Executive Team

Executives

Advisors

  • William A. Fenwick — Fenwick & West
  • Michael Neils — Michael Neils Engineering

Cheryl Diuguid

Chief Executive Officer

Gregory Davis

Chief Technology Officer

Area of Responsibility

An executive senior level software designer and inventor with successful projects in every populated continent of the world, Greg Davis is well known as the mind to uncover the elusive solution to technology problems. Having produced products from concept to production for the industrial, business, motion control robotics, and nuclear power markets, his products and inventions have yielded millions of dollars in revenue and profit, even taking one company to an IPO and the New York Stock Exchange.

As an excellent designer and innovator, Greg has been awarded 36 patent claims and honors. Many of his inventions have been high profile with articles in many trade magazines as well as been showcased on news programs such as CNN. His inventions have won awards many times at major tradeshows including the first place at Light Fair and the Bobbin Show. His specialties are in complex logic and problem solving—the key points in designing competent software. An added benefit in our world of graphics and the Internet is that he is also a graphic artist and video/multimedia producer, which plays well into modern software design.

Greg typically works with CEOs and boards to improve their product offerings or process efficiency through combinations of software and invention. Time and time again Greg has been brought in to save many small companies from financial ruin by finishing projects that were believed to be lost. Because of combinations of talent, speed, and vision, he is often referred to as the "go-to-guy" for companies who have come to believe a project cannot be done.

Past Experience

Greg's successful experiences include small start-up clients to billion dollar multinational corporations as well as governments.

While Brother International had spent 8 million dollars over ten years and Pfaff/Singer, the largest industrial sewing manufacturer in the world, had spent 6 million dollars in two years, Greg partnered with co-inventor Moshe Shloush and patented the world's first electronically geared sewing machine in less than a year and under $900,000. The Smithsonian Institute included this invention in an exhibit referring to it as the most significant improvement in textile sewing in 160 years. This technology took Tice Engineering to a successful IPO, where afterwards both Brother and Pfaff licensed the technology.

Following up the Tice success, Greg was contracted by AT&T and Lucent to design and produce a worldwide intranet utilizing the Internet, Voice Mail, and Video-on-Demand for the major airports of the world. A scaled-down version of this system was also completed for cell-phone manufacturer Ericsson's world-headquarters.

Greg's specialty is in motion control robotics where he has successfully completed many projects for major companies such as Whirlpool, Ford, and GM. These types of projects have led to work for the Space Shuttle to common household items: most of the glass-top stoves and ice-makers in the United States, have major components created by one of Greg's robots.

Adapting to new technologies quickly, Greg has recently become a sought after consultant in the nuclear radiation and detection fields, recently returning from Scotland where he was hired by the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain to complete a system used world-wide by the military. Greg's active clients in the nuclear field also include the United States Government and GE-Nuclear.

Greg's deep knowledge and adaptability in multiple industries and with 20+ years in software programming have consistently resulted in success that will continue in our fast-paced and changing world economies.

Moshe Shloush

Chief Scientist

Education
  • Israel Institute of Technology
Area of Responsibility

A successful inventor, scientist, and motion-control/electrical engineer with numerous patents spanning the energy and industrial fields, Moshe has designed advanced robotic solutions for multi-million dollar systems as well as designed the world's first 100% electronic HID lighting ballast.

Moshe excels in advanced electrical design with education and experience in various fields. He has the ability to use his advanced knowledge in multiple fields seamlessly across usually impenetrable boundaries. Moshe is a skilled inventor that has rose to the challenge for many companies as the head of the R&D, but also has worked for many companies as a consultant. His services are heavily in demand as there are few with the combination of professional experience in his league.

Many of his inventions have been high profile with articles in many trade magazines as well as been showcased on news programs such as CNN. His inventions have won awards and accolades many times including an Innovative Standout Blue Ribbon in the HID Lighting Product category at LightFair International. The president of the Bobbin Show called his electronically geared-sewing technology the most important new innovation in the industry.

Moshe's recent interest in the energy field is where his current research is active. With the energy conscience and green-tech world in the forefront, Moshe plans to add many more patents to his portfolio.

Past Experience

Moshe entered the lighting industry as a Research and Development (R&D) consultant at Aurora Lighting in 2001. In 2005, he advanced to a Vice President of R&D. Moshe quickly developed a working prototype of solid state HID ballast. With advanced knowledge in control theory and innovative design, Moshe's advanced knowledge in this field is well ahead of the industry and he continues to be a lead innovator in lighting control circuits.

Prior to Moshe's work in the lighting industry, he was director of motion control R&D at Robotic Control Group in Oak Ridge, TN where he patented an innovative modular motion control system.

As director of engineering at Bertelkamp Automation, Moshe created the motion control department from start-up to over $2 million in sales in 12 months. This was accomplished with education and training from multiple fronts with sales people, engineers, and clients.

At Tice Engineering he lead a small group to develop the world's first electronically geared sewing machine which removed over 90% of the moving parts in existing sewing machines. This innovative design allowed specialty automated sewing machines to be produced that displayed multiple other stations—such as a single buttonhole machine that replaced seven other stations. The technology was also advanced and used in 3D sewing such as needed in the airbag industry and aircraft industries. This technology led Tice Engineering to an IPO on the NYSE.

In his early years, Moshe was an officer in the Israel Military where he led a combat group as a Second Lieutenant. After leaving the service, he continued to work with the Israeli government in control and power electronics systems research.

Moshe is a proud graduate of Israel Institute of Technology. With deep knowledge in the control industry, Moshe has consistently achieved technical success in a plurality of fields. His recent leadership in the lighting field is unchallenged.

Timothy McNally

Chief Financial Officer

Education
  • MBA — The Wharton School
  • Program in Finance and Planning — Stockholm School of Economics
  • Fulbright Scholar, dwelling energy research
  • BSME — Princeton University
  • Licensed California General Contractor
Area of Responsibility

With twenty years experience structuring, financing, building and managing high-growth technology companies in U.S. and international markets, Timothy McNally has accumulated a broad expertise and network in finance, business development, and channel and product development. His industry experience and network encompasses financial, software, energy, and digital media.

As principal of Acuity Consulting, Tim manages CFO and operations assignments on a variety of projects ranging from funding, financial operations and sale to a public company of a data security venture, to CFO role for a venture-backed online entertainment business achieving $100 million valuation growth during his tenure.

Tim's tactical experience includes venture and debt funding and capital structure; innovating revenue and cost models, reporting structures and policy; channels, payments, online exchanges and account systems; compensation, operations/IT and technology organization.

Past Experience

Tim was CFO and Executive VP of Operations and Development for seven years for Mondo Media in San Francisco, which launched new entertainment properties and web advertising models. There he managed the growth, structuring, and financing of the company, and partnered with the CEO to co-develop and launch the company's internet-based strategy for higher leverage. The process included "bootstrapping" from publisher- to contract- funded, turning the companies profitable, then securing three rounds of equity investment to launch the company's new platform. During that time, Tim managed all aspects of operations and finance, business development, production, distribution, engineering, human resources, IT, control and compliance.

At Apple Computer, Tim developed, launched, and managed FinanceTech, Inc., a debt funding subsidiary of Apple where he financed and closely advised management of over 30 emerging companies which introduced products and services of strategic importance to Apple. Tim carried P&L responsibility for the fund, which achieved a consistent success record, both in new product introductions from portfolio companies and fund profitability.

Tim's ten-year tenure at Apple included the role of Manager, Channel Development / Sales Planning, where Tim's group optimized the national dealer base, improved reseller profitability and enhanced sales of Apple products. As International Sales Manager in Apple's Asia/Pacific Operations in Hong Kong, Tim designed new product configuration, pricing, and financing strategies which expanded the accessible market and launched the Macintosh there. Prior, as hardware and software Product Manager for Apple in the POS and Macintosh divisions, Tim was responsible for launching and managing products with a sales run rate of approximately $10 million per month.

In addition to his Wharton business degree, Tim's education includes extensive energy and engineering experience, including a BSME from Princeton University with specialization in energy sciences and digital control, and experience as a Fulbright Scholar at the Teknologisk Institute in Denmark pioneering dwelling air infiltration measurement and management. As part of his ongoing commitment to sustainable development, he has advised a debt fund in formation for sustainable ventures, he maintains a network of west coast academic and government energy lab contacts, and he is licensed as a California general contractor.

Kurt Buecheler

Vice President Sales and Business Development

Education
  • BS Agricultural Economics — University of California, Davis
Overview

Kurt is known for pioneering new industries, strategic thinking, creative and innovative solutions, and building robust trusted ecosystems of partners and customers. Kurt has one patent granted.

Kurt's start-ups have returned $580M in equity value. Kurt's has been successful in a wide range of industries including PCs, operating systems, open source virtualization, ecommerce, digital media, online games, web technologies, and green lighting.

Kurt's large company experience includes Microsoft, where Kurt built and ran a worldwide Business Development group in a division that accounted for 1.8% of Microsoft server sales worldwide. At IBM, Kurt was team lead building a sales channel that grew to $465M.

Area of Responsibility

At HID Labs, as Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Kurt is responsible for HID's direct and channel sales, strategic alliances, installers and customer support.

Kurt is building full field teams to exceed sales goals and customer expectations. He is working across HID's executive team to satisfy current and future customer needs.

Past Experience

At Aggregate Knowledge, as SVP of Sales and Biz Dev, Kurt established first revenue, first million dollar customer, and first 100 deployments that led to one billion impressions per month.

At XenSource, as VP of Business Development, Kurt established strategic relationships for product compatibility with Novell, IBM and HP. Kurt also pioneered a strategic compatibility relationship with Microsoft that was a major contributor to Citrix's $500M acquisition of XenSource.

At The b Equal Company, as CEO, Kurt raised $16M in funding, secured exclusive content deals with Dreamworks, National Geographic, and The History Channel. The company's first year game sales exceeded the first year of Pictionary or Trivial pursuit and Kurt was granted a patent for his inventions. This led to a merger with another private game company.

At Microsoft, as Senior Director of Business Development for the Digital Media Division, Kurt built and led a world wide group of 70 people that closed over 2,500 deals in 5 years. Kurt was an envoy to music and film industries and he made numerous presentations to Bill and Steve.

At eShop, as Vice President of Sales, Kurt built the world's first graphical online shopping mall. Kurt pioneered first ecommerce efforts with Tower Records, 800 Flowers, Good Guys and 14 others. Kurt licensed the mall to Hearst New Media. Microsoft acquired eShop for $80M.

At GO Corporation, as Sales Manager, Kurt managed licensing of GO's O/S to IBM, Grid, NCR, and Compaq. Kurt also built a developers program that led to 18 applications.

At IBM, as Marketing Representative, Kurt was team lead on the IBM team selling personal computers to BusinessLand. Kurt grew revenue from $140M to over $465M in three years. Kurt started his career at Xerox with 4 years of over achievement in sales.

Summary

Kurt's energy, integrity, drive for success, and business sense have empowered him to repeated success in building significant sales growth, trusted partnership ecosystems, and diverse experiences in computers, web technologies, media and games, and now green lighting.

John Ritchie

Director, Operations and Supply Chain