United Felts Names New SVP, Commercial Operations and Senior Quality Director to Expand Market Reach and Elevate CIPP Manufacturing Quality

MARTINSVILLE, Va., March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- United Felts, a Vortex Company and industry-leading manufacturer of liners for trenchless rehabilitation, today announced the appointments of Tom O'Neill as Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and Elios Torres Ramirez as Senior Quality Director. These additions strengthen the company's leadership team and position United Felts to meet increasing global demand for high-performance trenchless rehabilitation solutions. "The addition of Tom and Elios, who both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, round out a world-class team at United Felts," said Mike Vellano, CEO of Vortex Companies. "In a highly competitive market with no margin for error, liner quality is paramount—and delivering dependable, repeatable results is what earns trust and keeps customers coming back."

SVP, Commercial Operations
As Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, O'Neill will lead United Felts' commercial strategy across key customer segments, including municipal, contractor, and distribution channels. His responsibilities include expanding United Felts' reach across pipe rehabilitation segments, aligning technical sales with project engineers and stakeholders, driving business development and customer support, and building strategic partnerships across North America.

O'Neill brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in sales, marketing, and business development within the pipe and construction industries. He has led technical sales organizations, streamlined commercial processes, and driven market expansion with a strong focus on contractor engagement and support. "As trenchless CIPP applications continue to evolve—from large-diameter gravity systems to pressure-rated applications—commercial leadership must be both technically fluent and market-driven," said Matt Timberlake, President of United Felts. "Tom understands the importance of aligning manufacturing capability with project realities and customer expectations."

Senior Quality Director
In this role, Ramirez will oversee all quality assurance and quality control functions across United Felts' manufacturing operations, including raw material qualification and supplier validation, in-process production monitoring and resin control, final product inspection and testing, and mechanical property verification in accordance with applicable ASTM standards.

Ramirez brings more than 15 years of quality and operational leadership in engineered materials manufacturing, with experience spanning wet-out and field services across North America. He will lead initiatives centered on process capability optimization, ISO-aligned standards, and performance benchmarking through a next-generation Quality Management System (QMS) to further enhance consistency across all liner production. "As customers continue to prioritize liner performance and installation reliability, we must remain focused on material quality and manufacturing consistency," added Timberlake. "Elios' technical leadership strengthens our ability to deliver liners that meet project specifications and performance requirements."

Together, these appointments reinforce United Felts' commitment to delivering proven, tested CIPP liner solutions that support today's infrastructure rehabilitation needs—backed by responsive commercial execution and disciplined manufacturing processes.

About United Felts
United Felts, a division of Vortex Companies that includes United Felts, United Felts Wetout represents a pioneering force in trenchless infrastructure solutions.  As a leading supplier of Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) in the Americas, United Felts embodies a commitment to innovation, quality, and customer centricity.  With over 100,000 liners in service, symbolizing over 200 million feet of manufactured tube, the company showcases unwavering dedication to excellence and customer satisfaction.  With a complete vertical integration from raw materials to finished goods, United Felts promises reliability and precision underpinned by the ethos "UNITED TO DELIVER BIG."  For more information about United Felts please visit www.UnitedFelts.com.

About Vortex
Vortex Companies is a global leader in trenchless water and sewer infrastructure solutions. The company delivers advanced technologies and turnkey services for municipal, industrial, and commercial markets. With more than 45 locations worldwide, Vortex specializes in the rehabilitation of pipelines and structures and the development of proprietary mortars, coatings, CIPP liners, robotics, UV technologies, and high-speed drain cleaning tools. For more information, go to www.vortexcompanies.com.

SOURCE United Felts Inc