Resume

19916 NE 30th Court • Sammamish, WA 98074

Phone 425-898-9117, e-mail silzars@attglobal.net

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

Over thirty – years of increasingly responsible technology, marketing, general management, and business development experience in meeting customer needs with high-performance electronic products.
Extensive experience in positioning technology-based products for competitive advantage, including the identification of distinctive competencies and market differentiating factors.
Proficient at creating new products and new opportunities through understanding of technology, manufacturing, and the assessment of business and market opportunities.
A skilled manager of complex multi-technology product developments requiring invention and new technology introduction.
Well-known internationally as an expert on display technologies through presentations, publications, and technical society leadership.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1995 – Present

NORTHLIGHT DISPLAYS – SAMMAMISH, WA.

Founder and President

Business development, technology support, and strategic consulting for established and emerging Information Display companies.
Relocated to the Northwest and founded a new business providing technology development, technology forecasting, and applications support to Information Display businesses and new ventures.
Created an industry forum for Display Technologies and Display Manufacturers by founding the Display Works industry conference as a joint venture sponsored by SID, SEMI, and USDC.
Developed the concept of a “virtual” corporation serving the display community with an international support base including partnering relationships with technologists in Russia, France, Japan, Korea, and Princeton and San Jose in the US.
Positioned the company to become an international resource center for Information Display technology developments and applications.

1994 – 1995

SARNOFF CORPORATION – PRINCETON, NJ.

Director of the Display Research Laboratory

Technology leadership, development, and marketing for all display technologies – CRTs, FEDs, Plasma, LCDs, EL, and Phosphors.

Increased the laboratories contract revenue by more than $5 million in less than one year.
Developed a new business strategy and repositioned the group to become the principal display representatives of the Sarnoff Corporation to government and industry.
Created a “Center of Excellence” for Field-Emission Technology by bringing in key new contracts and by working with government and industry partners.

1993 – 1994

DUPONT CO. – Advanced Composite Materials – NEWARK, DE.

Senior Consultant for Electronics

Business development of new materials technologies for applications in electronics.

At the request of DuPont management, assessed the electronics business potential and technology competitiveness of: Metal-Matrix Composites, Aramids, Pitch-Carbon Fibers, Metallized Kevlar, Diamond Films and Fibers, Photopolymers, and High-Temperature Superconducting Materials.
Applied new-technology marketing experience to provide business plans for coated fibers as electron-emitters for flat-panel displays and Thermount® (Kevlar/Nomex Aramid) as a substrate material for Multi-Chip Modules.
Developed new patentable concepts for products using metallized Kevlar, display structures incorporating coated fibers, holographic filters for color displays, and a low-cost manufacturing process for Metal-Matrix Composites.

1990 – 1993

LANXIDE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, L.P., NEWARK, DE.

President and CEO

Strategic planning, business development, and operations responsibility for the start-up of an electronics business based on composite materials technology developed by the parent Lanxide Corporation.

Developed the business plan, adapted the materials technology, established a salable product base, and achieved the first $5MM+ of orders to military and commercial customers.
Worked with DuPont, the funding partner, to scale-up the technology to achieve volume manufacturing capability at competitive cost.
Implemented a team oriented company culture and trained 50+ employees in the skills of new business development, manufacturing scale-up, MRP II, and TQM.

1988 – 1990

INTERCHIP SOLUTIONS, INC., BEAVERTON, OR.

President/CEO and Founder

Business development and marketing responsibility for the start-up of a Multi-Chip Module Company.

Developed the Business Plan, assembled a management team, and worked with a variety of investors to successfully achieve first-round financing.
Determined and prioritized the needs of system designers (the customers), positioned the company to effectively respond to those needs, and accomplished the first sale of products.
Implemented partnerships with companies supplying CAE tools, fabrication technology, and test equipment.

1974 – 1988

(1984 – 1988)

TEKTRONIX, INC., BEAVERTON, OR.

General Manager, Hybrid Components Operation

Managed the transformation of this 500 employee 125,000 sq. ft. facility from an internal service organization to an independent business unit with sales to Tek divisions and outside customers.

Developed the marketing and sales strategy that resulted in $10MM+ of new external hybrids business in less than 2 years.
Increased sales to internal Tektronix customers from $30MM to $38MM during a period of no growth in the company.
Improved the division’s financial performance from an $8MM/year loss to profitability.
Established and managed a sales organization, independent from Tektronix Corporate sales, to serve the hybrid and IC businesses.
Identified new business opportunities and expanded the Hybrid and Ceramics product lines with the introduction of multi-layer ceramic packages and electro-optic components.
Improved product delivery and quality, reduced inventories, and eliminated shortages through organization-wide use of MRP II and Just-in-Time principles.

(1980 – 1984)

Director, Solid State Group

Provided the strategic leadership and management for the development, product application, and manufacturing of all semiconductor and component integration technologies including, Bipolar IC’s, MOS IC’s, Hybrids, and Ceramic Components. The facilities were located in two buildings (250,000 sq. ft. total) and employed over 900 people.

Established the strategy and implementation of CAE tools for the design and layout of ICs and hybrids.
Successfully managed the design and start-up of a new 50,000 sq. ft. IC facility, the installation of a very high-speed bipolar process, and the introduction of E-beam lithography.
Developed and initiated the manufacture of analog ASICs (Quick-Chip), CCD arrays, and high-speed signal acquisition devices (Si and GaAs).
Identified the need and implemented the large scale use of Hybrids and Custom IC’s into Tek’s next generation portable oscilloscopes, the Company’s highest revenue products.

(1974 – 1980)

Manager, Component Development Group

Increasing responsibility for the selection, development, and implementation of new component technologies into Tektronix products. Managed the company’s R&D activities in displays, hybrid circuits, monolithic IC’s and electro-mechanical components with a staff of 350 engineers and technicians.

Guided the technology selection and development of high-performance CRTs, micro-channel plate CRT’s, and signal processing devices.
Initiated the development of GaAs technology at Tektronix, which later resulted in the formation of Tri Quint Semiconductor.

1969 – 1974

WATKINS-JOHNSON CO., PALO ALTO, CA.

Section Head – Program Manager – Senior Engineer

Developed and promoted Electron Beam Semiconductor devices for military signal processing applications including broadband microwave amplifiers, high-power bandpass RF amplifiers, and high current nanosecond risetime modulators.

Guided the technology selection and development of high-performance CRTs, micro-channel plate CRT’s, and signal processing devices.
Initiated the development of GaAs technology at Tektronix, which later resulted in the formation of Tri Quint Semiconductor.

EDUCATION

- Ph.D., E.E. – University of Utah, 1969.
- M.A., Physics – University of Utah, 1965.
- B.A., Physics – Reed College, Portland, OR., 1963.

MEMBERSHIPS & PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

- Society for Information Display – Convention and Bylaws Committees Chair.
- Past President and Past Member of the Executive Committee.
- Past Senior Member of the IEEE.
- General Chair of the 2005 and 2006 SID Business Conference.
- General Chair of the 2004 Society for Information Display Symposium.
- General Chair of the 1985 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference.
- General Chair of the 1987 Society for Information Display Symposium.
- Organizer and Chair of the First Display Manufacturing Technology Conference San Francisco, January 1994.

PATENTS ISSUED

PUBLICATIONS

- Over 100 publications in major technical journals and conference proceedings (Complete listing available on request.)
- A monthly column “The Display Continuum” appeared in Information Display Magazine from 1993 to 2003 on various topics of interest to the display community, currently available on-line at “displayconsulting.com”.
- Invited seminar presentation at the Society for Information Display Symposium on the “Display Marketplace in the Next Decade.”
- Multiple presentations of one and two-day courses on current and future display technologies.
- Custom Integrated Circuits Conference keynote presentation on “Custom Integrated Circuits: The Challenge of Customer Service in a Changing High-Technology Environment.”

REFERENCES

Available on Request.