Conversa Expands Executive Team.Business Editors, High-Tech Writers REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2000 Conversa, a leading developer of conversational speech technologies for PC, server and embedded applications, today announced three appointments to its executive staff. These include Peter Lucas, chief financial officer, Kevin Omiliak, senior vice president of sales and Eric Albertson, vice president of marketing. As a growing technology company, these key additions round out a talented and experienced executive team and position Conversa for future innovation and success. &uot;Conversa is at the forefront of a new and emerging Internet-centric world in which people will conversationally interact with computer applications, the Internet and alternative electronic devices using digital conversations(TM),&uot; said Steve Rondel ron·del n. 1. A poem similar to a rondeau, having 13 or 14 lines with two rhymes throughout. The first and second lines reappear in the middle and at the end, although sometimes only the first line appears at the end. 2. , Conversa chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . &uot;We regard 2000 as a significant year for Conversa as a company and the conversational medium as a whole, and are thrilled to have individuals of this caliber join us.&uot; Lucas brings more than 20 years of senior financial management experience and will direct Conversa's financing and investing activities. He has served as chief financial officer for Westower Corporation, Cotton Valley Resources Corporation and Canmax, Inc. Lucas led all three companies through successful initial public offerings and has negotiated numerous mergers and acquisitions. In addition, Lucas is a chartered accountant char·tered accountant n. Chiefly British Abbr. CA A member of one of the institutes of accountants granted a royal charter. and earned a bachelor of commerce The Bachelor of Commerce is a bachelor's degree in business management, accounting and economic fields. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (BCA). degree at the University of Alberta. Terry Niehaus, former CFO See Chief Financial Officer. , has been appointed vice president of financial operations. Omiliak has more than 18 years of experience in sales, sales management and marketing. He will manage worldwide sales and business development for Conversa's technology and products. Most recently, he was regional vice president of sales at Toshiba America where he was responsible for sales in the government, education, corporate and global enterprise markets. His background includes corporate sales, business development, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and and channel distribution. Prior to Toshiba, he was in charge of business and channel development for Network Appliance. In addition, Omiliak has served in various sales management capacities with MicroAge Corporate, Zenith Data Systems Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) was a division of Zenith founded in 1979 after Zenith acquired Heathkit, who had, at that time, recently entered the personal computer market. Zenith sold personal computers under both the Heath/Zenith and Zenith Data Systems names. and Epson America. He received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Albertson, with over 21 years of marketing and sales experience, will oversee all marketing activities for Conversa. Previously, Albertson was the U.S. director of sales development for Toshiba's Computer Systems Division where he merged the company's marketing strategies and field force tactics to help achieve the corporation's business objectives. Albertson worked as vice president of sales and technical services and manager of marketing functions at CTR See click-through rate. Business Systems, a Microsoft Solution Provider Partner. He has also held positions with Compaq Computer Corporation (company) Compaq Computer Corporation - The largest US manufacturer and vendor of IBM PC compatible personal computers and servers. Compaq was started in 1982 by three ex-Texas Instruments employees. Quarterly sales $2499M, profits $210M (Aug 1994). http://compaq.com/. , PacTel Info Systems and Harris Corp. Albertson received a bachelor of science Noun 1. Bachelor of Science - a bachelor's degree in science BS, SB bachelor's degree, baccalaureate - an academic degree conferred on someone who has successfully completed undergraduate studies degree in marketing from the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. . About Conversa Founded in 1994, Conversa (pronounced con-ver-say) develops speech technology solutions for PC, server and embedded applications that allow people to conversationally interact with computers and electronic devices. Using natural language as the interface between people and machines, Conversa provides the tools and technology for building conversational Web sites and enabling voice-driven communications and transactions. With the ability to create such &uot;digital conversations(TM),&uot; Conversa has laid the foundation for a new category of computing called conversational computing. Conversa's award-winning speech-operated products include a voice browser, unified messaging, an Internet audio player, desktop and Web developer tools, a conversational server and custom embedded solutions. Headquartered in Redmond, Wash., Conversa has approximately 100 employees. For more information, visit Conversa's web site at www.conversa.com or call 888/487-4373. |
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