“Do What You Say You’re Going To Do.”
Ted Greenlees is a seasoned entrepreneur, manufacturing innovator, and business leader whose four-decade career reflects an unwavering commitment to solving complex problems, building high-performing organizations, and transforming industry needs into engineering-driven solutions. With more than 40 years of professional experience, Ted has founded, grown, and successfully exited three manufacturing companies, each built on his belief that excellence comes from integrity, disciplined execution, and products that genuinely improve end-user performance. His personal motto—do what you say you’re going to do—has been the constant thread guiding his leadership philosophy and fueling his long-term success across diverse industrial markets.
From the earliest stages of his career, Ted recognized that breakthrough solutions emerge when technical insight is paired with deep market awareness. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, he began his professional journey as a manufacturers’ representative selling air-handling and dust-collection equipment. His success in this role stemmed not only from strong sales performance, but from an instinctive ability to identify gaps in the market—gaps he would later dedicate his entrepreneurial ventures to filling. This early exposure to customer needs and industry shortcomings became the foundation for his future as a product inventor, problem solver, and business builder.
In 1985, Ted launched his first company, TDC Filter, Inc., marking the beginning of a distinguished entrepreneurial trajectory. Driven by a desire to build better air-filtration solutions for heavy industrial applications, he designed and commercialized innovative filter technologies that quickly gained traction across dust collection, powder coating, and gas turbine markets. Under his leadership, TDC flourished, growing into a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing operation with dedicated in-house teams spanning sales, engineering, production, quality control, and purchasing. The company’s commitment to continuous new product development fueled strong year-over-year sales growth. TDC’s success ultimately attracted a strategic buyer, leading to a successful exit and confirming Ted’s ability to build companies of lasting value.
Not long after, Ted founded his second major venture, Greenlees Filter LLC, where he deepened his influence in the specialized world of high-precision filtration. As Founder and President, he oversaw the company’s evolution into a leading supplier of advanced air-filtration products for U.S. Department of Defense vehicles. He built an ISO-certified manufacturing facility with more than 60 employees and state-of-the-art production capabilities, including a fully approved DoD air-filter testing laboratory. With exceptional hands-on leadership, Ted guided engineering, production, and quality control while simultaneously managing sales, purchasing, and accounting—ensuring the organization maintained the highest standards of performance and reliability.
Ted’s tenure at Greenlees Filter resulted in numerous Department of Defense awards recognizing supplier excellence, innovation, and the development of mission-critical components that solved significant operational issues for vehicles such as the HMMMV, PLS, and HET. These accomplishments reflected not only his technical expertise but also his dedication to designing solutions that deliver measurable impact in demanding real-world environments. The company’s strong reputation and rapid growth—reaching more than $18 million in annual revenue—positioned it for a highly successful strategic acquisition, marking Ted’s second major entrepreneurial exit.
Building upon decades of experience, Ted embarked on his third major venture in 2011 with the founding of R2C Performance Products. Motivated once again by an identified market need, he developed new filtration technologies tailored to high-performance racing, off-road, and motorsports applications. Ted’s innovative designs quickly gained recognition for enhancing performance, durability, and reliability, ultimately becoming industry standards within the markets R2C served. His hands-on approach to product development and relentless commitment to engineering excellence solidified R2C’s reputation as a trusted provider of advanced filtration solutions to demanding customers seeking competitive advantages.
As President of R2C, Ted continued to demonstrate his unique ability to translate customer challenges into functional, high-value product innovations. His leadership ensured that the company consistently delivered superior solutions while maintaining the efficient, quality-driven manufacturing operations required for scalable, sustainable growth. The company’s success culminated in a strategic acquisition by a buyer seeking to expand into R2C’s core markets—marking Ted’s third successful business exit and solidifying his reputation as a serial entrepreneur who consistently creates companies worth acquiring.
Across all three ventures, Ted has distinguished himself as a leader who combines technical insight with operational rigor. His engineering background allows him to engage deeply in product design, process optimization, and new-product development, while his entrepreneurial instincts guide strategic decision-making, market positioning, and long-term value creation. Whether developing mission-critical defense components or performance-driven racing filtration systems, Ted has always remained focused on delivering outstanding quality and reliability.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Ted maintains a strong sense of purpose grounded in integrity, accountability, and commitment to others. His personal interests—including community volunteering, gardening, landscaping, and philanthropy—reflect a balanced perspective and a dedication to contributing meaningfully both inside and outside of business environments. His aspirations to serve on advisory boards or in part-time consulting roles stem from a genuine desire to share decades of lessons learned, helping leaders and growing companies navigate challenges, accelerate innovation, and build enduring competitive advantages.
Today, Ted continues to offer strategic guidance informed by a lifetime of building manufacturing organizations from the ground up. His unique career history—three successful company exits, numerous industry awards, and a legacy of innovation—positions him as a highly valuable advisor to organizations seeking to grow, evolve, or refine their product and operational strategies. With his motto as his compass, Ted remains dedicated to delivering honest insights, actionable solutions, and hands-on leadership that drives meaningful results.
Character:
Ted exemplifies character through his steadfast commitment to integrity, consistently operating with transparency and honoring every commitment he makes. His leadership reflects a deep respect for employees, customers, and partners, ensuring that trust remains at the core of all professional relationships. He approaches challenges with humility and resolve, guided not by ego but by a genuine desire to improve outcomes for those he serves.
Knowledge:
With more than four decades of engineering and manufacturing experience, Ted brings a depth of knowledge shaped by real-world problem solving and the creation of industry-standard products. His expertise spans product development, process optimization, defense contracting, and high-performance industrial solutions, enabling him to add value in complex technical environments. He possesses a rare combination of hands-on experience and strategic insight, allowing him to see both the details and the broader market implications of every decision.
Strategic:
His business approach is grounded in a long-term strategic vision that has enabled him to successfully scale multiple companies from inception to multimillion-dollar enterprises. He has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to identify unmet market needs and develop solutions that drive competitive advantage. His strategic mindset is supported by disciplined operational leadership, ensuring that ideas are not only innovative but executable at scale.
Communication:
Ted communicates with clarity, honesty, and purpose, ensuring alignment across teams and building strong relationships with stakeholders. His direct yet thoughtful style makes him highly effective in guiding teams through complex decisions and high-pressure environments. Whether collaborating with engineers, executives, or customers, he articulates ideas in a way that inspires confidence and facilitates strong, productive partnerships.
