Advanced Photonix, Inc. Hires National Sales Account Manager for Terahertz Product Platform

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advanced Photonix, Inc. (R) (NYSE Amex: API) announced today that it has hired John J. Riccardi, who has more than 25 years of national and international experience in capital equipment technology sales, for the new position of National Sales Account Manager for its Terahertz product platform, effective March 1, 2010.

Most recently Mr. Riccardi has been Director of Global Business Development and North American Sales Director for ISRA Vision AG, a euro 60 million global machine vision technology company based in Germany. Prior to that he was Manager, Global Business Development at NDC Infrared Engineering, a $60 million global operating unit of Spectris PLC, London, which specializes in physics-based, online sensors used to manufacture hygienic and medical non-wovens, plastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals and foods. Between 1998 and 2005, Mr. Riccardi held a variety of management, business development and product development marketing positions at Cognex Corporation in their Surface Inspection Systems Division. He also spent 15 years in a variety of sales and management positions in the Industrial Systems Division of Measurex Corporation.

"John is a highly experienced and effective business development and sales manager with a proven track record of national and international accomplishments," commented Richard (Rick) Kurtz, API's CEO. "We are eager to utilize his expertise by tapping into his knowledge of our markets. With his experience in the nuclear gauge industry, where Measurex is now the market leader (acquired by Honeywell), as well as his significant background in quality control and his vast understanding of the use of vision systems to find defects in the surface of products that are optical in nature, we know that his ability to strategize new opportunities for the Company will be a valuable asset as we move forward to expand our Terahertz product platform."

"Advanced Photonix has an outstanding reputation in the industry," commented Mr. Riccardi. "I look forward to driving the sales initiative for the Terahertz product platform, leveraging its reach in its current marketplace, expanding the platform's visibility, and developing new markets for the high-quality, high-performance products."

About Advanced Photonix, Inc.

Advanced Photonix, Inc. (R) (NYSE Amex: API) is a leading supplier with a broad offering of optoelectronic products to a global customer base. We provide optoelectronic solutions, high-speed optical receivers and terahertz instrumentation for telecom, homeland security, military, medical and industrial markets. With our patented technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing we offer industry leading performance, exceptional quality, and high value added products to our OEM customer base. For more information visit us on the web at www.advancedphotonix.com.

The information contained herein includes forward looking statements that are based on assumptions that management believes to be reasonable but are subject to inherent uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, unforeseen technological obstacles which may prevent or slow the development and/or manufacture of new products; potential problems with the integration of the acquired company and its technology and possible inability to achieve expected synergies; obstacles to successfully combining product offerings and lack of customer acceptance of such offerings; limited (or slower than anticipated) customer acceptance of new products which have been and are being developed by the Company; and a decline in the general demand for optoelectronic products. API-G

SOURCE Advanced Photonix, Inc.