Milwaukee-based manufacturer
Global Power Components is suing two of its “former top salespeople” after the men started a competing business and allegedly received kickbacks from GPC’s suppliers.
David Ackerman and
Paul Snitker are also accused of diverting business opportunities to their side business, called
Gridcrest Solutions.
GPC designs, fabricates and assembles a variety of products used in the power generation market. The company specializes in custom-designed products like e-houses (modular, prefabricated containers that protect equipment) and fuel tanks.
GPC also helps customers procure power equipment, gear and other accessories. The company requires employees to sign confidentiality agreements to protect confidential information.
Ackerman, who resides in Tennessee, was hired in 2014 and eventually became GPC’s vice president of modular equipment centers in 2025. He was fired by GPC in April.
In early 2021, Ackerman recruited another employee, Snitker, to join GPC as a sales manager. He was also fired in April. Snitker resides in Texas.
After reviewing both Ackerman and Snitker’s emails regarding a separate business issue, GPC leadership “became suspicious” of their activities and began looking into their involvement with an entity called Gridcrest Solutions, according to the lawsuit.
GPC discovered that Gridcrest Solutions, formed in Texas, was created by Ackerman and Snitker’s spouses at their request. Their wives were listed as founding members, but Ackerman and Snitker held 100% of the voting trust in Gridcrest.
Following this discovery, GPC interviewed both Ackerman and Snitker on April 9 in Milwaukee.
Snitker allegedly admitted to working approximately 15 hours a week for Gridcrest while employed at GPC. He said he used his cell phone from GPC to perform work for Gridcrest and that he did not bring his GPC-issued computer with him to Milwaukee.
"Snitker said he performs work for Gridcrest that competes with GPC," according to the lawsuit. "Specifically, Snitker said Gridcrest acts as an 'independent' sales representative for manufacturers of electrical equipment such as transformers and switchgears."
Stinker also allegedly admitted that at events with customers and vendors, he would entertain both on behalf of GPC and Gridcrest.
During Ackerman’s interview, he said the creation of Gridcrest was the result of “numerous conversations” between him and Snitker. Ackerman explained he and Snitker started Gridcrest to help another independent sales representative in the electrical industry sell transformers.
Both men received a finder’s fee while acting as sales reps on behalf of Gridcrest. Further, if GPC purchased equipment from a specific manufacturer, both men allegedly received financial incentives.
"Ackerman said that (the) sales representative had an exclusive distributor contract with a specific transformer equipment manufacturer, and they wanted to work through Gridcrest to circumvent that exclusive distributor contract and to sell a different equipment manufacturer’s transformers to end-users," reads the complaint.
The men are also accused of forwarding business opportunities sent to their GPC emails to their Gridcrest accounts.
“When confronted with the reality that Ackerman is receiving kickbacks for sales to his employer GPC, Ackerman said ‘he never thought of it that way,’” according to the complaint. “However, upon information and belief, Ackerman was not being truthful, but rather trying to downplay his numerous bad acts and lies by perpetrating more lies and deceit.”
Ackerman told GPC and the company’s lawyers that his ownership and work on behalf of Gridcrest “was and is a nothing burger,” according to the complaint.
Gridcrest made approximately $1.2 million in 2024, which was split evenly between both men. The company was on track to make $2 million this year.
GPC still has “significant concerns” that Ackerman and Snitker will continue contacting GPC’s clients and vendors. The men had access to their laptops and cell phones from GPC for several weeks, which had information related to the company’s customers, engineering drawings, marketing strategies and more.
GPC has requested compensatory damages to be determined by a jury. Legal counsel for GPC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Legal counsel for both Ackerman and Snitker was also not immediately available to comment.
