For decades, Ross Optical has been guided by a commitment to precision, innovation, and customer service. Today, we announce an important leadership transition as Divi Mangadu retires and Erika Salayandia steps into the Director of Operations role to help guide the company's future and continue delivering exceptional customer service.
After a career spanning 33 years, Divi, President of Ross Optical, has announced his retirement. Throughout his tenure, Divi helped shape the company into the go-to OEM supplier for hard-to-find optical products with in-house optical engineering and a global supply chain.
His leadership helped strengthen Ross Optical’s reputation for customer-focused service and high-precision optical components for medical devices, aerospace, defense, machine vision, and other industrial OEMs, creating a foundation for long-term success.
“It has been an honor to work alongside such a talented team and serve our customers, partners, and employees throughout my career. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and excited about the future of Ross Optical.”
— Divi Mangadu
In his retirement, Divi will continue to serve Ross Optical as a consultant, assisting the next generation of leadership to meet evolving industry standards.
Investing in Internal Talent and Leadership
As Ross Optical looks toward the future, we are thrilled to announce the promotion of long-time team member Erika Salayandia, whose expertise and dedication will help drive continued growth and innovation.
Erika Salayandia, Director of Operations
Erika joined Ross Optical in 2010 in the Quality Department and quickly transitioned into the role of Operations Manager. From the start, Erika made an impact as she built the quality management system, using her expertise in manufacturing engineering and Six Sigma Green Belt and ISO 9001 auditor certifications. As the Operations Manager, she was vital to the overall processes in the company, including coordinating production schedules, overseeing shipping, managing training, and internal/external communications.
“We have an incredible team, loyal customers, and a strong vision for the future,” Erika said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to help lead our operations as we continue delivering the quality and service our customers rely on.”
As Director of Operations, Erika’s experience across the organization and commitment to continuous improvement make her well-positioned to help drive efficiency, quality, and operational excellence.
“As we turn the page and end one chapter in the Ross Optical story with Divi retiring, we begin a new one with Erika Salayandia driving the organization forward. Divi left some very big shoes for Erika to fill, but I know she is up for the challenge, and the team is excited to support her through our anticipated growth.
We will continue to provide the products and services our customers have come to rely upon us for, and we are planning to invest in new equipment that will expand our capabilities and make us even more competitive in the optics market. Erika has spent 16 years learning and growing at Ross in preparation for this. I am excited to have Erika in this role and look forward to her success. “
—Joseph Traut, Precision Optics Corporation, COO
Our Commitment to Meeting Evolving Needs
At Ross, we are always looking for ways to grow our capabilities to meet the needs of the optics industry. To meet our customers’ goals, we are investing in innovative technologies, including a brand-new UV-VIS-MWIR spectrophotometer for advanced optical coating metrology.
Optimizing our quality inspection of coated optics, this spectrophotometer fully automates spectral analysis of absolute reflectance and transmission, with key features such as:
- Measurement capabilities across the UV-MWIR spectrum (185 – 5200 nm)
- Reliable, accurate transmission and reflection data with reduced measurement uncertainty
- Optical performance evaluation under real-world operating conditions using multiple angles of incidence and polarization states
As optical systems become more sophisticated, Ross remains committed to investing in advanced technologies, helping our customers meet evolving performance requirements and stay ahead of industry demands.
The Team You Trust Is Still Here
Leadership roles are evolving, but Ross Optical’s mission remains the same. We are committed to providing you with specialty and catalog optics, high-quality components, and responsive customer service.
We want to reassure our customers that while Divi is stepping away from day-to-day responsibilities, his new role as a consultant will help ensure a smooth transition, building on the expertise that has helped shape Ross Optical for decades.
With Erika stepping into leadership, customers will continue to receive the same technical guidance and commitment to quality they have always relied on from our team.
Looking for a hard-to-find optical component? The Ross Optical team is here and ready to help.
