Konarka Names Rick Hess President and Chief Operating Officer
Konarka Names Rick Hess President and Chief Operating Officer
Lowell, Mass. – October 12, 2006 – Konarka Technologies, Inc., an
innovator in the development and commercialization of Power Plastic™,
a material that converts light to energy, today announced that Rick Hess
has been named to the newly created position of President and Chief
Operating Officer. Howard Berke, Konarka’s founder, will continue in the
role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
“Rick is recognized for his ability to assess technologies and commercialize
electronic technology components that meet specific customer needs
bringing products from the lab, through scale-up and commercialization
in the electronics industry,” commented Howard Berke. “Having led
businesses in both high growth stages and start-up situations, Rick
is a skilled motivator, team leader and communicator, to whom I am
pleased to turn over Konarka’s day-to-day operations and lead it
into its next phase of commercialization.”
Mr. Hess has a broad background as a leader in both start-up companies and established corporations. Prior to joining Konarka, he was Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Fuel Cell Technologies, a venture-backed company in Burlington, Massachusetts. He was previously President of M/A-COM, a manufacturer, designer and marketer of high frequency components and systems for the wireless, defense, public safety and automotive markets, and now a unit of Tyco Electronics, the largest business unit of Tyco International.