Board of Directors
Six members covering every discipline an acquisition demands: governance, law, finance, and operations.
200+ Combined Years of Business Experience
$1.3B+ M&A Transaction Experience
7 Countries of Board Service
3 Members with Military Backgrounds
David Bauser
David Bauser II is an entrepreneur and operator with experience across logistics, automotive, construction, and manufacturing. He executed his first business acquisition at age 20 and a decade later, exited for more than 15 times his purchase price. As a Founding Partner of United Manufacturing, he is focused on acquiring and operating the nation's best precision machine shops. Before business, David competed as a professional-level athlete. That background shaped how he leads: disciplined, team-first, and relentless about improvement. His approach is simple: create value for the businesses he runs, the people who work in them, and the customers they serve.
Don Springer
Don Springer brings decades of CEO and board experience to United Manufacturing, including $1.3 billion of M&A experience across buy-side, sell-side, and integration roles. He currently chairs a strategic advisory firm serving US, European, and Asian markets and serves as a director of a supply chain data and intelligence company. He has served on the boards of public and private technology and service companies in the US and across Europe, including the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Sweden. As CEO, Don led companies associated with the Fortune 500, including a global technology and services subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., and founded multiple venture-backed startups after an early career at Texas Instruments. His board and advisory work spans data analytics and AI, defense technology, and electronic manufacturing, with a current focus on AI governance. He advises a corporate governance institute at UT Dallas and has lectured at Michigan's Ross School of Business, UT Dallas's Jindal School of Management, and SMU's Cox School of Business.
Harold Ingersoll
Harold Ingersoll is a CPA with more than 44 years of experience in tax, auditing, and consulting, including over 25 years in business valuation and M&A and more than 15 years in forensic accounting. He spent 17 years as a partner at a Texas CPA firm, where he led specialized consulting services spanning valuation, M&A, forensic accounting, and strategic planning and helped manage a practice of more than 50 professionals. Earlier in his career, Harold was president of his own accounting firm and a partner at a second practice, specializing in financial statement analysis and consulting. He is a 21-year veteran of the United States Air Force, has been a member of the Texas Society of CPAs since 1988, and works with business owners on succession planning, advisory board facilitation, and one-on-one coaching.
Arthur Swanson
Arthur Swanson is an attorney with more than 25 years of business and corporate law experience spanning national and boutique law firms and in-house roles at Fortune 500 companies. His practice centers on mergers and acquisitions, finance, and commercial matters, including procurement, supply chain, and technology agreements. Arthur is also the founder of a legal technology startup, bringing a builder's perspective to the practice of law. He earned his Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law and a BA in Business-Finance from the University of Washington.
Derek VanGilder
Derek VanGilder, an alumnus of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the University of Texas, has established himself as a prominent civil engineer and legal expert. He founded his own law firm and has led the firm for over three decades. Specializing in various services, he has overseen hundreds of company formations, litigation cases, and corporate matters. With an extensive background and profound expertise in law, Derek is well-rounded with vast experience and knowledge of law, with seemingly endless resources.
R.D. Childers
R.D. Childers is the board's manufacturing operations expert. A manufacturing engineer with a supplier quality background, he has taken complex electromechanical products from napkin sketch to full-scale production in high-mix, highly regulated environments, including FDA and ISO 9001 settings. His career spans roles as Director of Operations, Manufacturing Engineer, Supplier Quality Engineer, and Buyer/Planner. R.D. has scaled pilot lines, led new product introductions, and developed suppliers across the US, Europe, Asia, and Mexico, with hands-on depth in CNC machining and Lean Six Sigma. Known as the translator between the shop floor and the front office, he bridges executives, engineers, purchasing, and production. He holds a B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering from Texas State University, served in the U.S. Army Reserves, and is a former Vice President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.