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Rangefinder Magazine
October 2003

Industry News

Foveon Announces Federico Faggin as CEO
Foveon, Inc., a technology leader in high-quality digital image capture, announced recently that semiconductor luminary Federico Faggin has accepted the position of CEO. In this new role, Faggin will lead the company into its next phase of high-volume mass-market products.

“ Federico has been an integral part of Foveon since the company was founded,” said Dr. Carver Mead, Foveon’s chairman. “He has been our most active board member and brings tremendous depth of semiconductor and executive experience to Foveon. I cannot think of a better person to take Foveon to the next level of our company’s growth.”

Faggin has founded three major semiconductor companies, including ZiLOG Inc., Cygnet Technologies Inc., and Synaptics, Inc., and is credited with developing the MOS Silicon Gate Technology which enabled the creation of semiconductor memories and microprocessors. Building on this invention he co-invented the world’s first microprocessor, the Intel 4004, as well as many follow-on microprocessors.

James Lau, the company’s former CEO, will remain with the company as CFO.

Will Crockett Sustains Motorcycle Crash
Will Crockett of shootsmarter.com and frequent contributor to Rangefinder magazine recently had a motorcycle accident. He is OK, but sustained serious injuries, including a broken arm, wrist, femur, hip and shoulder. He sent out an email advising friends that he’s alive and well and will be back in the saddle again soon.

Wallace Color Closes Its Operations in San Angelo, TX
Larry Castleberry, President of Wallace Color in San Angelo, TX, recently announced that he is closing Wallace Color after 63 years of production and is combining operations with Pounds Photographic Labs in Dallas. Danny Pounds, president of Pounds Photographic Labs, Inc.—a multiple lab group headquartered in Austin, TX—noted that his labs are prepared to continue the processing and service requirements for Wallace’s customers.

Wallace Color was established in 1940 by Wallace Moritz to support the processing and finishing needs of Moritz’s studios. In 1991, the lab was sold to Burrell Professional Labs and later sold to Eastman Kodak earlier this year as part of a nine-lab sale. When Wallace Color faced closure after the sale to Kodak, general manager Larry Castleberry, with Wallace Color for 27 years, purchased the lab. Castleberry added, “We have arranged for all our processing services to be combined with Pounds whose capabilities include digital technologies.”

Pixel Magic Imaging Appoints Robert Slight as Sales Director
Pixel Magic Imaging announced the appointment of Robert Slight as the company’s sales director. The move will bring together the sales talents of a veteran in the photography industry with Pixel Magic’s pioneering products in photo kiosks, digital printing technology and online image processing.

Slight brings to Pixel Magic a wealth of experience in the disciplines of sales, marketing and client support. His most recent position was with Kodak as a senior sales support manager for the Equipment Division, in which he was responsible for digital lab sales in the mass merchant and drug store channels. Prior to his posts with Kodak, Slight spent six years in account management and creative services for advertising firms based in New York and Texas. Slight, who has recently moved from Westport, Connecticut to Austin, Texas, is married with two children. Information: www.pixelmagic.com.

Notitsu Is Recipient of Express Digital’s 2003 Trail Blazer Award
Noritsu announced recently that the company has been chosen as the 2003 recipient of Express Digital’s Trail Blazer Award. Express Digital, a leading provider of digital imaging software, e-commerce and lab solutions to professional photography businesses, honors an individual or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary commitment, dedication, leadership and service to the development and success of digital photography.

The award was presented to Mr. Akihiko Kuwabara, President of Noritsu America Corporation, at the company’s National Sales & Technical Meeting in Palm Springs, California, on August 21, 2003.

Noritsu pioneered on-site photo processing technology and continues to lead in the design and manufacture of photo processing and digital imaging systems.

“ We congratulate Noritsu for their extraordinary efforts to push digital photography into the mainstream market by combining digital hardware with powerful software to create profitable working solutions for labs, professional photographers and fulfillment centers,” said Graham McFarland, President and CEO of Express Digital. “Noritsu is truly a digital photography Trail Blazer and we celebrate their innovative spirit and others like it within the professional photography industry.”

Canto Tops Asset Management Software List in Digital Output’s Brand Awareness Study
Canto, a global leader in digital asset management solutions, recently announced that it heads the list in the category of asset management software in a Brand Awareness study conducted by Digital Output among its readers. In the magazine’s fourth study, Canto leads the way with 25%, followed by Extensis Portfolio and Microsoft.

“ Already in the last study in 2001 Canto was seen to have the strongest brand in the digital asset management market,” said Sharron Sawyer, Canto’s VP Marketing. “We are extremely pleased about this ongoing recognition by the readers of such a widely read publication as it validates our market leadership and is indicative of the fact that Canto has developed a loyal customer base over the years.” Information: http://www.canto.com/.

Kodak Consolidates Consumer & Professional Imaging Divisions
In a move aimed at strengthening the performance of two core photography businesses, Eastman Kodak Company announced recently the formation of a consolidated, new business unit, Consumer and Professional Imaging products and services. The business incorporates most of the operations of the formerly separate Consumer Imaging and Kodak Professional products and services divisions.

“ The combined Consumer Imaging and Professional Imaging organization will be better positioned to service our customers' current and future needs, leveraging a broader technology and product portfolio in analog and digital imaging,” said Antonio Perez, Kodak’s president and chief operating officer. “For our customers and consumers, this move will result in a stronger organization, better positioned to supply their product and service needs; for our employees, it will ultimately mean a more efficient and advantaged position from which to compete and thrive in the industry.”