Sonim Technologies Appoints Three New Members to Its Board of Directors
New Board Members Bring Leadership Diversity with Decades of Experience in Public Safety, Finance and Enterprise
Apr 19, 2018, 11:01 ET
SAN MATEO, Calif., April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonim Technologies today announced the addition of three new members to its board, effective today: Alan B. Howe, Managing Partner of Broadband Initiatives, LLC; Jeff Johnson, Fire Chief (Ret.); and Kenny Young, CEO, B. Riley Principal Investments.
"I am thrilled to welcome these new directors to our team. Each of these leaders has a proven track record for helping companies capitalize on new opportunities and the timing couldn't be better," said Bob Plaschke, CEO and chairman of the board, Sonim Technologies. "These individuals bring the best mix of skills and experience necessary to move the company to the next level by helping us innovate ultra-rugged solutions to meet the increasing demands of workers in rugged, commercial and public safety markets around the world."
Today's new appointments include:
- Jeff Johnson: Chief Johnson has had an extensive 40-year career in the fire services industry, serving as fire chief at Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue until 2010. In 2009, he acted as president and Chairman of the Board for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), which represents 11,000 fire chiefs internationally and was the primary fire service representative to lobby for the historic legislation that created the first national broadband network for public safety known as FirstNet. In late 2010, Chief Johnson joined the Western Fire Chiefs Association as the Chief Executive Officer where he serves today. In 2012, Chief Johnson was appointed as a charter Board Member on the FirstNet Board of Directors where he serves as Vice Chairman.
- Alan B. Howe: Howe is Managing Partner of Broadband Initiatives, LLC, a boutique corporate advisory firm. His specialty is in providing board and executive leadership working with small-cap and micro-cap companies. Over the last decade, Howe has served on 24 different public and private boards and served as Chairman of the Board in five circumstances. Howe has industry experience in multiple industries across the technology landscape with a particular expertise in wireless and telecom. Previously, he served as Vice President of Strategic & Wireless Business Development for Covad Communications, a national broadband company. Previously, Howe was CFO and VP of Corp Dev of Teletrac for six years until the company was sold. Howe joined Teletrac from Sprint, where he was Director of Corporate Development and one of the initial team members that helped start Sprint PCS.
- Kenny Young: Young is CEO of B. Riley Principal Investments, the lead investor in Sonim Technologies. Young has more than 27 years of experience in the telecommunications and wireless industries leading various marketing and sales efforts, development and distribution, and branding wireline and wireless integrated B2B and B2C products and services. Since 2000, Young has held executive and C-Level positions at major telecommunications companies including: Lightbridge Communications Corporation, TruePosition, Liberty Media, AT&T, SBC Wireless and Cingular Wireless.
ABOUT SONIM TECHNOLOGIES:
Sonim Technologies (http://www.sonimtech.com/) is the only US manufacturer of mission-critical smart phone based solutions designed specifically for workers in extreme, hazardous and isolated environments. The Sonim solution includes ultra-rugged mobile phones, business-process applications and a suite of industrial-grade accessories, collectively designed to increase worker productivity, accountability and safety on the job site. Sonim's industry-leading, 3-year comprehensive warranty has redefined customer expectations of rugged technology. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., and offers its products with mobile operators around the world.
SOURCE Sonim Technologies