Mr. Ritter holds a Bachelor of Science (Marketing) degree from the University of Connecticut and an MBA (Procurement and Contracting) from George Washington University.
Mr. Ritter retired in early 2011 as the Senior Vice President of Earl Industries, LLC, a diversified marine engineering and repair services firm headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia with branch offices and industrial facilities in Jacksonville/Mayport, Florida. Mr. Ritter joined Earl Industries during the company’s formative years upon his retirement in 1987 from active U.S. Navy service. Mr. Ritter was instrumental in building Earl Industries into a major industrial entity concentrating on the maintenance, repair, and modernization of the U.S. Navy Fleet. At present, Earl Industries employs some 900 employees in shipbuilding/ship repair trades and supporting disciplines. The company has diversified into related technical fields concentrating on state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and cost-efficient electrical generation and distribution systems development.
Mr. Ritter was a U.S. Navy Supply Corps officer with over twenty years of service specializing in weapon systems acquisition. During his Navy career, Mr. Ritter served as the Supply Officer on a nuclear-powered cruiser and a fleet ballistic missile submarine. His shore duty assignments included increasingly-responsible weapon system acquisition positions in Washington, DC and Norfolk, Virginia.
Mr. Ritter’s community involvement includes membership on the Boards of Directors of the Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board, the Virginia Ship Repair Association, the Shipbuilders Council of America, and as a member of the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority.