansas with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He and his wife of over 20 years have four children.
Jared Peterson, General Manager, Electrex
Jared is the General Manager of Electrex Inc. and oversees all day-to-day operations of the company. Prior to his current role, he held the position of President for Vermillion Incorporated, an Aerospace and Defense wire harness manufacturer in Wichita, KS. Since 2009, Jared has held many positions in the interconnect industry including President, Operations Director, Program Manager, Technical Services Manager, and Sales Manager. Mr. Peterson is passionate about harness design and production systems, with a focus on quality and delivery management systems. He graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and over the years has earned certifications in lean manufacturing and program management. Jared enjoys coaching youth baseball and is an avid golfer.
Mike Sutherland, General Manager, Seat King
Mike is the General Manager of Seat King and oversees all day-to-day operations. Prior to his current role, Mike held positions as Director of Strategic Operations for LMI Aerospace and CEO of Essner Manufacturing in Fort Worth, Texas. Mike also has 32 years of worldwide manufacturing experience in various roles including Industrial Engineering, Program Management, Production Control, and Supply Chain Executive at Boeing/Spirit AeroSystems. He has a Master of Business Administration from Friends University and a Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion – Christian Apologetics from Talbot Seminary at Biola University in Los Angeles. His passions include leading and growing teams for ultimate performance and raising his two daughters and granddaughter, with his wife of 32 years.