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June 30, 2008
Andrew Brown Joins SPIE as Global Development Head
Dr. Andrew (Andy) J. W. Brown has joined SPIE as Senior Director for Global Business Development. A long-time member of SPIE and other photonics organizations, Brown came to SPIE from Aculight Corporation, a laser development and manufacturing company near Seattle, WA. At Aculight, he held positions as Principal Scientist, Marketing Manager, and most recently, Director of Business Development. During his tenure at Aculight the company grew significantly, expanding in technical areas such as fiber lasers and in medical, commercial, and defense markets.
Brown succeeds Janice Gaines Walker in the Senior Director position at SPIE. Walker is retiring in July after 24 years with the Society.
Brown's new position is a natural extension of his involvement with SPIE, Arthurs said. "For many years Andy has been an active member of the community that the Society serves. His experiences will allow him to help lead SPIE in its unflagging efforts to sustain its diverse community."
Previously, Brown held leadership positions at Falcon Medical, a medical instrumentation start-up company, and STI Optronics (formerly Spectra Technology, Inc.) a laser research and development company.
Brown earned his PhD in physics from St. Andrews University, MSc (with distinction) in optoelectronics and laser devices from Herriot-Watt University, and BSc (1st class) in physics from St. Andrews University. He holds a certificate in not-for-profit management from the University of Washington, and served as Executive Director of a not-for-profit adult literacy organization in Washington State.
In addition to membership in SPIE, Brown is a member of the Optical Society of America and the Laser Institute of America (LIA). He has published technical papers and given invited and contributed talks at meetings around the world. He has served as cochair and on the program committee for the SPIE Photonics West Fiber Lasers conference, the program committee for the SPIE DSS committee for Laser Source Technology for Defense and Security, and SPIE's Scholarship Committee.
Brown is also a member of DEPS, and has been chair of the DEPS Solid State and Diode Laser Technology Review (SSDLTR) meeting and served as the small business representative on its organizing committee. He has been a member of the LIA technical committee for Pacific International Conference of Applications of Lasers and Optics (PICALO), and chaired the Laser Focus World Marketplace Forum special session on Fiber Lasers. He served on Washington State Congressman Jay Inslee's Innovation Panel and Congressman Adam Smith's Technical Advisory Council.
June 18, 2008
Cognex Names Robert Willett President of its Modular Vision Systems Division
Natick, MA - Cognex Corporation announced that Robert Willett joined the company today as President of its Modular Vision Systems Division (MVSD). Mr. Willett will report to Cognex Chairman and CEO, Dr. Robert J. Shillman.
As President of MVSD, Mr. Willett will oversee the largest operating division at Cognex which generates nearly 90% of the company's annual revenue. The Modular Vision Systems Division designs, develops and manufactures vision systems, sensors, and ID readers that are used to automate the manufacture of a wide range of discrete products and to assure their quality.
Mr. Willett comes to Cognex from Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), a diversified manufacturer of industrial controls and technologies with annual revenues of more than $10 billion. At Danaher, Mr. Willett served as Group Vice President of Business Development and Innovation for the Product Identification business group. Prior to that, Mr. Willett was President of Videojet Technologies, a large subsidiary of Danaher and a market leader in coding and marking products. Mr. Willett joined Danaher after serving as CEO of Willett International Ltd., a global coding and marking company that he sold to Danaher in 2003, and which was merged into Videojet.
About Cognex
Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and markets machine vision sensors and systems, or devices that can "see." Cognex vision sensors are used in factories around the world to automate the manufacture of a wide range of items and to assure their quality. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 400,000 machine vision systems, representing over $2 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Visit Cognex on-line at http://www.cognex.com.
June 13, 2008
Pleora's Vincent Rowley takes on Vice-Chair position of GigE Vision Technical Committee
Ottawa, Canada, June 13, 2008. Pleora Technologies, a leading supplier of Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) video connectivity products today announced that Vincent Rowley, a Pleora Senior Developer will take on the role of Vice-Chair of the GigE Vision Technical Committee. He's taking over the role from Francois Gobeil, also a Senior Developer at Pleora, who's stepping down after three years in the position.
Vincent Rowley has been an active member of the GigE Vision and GenICam committees since 2006. He hosted the international GenICam and GigE Vision meetings in Ottawa in September 2007, and is recognized as a subject matter expert. Prior to joining Pleora, he held technical positions at HexaVision Technologies and Catena Network.
Outgoing Vice-Chair Francois Gobeil will remain intimately involved on Pleora's GigE Vision and GenICam projects, and will follow both committee developments and proceedings closely.
June 6
 |
Beate Sauter |
Edmund Optics® Expands Global Presence into the Mediterranean
June 5, 2008, Barrington, N.J. Edmund Optics® announced today another expansion of its global sales presence with the opening of a new office in Rome, Italy, covering southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Allan Kreutzer, VP of Global Sales, commented, "If you want to sell product, you need to physically be there as a full-service provider, fluent in the local language."
Edmund Optics has hired Beate Sauter as the first Regional Sales Manager for the Southern Europe and Mediterranean territories.
Sauter will develop and manage all aspects of sales including customer relations, sales distribution, analysis and evaluation, trade shows, and customer outreach programs. Her career has included working for companies such as Toptica Photonics and Laser 2000. Sauter has been instrumental in helping other companies expand their international presence.
Edmund Optics also plans to open an additional sales office in France during 2008 to support their growing global customer base.
June 6, 2008
Sofradir Appoints New Managing Director for Its Subsidiary ULIS, Maker of Uncooled Infrared Detectors
Promoted from deputy director, Jean-François Delepau replaces Jean-Pierre Chatard who retires
Sofradir, a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced cooled infrared detectors for military, space and commercial applications, announced today the appointment of Jean-François Delepau as the new managing director of its subsidiary ULIS.
ULIS specializes in manufacturing affordable uncooled infrared (IR) detectors. Delepau, formerly deputy director at ULIS, takes over from Jean-Pierre Chatard, who headed ULIS from 2002 and was one of the original founders of Sofradir.
June 5, 2008
Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. Names Kay Fernandez as New Vice President, Marketing
Business Wire
Following last month's new executive management promotions, Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) today announced that long-time Toshiba management team member Kay Fernandez has been promoted to vice president, Marketing, TABS. Effective May 5, 2008, Fernandez is now responsible for managing the product planning, pricing, marketing, tradeshow, public relations and advertising activities for the whole of the company. Fernandez fills the position vacated by the recent promotion of Steve Rhorer to vice president and general manager, Electronic Imaging Division (EID).
"It's with a great amount of personal pride that I'm able to place Kay Fernandez at the helm of our company's marketing communications team," said Mark Mathews, president and chief operating officer, TABS. "As Toshiba continues to expand and see more success in the document imaging solutions market, so must our management team, and with Kay's exceptional background and long history within the company, I'm certain that we'll be able to continue to be a force in leading innovation."
Fernandez joined Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. (TAIS) in 1997, before TABS was formed as a separate division in 1999, and has touched almost every part of TABS' core business product roles. Through her expansive career at TABS, Fernandez has held various key positions including her most recent position as director, Strategic Planning and Project Management. Fernandez's extensive product knowledge and overall TABS business experience proved invaluable in the development of project requirements needed to grow TABS' strategic business initiatives. Prior to that, Fernandez served as director, Product and Solutions Marketing, responsible for defining product and solutions strategy, developing strategic marketing programs and launching multifunction products throughout the U.S. market. Additional positions Fernandez has held within TABS include director, Product Marketing, senior product manager, product manager, and assistant product manager.
Beyond her primary job duties, Fernandez has led key initiatives for the company, including TABS' worldwide supply chain management initiative to reduce overall inventory and implement Oracle Advanced Supply Chain Purchasing modules, in addition to overseeing yearly strategic forecasting and budgeting; and coordinated marketing plans designed to penetrate and grow targeted markets.
Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) manages product planning, marketing, sales, service support and distribution of copiers, facsimiles, multifunction printing products, network controllers, and toner products throughout the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TABS has four divisions: the Electronic Imaging Division; the Toner Products Division; the Document Solutions Engineering Division; and TOPAC U.S.A., Inc., dba Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS), a wholly-owned subsidiary corporation of TABS, that operates a network of wholly-owned office equipment dealers throughout the United States.
Named the most favored manufacturer nine times by the Business Technology Association (BTA), Toshiba's entire product line, customer support and marketing distribution policies are markers for the industry. Among the many other awards garnered in recent years, Toshiba was named the "Manufacturer of the Year" seven times by Marketing Research Consultants (MRC), and has twice been named to the CIO 100 for being among the top 100 "bold" (2005) and "agile" (2004) companies in the world.
TABS is an independent operating company of Toshiba Corporation, the seventh largest electronics/electrical equipment company and the world's 91st largest company in terms of sales. Ranked by Fortune magazine as the eighth Most Admired Electronics Company in the World, Toshiba Corporation is a world leader in high technology products with more than 300 major subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Fiscal year revenue in 2006 was approximately $60 billion.
For more information on Toshiba copiers, facsimiles, multifunction printing products, network controllers or toner products, or for a dealer in your area, call (800)-GO-TOSHIBA or visit the TABS Web site at www.copiers.toshiba.com.
CONTACT: PainePR Darek Connole, 949-809-6734 dconnole@painepr.com or Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. Sally Anderson, 949-462-6091 sally.anderson@tabs.toshiba.com.
June 5, 2008
StockerYale, Inc. Appoints Stephen L. Abbey to Head Specialty Optical Fiber Business Unit
Business Wire
via NewsEdge Corporation
Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
Salem, N.H.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—June 4, 2008—StockerYale, Inc. (NASDAQ: STKR), a leading designer and manufacturer of structured light lasers, LED modules and specialty optical fibers for industrial OEMs, medical and defense markets, today announced the appointment of Stephen L. Abbey as Managing Director of its Specialty Optical Fiber ("SOF") business unit. The appointment, effective June 8, 2008, reflects StockerYale's commitment to supporting the rapid development of SOF initiatives for key medical, industrial and defense verticals. Mr. Abbey will report directly to StockerYale's Chief Operating Officer, Tim Losik.
"With over 34 years of sales and marketing experience, including 10 years at JDS Uniphase Corporation's specialty fiber business unit and SDL, Inc.'s specialty fiber group, Steve is uniquely equipped to lead the SOF business to capitalize on key opportunities and accelerate growth," stated Mark W. Blodgett, Chairman and CEO. "His strong management experience in technology, sales and marketing will be central to the unit's ability to leverage its position as the sole remaining independent specialty optical fiber manufacturer. I am pleased to welcome such a highly seasoned and accomplished executive and believe his contributions will greatly assist StockerYale in achieving its long term growth goals."
Mr. Abbey was most recently Principal of Hickory Associates, an executive management consulting and coaching firm, where he developed and implemented processes to achieve business objectives for companies across disparate industries. Prior to this, he was a Director and General Manager of JDS Uniphase Corporation's Specialty Fiber unit from 2001 through 2003. Mr. Abbey was Director of SDL, Inc.'s Specialty Fiber Group, a manufacturer of active optical components and integrated modules, from 1999 to 2001 when it was acquired by JDS Uniphase Corporation. From 1998 to 1999, Mr. Abbey was Vice President and General Manager at Polaroid Corporation's fiber laser business. Mr. Abbey holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Engineering and Management from Clarkson University.
"Given StockerYale's substantial investment in the fiber business, coupled with the assembly of a world class team of engineers and technicians, I am confident that we can significantly increase the growth of the specialty optical fiber business unit," said Steve Abbey, Managing Director.
About StockerYale
StockerYale, Inc., headquartered in Salem, New Hampshire, is an independent designer and manufacturer of structured light lasers, LED modules, and specialty optical fibers for industry leading OEMs. In addition, the company manufactures fluorescent lighting products and phase masks. The Company serves a wide range of markets including the machine vision, industrial inspection, defense, telecommunication, sensors, and medical markets. StockerYale has offices and subsidiaries in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. For more information about StockerYale and their innovative products, visit the Company's web site at www.stockeryale.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, those with respect to StockerYale's goals, plans and strategies set forth herein are forward-looking statements. The following important factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: uncertainty that cash balances may not be sufficient to allow StockerYale to meet all of its business goals; uncertainty that StockerYale's new products will gain market acceptance; the risk that delays and unanticipated expenses in developing new products could delay the commercial release of those products and affect revenue estimates; the risk that one of our competitors could develop and bring to market a technology that is superior to those products that we are currently developing; and StockerYale's ability to capitalize on its significant research and development efforts by successfully marketing those products that the Company develops. Forward-looking statements represent management's current expectations and are inherently uncertain. You should also refer to the discussion under "Risk Factors" in StockerYale's annual report on Form 10-KSB and the Company?s quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB for additional matters to be considered in this regard. Thus, actual results may differ materially. All Company, brand, and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. StockerYale undertakes no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements.
The Piacente Group, Inc.Sanjay M. Hurry, 212-481-2050(Investor Relations Counsel, StockerYale) sanjay@tpg-ir.com.
May 7, 2008
 |
Justin Testa |
Cognex Promotes Justin Testa to Executive Vice President
Natick, MA, May 1, 2008—Cognex Corporation has promoted Justin Testa to Executive Vice President. Mr. Testa reports to the company's President, Dr. Robert J. Shillman.
Mr. Testa joined Cognex in 1983 as a sales engineer. He then held a variety of increasingly responsible positions within the sales and marketing organization at Cognex before being named Vice President of Marketing in 1997. In 2004, Mr. Testa became Business Unit Manager for the company's fast-growing ID Products group, and in 2007, he was promoted to Group Business Manager of the company's Modular Vision Systems Division (MVSD) which is the largest of Cognex's two divisions, with revenues in excess of $200 million per year. In that role, Mr. Testa took on senior management and strategic planning responsibility for all four of the business units within MVSD: Vision Software, Vision Systems, Vision Sensors and ID Products.
Mr. Testa holds a B.A. from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Boston College.
May 6, 2008
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Jens Wober |
New Head of Sales at Baumer Optronic in Radeberg
Since 1 April 2008 Jens Wober has been managing the sales team at Baumer Optronic GmbH.
Jens Wober has much experience in image processing and has been working for Baumer Optronic in Radeberg for 10 years. During that time he has successfully managed the Supply Chain Department, and since January 2006 he has been a member of the board.
In his new responsibility as head of sales he is in charge of sales of high-quality digital Baumer cameras and camera modules as well as image acquisition systems for OEM and system integrators.
April 23, 2008
Colibrys Appoints Don Stoops as VP Global Operations
Neuchatel, Switzerland, April 23, 2008 — Colibrys announced today the appointment of Don Stoops to the role of VP Global operations. Don Stoops will be responsible worldwide for the strategic management of the Colibrys operations, hence including Manufacturing, Product development, Quality, EH&S and Central services. In addition to this mission, Don Stoops will serve as EVP and General Manager for Colibrys Inc.
Before joining Colibrys, Don spent fifteen years in Executive Management positions within the semiconductor industry at Advanced Micro Devices and Cypress Semiconductor. In 1995 Don began his association with MEMS as COO of Microflow, Inc, the catalyst for Input/Output's subsidiary Applied MEMS which was purchased by Colibrys in 2004. Most recently Don has been coaching Executives and serving on business advisory boards in a wide range of industries.
April 22, 2008
John Macrina to head Microscan Global Sales
Renton, Wash., April, 2008 — Microscan Systems, Inc. today announced the appointment of John Macrina as Global Vice President of Sales and Service, effective May 5, 2008.
Macrina will be leaving his role as Director of the Electronics Assembly group at Panasonic Factory Solutions at the end of April to join Microscan, which is a growing technology company focused solutions for data tracking and traceability within electronics and other industries.
Macrina brings to Microscan over 20 years of progressive business leadership in global technology companies, including multiple senior roles within Panasonic Factory Solutions over the past nine years. Within Panasonic, Macrina has held positions of Director of Electronics Assembly Group, Group Manager of Semiconductor / Microelectronics, and Business Manager. Prior to Panasonic, Macrina held sales management positions at Zevatech, Asymtek, Amistar, and Nalco Chemical Company.
Macrina is a graduate of the KMI Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering from the United States Airforce Academy. He has served on various industry councils and is a member of SEMI, IMAPS, IMAPS GBC Council, AOPA, and the IPC APEX Tradeshow Subcommittee.
Microscan's latest appointment continues the trend of attracting senior executives from the electronics industry. In January, Jeff Timms (formerly of Siemens) joined Microscan as President and now John Macrina (Panasonic) will join him in May. Macrina and Timms are expected to enhance Microscan's development andsales growth initiatives worldwide.
April 8, 2008
Photon Dynamics Names James P. Moniz Chief Financial Officer
Photon Dynamics, Inc. today announced the appointment of James P. Moniz to the position of chief financial officer, effective April 4, 2008.
Photon Dynamics, Inc. today announced the appointment of James P. Moniz to the position of chief financial officer (CFO), effective April 4, 2008. Mr. Moniz brings significant executive leadership and 28 years of experience in accounting and finance for high technology companies.
Prior to joining Photon Dynamics, Mr. Moniz has served as CFO, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary of Nextest Systems Corporation since October 2000. Before joining Nextest, starting in June of 1998, Jim was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Millennia Vision Corporation. From October 1996 until May 1998 , he served as Vice President of Finance for Fairchild Imaging Systems and from November 1991 until October 1996 as Vice President of Finance and Administration and later as President of Rolm Computers. He has an MBA and two B.S. degrees, one in accounting and one in marketing from San Jose State University
