CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DIRTT today announced enhancements to its senior leadership team, in a move designed to scale the company for sustained and profitable growth.
According to DIRTT CEO Kevin O’Meara, these changes position DIRTT to continue its substantial growth trajectory. “This is a pivotal moment in DIRTT’s history as the company continues to evolve,” says O’Meara. “To support ongoing innovation, accelerate market penetration and attain outstanding manufacturing execution, we’re assembling a robust leadership team that supports key areas responsible for growth. These enhancements complement DIRTT’s existing team of extraordinarily talented, passionate and forward-thinking people.”
The organizational changes include a mix of newly created positions, fresh talent and the promotion of long-tenured executives:
- Director of innovation: DIRTT co-founder Geoff Gosling, the award-winning visionary behind the design and development of DIRTT’s solutions, is now director of innovation. This recognizes the integral role of innovative design in DIRTT’s future, and Gosling’s outstanding contribution to this effort since DIRTT’s inception. This new position builds on Gosling’s former role as vice president, product development. Gosling will continue leading the team responsible for the creation and evolution of DIRTT’s interior construction solutions.
- Chief commercial officer: This newly-created position supports the company’s existing sales efforts and its in-house marketing communication and partner development teams. Leading those teams, the executive in this role will drive the company’s strategic marketing approach and will be responsible for managing a comprehensive and unified marketing effort, including measuring the efficacy of DIRTT’s go-to-market tactics and adapting its overall strategy to meet the needs of targeted customer segments and unique market conditions. DIRTT is currently recruiting to fill this role.
- Chief operating officer: Jeffrey A. Calkins, a principal of interim management and consulting firm Manufacturing Resources Inc. (MRI), will lead the optimization of DIRTT’s manufacturing capabilities as acting COO, while DIRTT recruits to fill this permanent role. MRI provides senior management consulting to clients in a range of manufacturing industries, enabling the achievement of aggressive performance targets. Calkins has dedicated nearly 30 years to leading and deploying lean manufacturing techniques, including Six Sigma training and certification, within a variety of industries. His extensive knowledge and classical manufacturing background will be drawn on as DIRTT prepares to scale for growth.
- Senior vice president, software development: Mark Greffen, a 14-year DIRTT veteran, has moved into the role of senior vice president, software development. In this role, Greffen will lead DIRTT’s technological innovation and the ongoing development and integration of software into the business flows and processes of DIRTT’s digital construction approach. Greffen has been instrumental to the development and implementation of DIRTT’s ICE® software to date.
- Senior vice president and general counsel: Joe Zirkman joins the company as senior vice president and general counsel. Joe brings more than 20 years of experience serving in this capacity with publicly-held companies trading on the NASDAQ, including Carrols Restaurant Group and Fiesta Restaurant Group, and has extensive experience in construction law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities law and franchising. DIRTT’s former general counsel, Nandini Somayaji, will continue with DIRTT as associate general counsel.
- Senior vice president, talent: DIRTT welcomes Krista Pell into the newly-created role of senior vice president, talent. As an international business leader with more than two decades of experience in human resources and talent management at Ausenco and dms Organization Ltd., Pell will lead DIRTT’s existing in-house team of HR professionals. She has a proven record of creating strategies and solutions that support systemic change while enhancing the engagement and effectiveness of employees.
- Vice president, sales: Kingsley Koch, an 11-year DIRTT sales veteran, moves into the newly created position, where he will lead DIRTT’s extensive network of sales representatives and partners. In addition to managing and expanding DIRTT’s partner network over the past decade, Koch was instrumental in several of DIRTT’s largest projects to date. He has also been an ongoing resource driving business development, marketing and strategic planning for DIRTT. Koch will report to the chief commercial officer; all other positions announced above will report to DIRTT’s CEO.
Effective January 15, 2019, DIRTT’s chief operating officer, Tracy Baker, CPA, CA, and DIRTT’s vice president of software development, Barrie Loberg, are no longer with the company. “I would like to recognize the contributions of Barrie and Tracy and thank them for their years of dedicated service,” says O’Meara.
Summarizing today’s announcement, O’Meara says the leadership changes will bring support and accountability to DIRTT’s entire operation, including to the development of its people. “We’re creating a corporate structure that defines the key roles and responsibilities necessary to achieve DIRTT’s next stage of growth and value creation. When a client embarks on an interior construction project, our vision is to be their first thought and then to surpass their expectations throughout the entire building process and beyond. I’m confident this team positions us to achieve that vision.”
ABOUT DIRTT
DIRTT is a building process powered by technology. The name stands for Doing It Right This Time. The company uses its proprietary ICE® software to design, manufacture and install fully customized interior environments. The technology drives DIRTT’s advanced manufacturing and provides certainty on cost, schedule and the final result. Complete interior spaces are constructed faster, cleaner and more sustainably. DIRTT’s manufacturing facilities are located in Phoenix, Savannah, Kelowna and Calgary. DIRTT works with nearly 100 sales partners globally. DIRTT trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “DRT.” For more information visit dirtt.net/investors.
CONTACT: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Kim MacEachern Investor Relations, DIRTT [email protected] 403.618.4539
