Autocrat Names Stephen Olyha COO

LINCOLN, R.I.Autocrat LLC, a coffee roaster, manufacturer of premium coffee extracts and supplier of tea and botanical extracts, promoted Stephen M. Olyha to the newly created position of chief operating officer.

He previously served as vice president of sales where he was successful in leading the company to a record year in 2012 followed by a record first quarter in 2013. In his new position, Olyha will be responsible for providing strategic direction, managing sales processes and driving company growth. He will report to CEO Patrick Holmes and oversee sales, R&D and operations to ensure that goals are met and are in alignment with overall business objectives and external expectations.

Olyha has more than 25 years of professional experience across multiple business environments. He started his career at General Foods Corp. in the Maxwell House Division. Most recently, he served as CEO of REV2Networks. Prior to that, he was vice president of worldwide sales for Unisys Corp. before serving as vice president and managing partner of its Global Competency Center.

Olyha earned a bachelors degree from Iona College and also attended the Iona MBA program at the Hagan School of Business. He is as a guest lecturer at Iona college and a member and speaker of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

In August 2012, Autocrat opened its $1 million state-of-the-art pilot plant and development lab that supports the companys expanding expertise, significantly increases speed to market, and assists customers in bringing competitively advantaged food and beverage products to market.