Mr. Aplin joined CID in 1990 after serving as President and CEO of The Fuller Brush Company, a widely recognized supplier of consumer products. The company was acquired from Sara Lee Company in a transaction led by Mr. Aplin. Prior to Fuller Brush, Mr. Aplin was President and Founder of an investment banking firm in Kansas City, Missouri where he was involved in the acquisition of 30 companies in industries ranging from food manufacturing to information technology.

Mr. Aplin has extensive experience in medical device manufacturing, healthcare services and biotechnology. He has served as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, including Marathon Oil Company, Eli Lilly and Company and Borg Warner. From 1975 to 1984, Mr. Aplin served as a faculty member of the Graduate School of Business at Indiana University (The Kelley School) and Chairperson of the Master of Business Administration Program. He is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC).

Mr. Aplin has served on the boards of directors of over 20 companies, including Acordia, Denver Biomedical, Reliable Automotive, Stereotaxis, Victor Oolitic, Propane Continental, Bohdan Automation, Integral Technologies, Menu Magic Foods, Fire King Security Products, Endocyte, Inc., Brainscope, and Appriss. He has been involved in the strategic planning activities of CID’s portfolio companies and a key participant in several public offerings.

Mr. Aplin is active with the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and is a member of the Advisory Board for Purdue University’s Discovery Park. He is the author of nearly fifty articles on business topics and the co-author of a graduate management text. Mr. Aplin served as a Naval Flight Officer in the U.S. Navy, where he was a founder of the Navy’s Human Resources Program, a program established by the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt.

Mr. Aplin received his Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration from the University of Iowa, specializing in strategic planning and organizational development. He was awarded a Master of Arts in Industrial and Labor Relations from the University of Iowa and received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Drake University.