HIAWATHA, KS, Feb. 27, 2013 /CNW/ - (TSX: HEM) The new AgJunction executive leadership team is being announced today
by Chief Executive Officer Rick Heiniger. The executive team joins Mr.
Heiniger in executing the Company's new strategy following the
divesture of non-agricultural operations announced on January 31, 2013.
"With a focused strategy on precision agriculture, we have an
unprecedented opportunity to further our market leadership position,"
said Mr. Heiniger. "Bringing together management talent of this caliber
into a single, streamlined organization will allow us to build a broad
platform for growth and expansion."
The AgJunction Executive Team includes the following members:
Wes Dittmer, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer: Mr. Dittmer brings with him over two decades of finance and accounting
leadership experience, having held executive positions at both public
and private technology companies including Sprint Wireless, Embarq and
Novacare. While at Sprint, Mr. Dittmer served as Director of Wireless
Data Services, and later, Vice President of Corporate Development with
Embarq. Previously, he served as Controller for Novacare and CFO of
National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, a provider of integrated
technology solutions. In addition to corporate finance, investment and
tax strategy, Mr. Dittmer also has extensive experience in mergers and
acquisitions. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a BA in
Accounting from the University of Missouri and an MBA in Finance from
Rockhurst University.
Charlie Wohlers, Vice President of Operations: Mr. Wohlers joins the AgJunction executive team with 25 years of
management experience across a wide spectrum of manufacturing
operations. Most recently Mr. Wohlers served as Vice President of
Operations with Garsite, a division of Walker Group Holdings
specializing in the design and manufacture of aviation refueling
vehicles. Previously he served as General Manager, Aeration Solutions,
President of the Truck Equipment Group, a division of Heil
Environmental Industries, and President of Delavan Commercial Products,
a leading manufacturer of nozzles for agricultural and industrial
applications. In addition to his expertise in leading complex,
multi-site manufacturing operations, Mr. Wohlers also has extensive
experience in enterprise management applications and quality system
implementation. He holds a BS in Management Engineering from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute.
Dr. Neil Rutland, Vice President of Global Engineering: Dr. Rutland joined Hemisphere GPS in 2009, and has since led
engineering and development teams to deliver the industry's most
advanced machine guidance platforms. In January 2013, Dr. Rutland was
promoted from Engineering Director, Machine Control Systems to Vice
President of Global Engineering. Prior to joining Hemisphere GPS, Dr.
Rutland held various engineering leadership roles with MBDA Missile
Systems, including Manager of Guidance, Control and Navigation for
MBDA's United Kingdom engineering facility and Senior Principal
Guidance and Control Engineer. Previous to MBDA, he served as Senior
Control Systems Engineer with Alenia Marconi Systems, an integrated
defense electronics company, where he supported advanced engineering
development for the Submarine Systems Group. He holds a BS in
Mathematics from the University of Manchester, and his MS and PhD from
the University's Control Systems Center.
Jeff Farrar, Vice President of Sales: Mr. Farrar began his agricultural marketing career in 1991 with RHS,
Inc., providing over 20 years of field sales, customer service and
agricultural marketing leadership throughout the evolution of
Hemisphere GPS. Mr. Farrar has been instrumental in the launch and
development of the Outback Guidance line of products and services in
the US, Canada and Australia for over a decade. In addition, he
provides a key leadership role in the development and management of the
Company's strategic OEM accounts worldwide. Mr. Farrar was promoted to
Vice President of Sales in November 2012. He holds a BS in Agricultural
Economics from Missouri Western State University.
Landon Morris, Vice President of Marketing: Mr. Morris brings with him over 15 years of agricultural marketing
experience, having held senior leadership positions with multi-national
organizations as well as venture-backed agricultural start-ups. Before
joining Hemisphere GPS in November 2012, Mr. Morris served as Vice
President of Marketing and Business Development with Solum, Inc, a
Silicon Valley start-up with a focus on precision agriculture field
measurements. Previously, he served as Vice President of Marketing and
National Accounts with MachineryLink , and prior, Senior Vice President
of Market Development with Grain Processing Corporation. Mr. Morris
began his career in the plant genetics industry holding market
research, product marketing and business development roles with Pioneer
Hi-Bred/ DuPont. He holds a BA and MS in Economics from Iowa State
University.
Karen Beckett, Director of Human Resources: Mrs. Beckett provides human resource functional leadership with 17 years
of progressive personnel management, culture building, and
administrative experience from both public and private companies. Mrs.
Beckett joined Hemisphere GPS in 2004 where she led human resource
management as well as US facility safety programs. Previously, she held
the position of Facility Human Resources and Safety Manager with
Northwest Pipe Company. Mrs. Beckett holds her Professional in Human
Resources Certification from the Human Resources Certification
Institute and is a member of the Society for Human Resources
Management.
Steve Shannon, Director of Quality Assurance: Mr. Shannon joins the AgJunction team with 25 years of experience
spanning manufacturing quality assurance, product assurance, operations
management, and ISO9000/AS9100 quality and audit system design and
implementation. Most recently Mr. Shannon served as Director of Quality
Assurance with Weckworth Manufacturing, Inc. where he directed and
managed all assurance activities for a broad product line serving both
government and commercial accounts. Previously, Mr. Shannon held
quality assurance leadership positions with CNH, Acu-Trol, Siemens and
Allied Signal Engines. In addition to his extensive experience in
quality assurance process design and implementation, he also provides
leadership in the areas of field product testing, quality assurance
training, and QMS design and deployment. He holds a BS in Management
Science from Park College and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Pat Pieper, Director of Information Systems: With over 20 years' experience in strategic IT management, Mr. Pieper
brings a broad, solutions-oriented approach to AgJunction. Mr. Pieper
specializes in developing high-performance, self-directed teams to
optimize resources. Most recently, he served as IT Manager with Kinze
Manufacturing, the largest privately held manufacturer of agricultural
equipment in North America, where he led the development of a
best-in-class IT organization and infrastructure. Previous to Kinze, he
served as Director of IT with E. Ritter and Company, Information
Systems Manager, BASF, and Information Technology Manager, American
Cyanamid Corporation. Mr. Pieper holds a BS in Information Systems from
Hannibal-LaGrange College.
The Company is continuing to implement the refocused strategy announced
last November and to ensure that the foundation necessary to support
future growth is in place. The aforementioned executives will report to
Mr. Heiniger, who assumed his current role in September, 2012.
Establishing a new leadership team is a critical milestone," added
Heiniger "The restructuring has progressed as planned, and we are now
looking ahead together as a team with a focus on the future."
About AgJunction
Hemisphere GPS (to be renamed "AgJunction" following shareholder and TSX
approval) provides innovative hardware and software applications for
precision agriculture worldwide. The Company holds numerous patents and
markets its products and services under leading brand names including
Outback Guidance®, Satloc®, and AgJunction® Cloud Services. AgJunction
supports advanced farming practices and enables seamless data
connectivity among growers and their agricultural service providers.
The Company is headquartered in Hiawatha, Kansas, with facilities in
Arizona, Pennsylvania, Manitoba and Queensland, Australia. Hemisphere
GPS is doing business as AgJunction and is listed on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "HEM" and is one of the TSX Cleantech
designated companies. For more information, please go to www.corp.agjunction.com.
The above disclosure contains certain forward-looking statements that
involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These
forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and
uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Hemisphere GPS' control,
including: the impact of general economic conditions, industry
conditions, increased competition, the lack of availability of
qualified personnel or management, fluctuations in foreign exchange or
interest rates, stock market volatility and market valuations of
companies with respect to the announced transactions and the final
valuations thereof, and obtaining required approvals of regulatory
authorities. Hemisphere GPS' actual results, performance or achievement
could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by these
forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances can be given
that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements
will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits,
including the amount of proceed, that Hemisphere GPS will derive
therefrom.
SOURCE: Hemisphere GPS Inc.
