Professional transitions are inevitable.  Even so, I was startled when Opportunity came knocking at my door recently nudging me to move on to new territory. For over 4 years I have enjoyed the grand adventure of working for Transline Technology and becoming immersed in the world of RF/Microwave PCBs. Transline flung the doors wide open, taking me beyond the pedestrian world of standard FR-4 board technologies. I learned about things like Signal Integrity, Dk, Dissipation Factor and the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.  Material names and part numbers from Rogers, Taconic, Arlon and Isola, once completely foreign to me, now roll easily off my tongue. I learned about the many challenges of RF/Microwave engineers and designers and the myriad of obstacles they must navigate to achieve a desired performance level. After 16 years of working with complex multilayer FR-4 boards, moving into the RF/MW world was akin to following Alice down that fateful rabbit-hole. But I loved every minute! I was stretched, challenged, and I grew in so many ways.

On top of being immersed in new technologies, I became a marketer—an accidental marketer! I learned to blog, work with trade magazine publishers, write press releases and run promotional campaigns for tradeshows. I found the keys to unlock the power of Linked in and social media along the way. And friends—oh my, how many dear friends I made along this wild journey! Given all this good stuff—why would Opportunity come knocking on my door urging me to move on?

My Dad used to say “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Perhaps that’s why Opportunity came knocking—because I’m ready. I’m ready to learn and grow and to expand the scope of products and services I can bring to market. The owners of Transline Technology, Chris Savalia and Larry Padmani, have been my patient teachers and have become (and will remain) treasured friends.  For this reason, I close this chapter with a heavy heart, and am so grateful for the past four years. No doubt I will continue to collaborate with Chris, Larry and Transline as I move forward.

The Next Chapter

So, what’s next? Beginning on October 1^st, I will begin my new role as the Director of Western Regional Business Development for Zentech Manufacturing which is based in Baltimore, MD. I will remain heavily connected to, and focused on, the RF/Microwave industry. In addition, I will be focusing on the Aerospace, Defense and Medical industries. Zentech Manufacturing is a unique, fully vertically integrated contract manufacturer that offers everything from design to full turn-key product production. Their focus is on complex and high reliability products and their quality and process controls soar miles above anything I’ve personally encountered (I have past experience selling for contract manufacturers). While a large share of their customers are prime defense contractors, DOD, pentagon and so forth—they are interested in growing in the RF/Microwave commercial markets as well as the medical industries. Therefore, it will be my pleasure to offer a much broader scope of products and services and continue to support the RF/MW community.

(Click Here to see my 2014 IPC APEX interview with John Vaughan of Circuit Solutions/Zentech. I will be working closely with John who covers the Washington DC Metro area for Zentech. Connect with him on Linked in here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnvaughancsi/)

To Blog, or not to Blog?

Yes, Blog! I’m not going anywhere. You will still find my blogs here on the Microwave Journal Website. However, I will now be able to offer a much more integrated approach to the topics I discuss. I will be able to help inform on topics relating to design, fab, assembly and test. I’ve got a lot of homework to do, of course, and will be certain to share all I learn along the way.  In short, you are invited to join me on this next leg of my journey and we will learn and grow together. I appreciate those of you who take the time to read my blogs and to comment and collaborate with me. I appreciate each one of you more than I can express. So stay tuned, there is much more to follow and I look forward to the road ahead!