Our Team

Element Four is comprised of a dedicated team of experts and visionaries. Working together as a team, the different experiences and backgrounds contribute to an innovative and conscientious group of leaders that bring to market what the public is looking for.

Jonathan Ritchey

President, Founder and Director

Mr. Ritchey has experience in both the scientific and business world being employed to manage the Quality Control Lab at Stange Food in Calgary for almost 5 years in the mid 90s. Mr. Ritchey earned his Certified Financial Planner designation, a Canadian Mutual Fund license and a Level 2 Life Agent license and worked in the investment industry for many years.

Jonathan has studied food technologies at AIB (Kansas State), one of the most highly recognized food science institutions in the world. He also studied business management at S.A.I.T. in Calgary.

Rick Howard

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Rick Howard has been involved in the business sector for over 25 years. Rick studied Business Administration and used his education to start and grow a number of businesses in the service, technology and finance industries. His successes and failures have taught him how to start small, grow smart and aim big; an approach which has been a key contributor to the success of Element Four. Rick is highly involved in his community and has held Directors position in Rotary and the positions of President and General Manager of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.

Rick studied Business Administration at BCIT and taking that knowledge, was responsible for the start up and growth of a software company that eventually expanded into nine countries. Rick also developed a financial business in the Okanagan where he chooses to make his current home.

Richard Weisbeck

Chief Technical Officer

Richard Weisbeck joined Element Four (then Freedom Water) as a contractor in early 2005 and brings with him his considerable experience developing prototypes and market ready products. Richard is also the current president of Redwing Products Ltd., a Kelowna based consulting company that specializes in product development.

Richard's 30 years experience includes projects related to the medical, textile, automation, and automotive industries. He has also worked in the telecommunications sectors and is responsible for the product development of many successful consumer and industrial products.
     

Laura Stone

Administrator

 Laura comes to Element Four with training in Environmental Studies from Trent University. A successful background and capabilities in organization, project coordination, marketing and fundraising contributes greatly to the daily operations of Element Four and the continued growth of the company. 

                   
Lora Feng   
     
 

Director of Product Management

Ms. Feng comes to Element Four with extensive experience in global marketing, product management, and management consulting.  An accomplished global business executive, Ms. Feng is skilled in entering new markets, launching new products, managing complex businesses, and growing revenue and profit in competitive environments.  Her experience includes founding an Asia-US cross border management consulting firm and managing the marketing and P&Ls of large portfolios of consumer and banking products for Fortune 100 companies, including JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, and Colgate-Palmolive.  Among her accomplishments, Ms Feng created and launched new products from the ground up, pioneered innovative strategies that resulted in unprecedented growth of the business, turned around declining products to star performers, and developed and implemented market entry strategies in Asia for her clients. 

Ms. Feng holds a BS degree in Economics from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, a MS degree in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a MA degree in Education from the Institute of Education in Singapore.  

David Howard

General Manager of Sales

Mr. Howard comes to Element Four with over 16 years of operational experience.  The last five, of which, are specifically in the Atmospheric Water Generation Field.  Accomplished Chief Operations Officer with extensive experience in global operational and organizational development and leadership, enterprise management, cradle to grave project management and resource asset management.  David is known for his visionary leadership, incisive and accurate assessment of complex situations, creative solutions and decisive actions.  He has a proven track record in operationalizing complex plans, delivering exceptional results, and growing revenue and profit multiple times in a short period of time. 

Brandon Harris

Sales

Brandon Harris joined the Element Four team in 2008 and brings with him over 7 years of experience in executive level program management, sales, operations and marketing for small to medium sized companies, spanning from mortgage firms to the entertainment industry.  While spending the last several years working in the environmental consulting and atmospheric water arena, Brandon has acquired an extensive background in key sustainable technologies where he has a proven track record evaluating multiple vendors and defining success criteria needed to implement effective sales strategies for various green products.  His remarkable ability to motivate and inspire those he works with along with his strategic development efforts for customer acquisition, commerce, and technology partnerships has made Brandon a 'go to' individual on all levels.