Brad Heath, Founder and CEO of VirTex Assembly, Joins The Manufacturing Leadership Board

NEW YORK, July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Manufacturing Executive today announces the appointment of Brad Heath, founder and CEO of Texas-based VirTex Assembly Services Inc., to the Manufacturing Leadership Council's Board of Governors.

The Board of Governors steers the mission -- creating a better future for manufacturing -- of Manufacturing Executive's global community of industry professionals and helps set the annual Critical Issues Agenda for the manufacturing industry.

Heath founded VirTex Assembly, the Austin, Texas-based electronics contract manufacturing firm, 12 years ago. It is now a $26 million enterprise with 164 employees and plants in the U.S. and Mexico. VirTex has been named in Inc. Magazine's annual ranking of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for the last five years.

Heath has been a member of the Manufacturing Leadership Council since 2007. VirTex has won awards for Leadership, Operational Excellence, and Supply Chain, and was named Progressive Manufacturer of the Year in 2009.

"We believe Brad will make an excellent addition to the Board, and provide valuable insights into the future of the industry from the perspective of the many thousands of small and midsize companies that make up much of the global manufacturing sector," said David R. Brousell, Vice President & Editorial Director of Manufacturing Executive.

"I am delighted to represent small to midsize manufacturing companies at such a pivotal time for our industry," Heath added. "While some of the needs of SMBs are different, we all share common challenges. The revival and advancement of manufacturing is critical to job creation, and I look forward to working with the Manufacturing Leadership Board of Governors to develop and advance the Critical Issues Agenda."

About Manufacturing Enterprise Communications
Manufacturing Enterprise Communications, a division of Thomas Publishing Company, LLC, is the producer of the Manufacturing Executive portfolio of leadership networking, information, and professional development products, programs, and services for industrial executives worldwide. Manufacturing Executive's mission is to help senior executives define and shape a better future for themselves, their organizations, and the industry at large. Manufacturing Executive's integrated portfolio consists of the Manufacturing Executive Website, an online global business network; the Manufacturing Leadership Council, an invitation-only executive organization; the annual Manufacturing Leadership Summit conference; the Manufacturing Leadership 100 Awards program; and the Manufacturing Executive Leadership Journal. For more information, visit us at http://www.manufacturing-executive.com/.

SOURCE Manufacturing Enterprise Communications