Lew LaFornara, Vice President of Supplier Marketing, TTI

LEW LAFORNARA is Vice President of Supplier Marketing at TTI. He has more than 28 years experience in the electronic components industry working on both the manufacturing and component distribution sides of the business. While working for Amphenol Aerospace in the military/aerospace market and for FCI/Berg Electronics in the commercial connector market, LaFornara spent the majority of his career managing the distribution channel both domestically and globally. Prior to joining TTI, he was Vice President of Interconnect at Future Electronics and has experience with Avnet’s Hamilton/Hallmark Electronics unit. In addition to his work experience he has served on the Board of Directors of NEDA, as well as on the Board of the NEDA Education Foundation.

Jim Wedding, Director of Transportation — Non-Automotive, Bishop & Associates, Inc.

JIM WEDDING is a veteran of more than 24 years in the connector industry. Jim started his career in manufacturing and then moved into information technology and held a number of head positions as the Director of Information Systems/Technology with several electronics manufacturers. Jim joined Molex, Inc. in 1984 as Director of Global Information Technology with direct reports in the United States, Japan, Singapore, Germany, and Ireland. For the next two decades Jim held positions as Vice-President of Manufacturing Operations for the Automotive and Commercial Divisions as well as spending six years as the President of Molex’s Commercial and Industrial Divisions.

Jim left Molex, Inc. to become President and CEO of Sun Microstamping a privately held manufacturer of automotive, telecom and consumer electronic connectors as well as other high precision automotive stamped and molded components. Most recently, Jim has been involved as an independent consultant to various companies in the areas of long-range strategic planning, operations improvement, Lean Manufacturing and Total Quality Management.

Kirk Ulery, Commercial & Specialty Vehicle Account Manager, Delphi Connection Systems

KIRK ULERY is responsible for Delphi Connection Systems (aka Packard) sales to transportation and recreation vehicle customers through the distribution channel. He has more than 23 years experience in the connector industry, starting as a product development engineer at AMP. He also worked for Compaq Computer Corporation in Houston, Texas as a senior component engineer. At Compaq, he was the primary contact for connector solutions on all new programs; working directly with the major suppliers to develop these interconnects. Kirk returned to AMP/Tyco as New Business Development Manager, where he was responsible for personal computer and consumer electronic interconnect products.

Kirk graduated from Messiah College in Harrisburg, Pa. with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering technology. He also holds three U.S. patents.

Bob Horky, Transportation Market Manager, Panduit

BOB HORKY is the transportation market manager for Panduit. He has more than 30 years with the company in the areas of engineering, marketing, product management, product development, manufacturing, quality, and market development. In his current role, Bob work with OEMs of aircrafts, automobiles, rail, truck/bus, recreational, marine, heavy equipment, and airport/rail infrastructure. He also holds a BSME and an MBA.