NanoRacks Grows Leadership Team
NanoRacks is pleased to announce changes in the Company’s leadership and management team. These changes reflect NanoRacks’ rapid growth and advancement of strong leaders in the Company, effective immediately.
Michael D. Johnson – From Chief Technology Officer to Chief Designer, XO Markets
Chris K. Cummins – From Chief Operating Office/Chief Financial Officer to Chief of Products, Pricing, and Contracts
Richard Gruver – Chief Financial Officer, XO Markets
Michael Lewis – From Senior Lead Engineer to Chief Technology Officer
Marcia Blount – From Program Logistics Manager to Director of Houston Operations
NanoRacks CEO Jeffrey Manber stated: “This is an exciting turning point in NanoRacks history. We are no longer considered a startup, but now a well-established entrepreneurial company. We have implemented the strongest leadership team that will continue to grow NanoRacks to the next level.”
Michael Johnson as Chief Designer is a noteworthy position change. Johnson is a rare engineer who is adept at thinking outside the box as part artist and part designer with a passion for new ideas.
Continues Manber, “Chief Designer is a reserved for only a select group of unique companies, and NanoRacks is one of those. We have a vision for the future and Michael Johnson is the engineer that is going to bring our goals for space utilization into reality.”
New to the NanoRacks team is Richard Gruver. As CFO of XO Markets, Gruver will work across the full range of NanoRacks’ new products, new subsidiaries, and create the financial tools needed to manage NanoRacks while undergoing rapid growth. He comes with expertise as a CPA with experience working in companies as large as Dell and across a number of space ventures.
With the constantly growing number of contracts and customers, it was natural move for former COO/CFO Chris Cummins; to transition fully to managing all company contracts and products, giving the utmost attention to the NanoRacks’ customers.
Marcia Blount will take control of the Houston office’s day-to-day operations while managing all projects, production schedules, and troubleshooting. Mike Lewis will take the lead of the NanoRacks’ engineering team, expected to grow continuously throughout 2015.
NanoRacks’ is excited for these changes and further developments as the Company continues to be the leading provider of commercial utilization in low-Earth orbit and beyond.
Download the full Release PDF and for further media inquiries, please contact Abby Dickes atadickes@nanoracks.com
About NanoRacks
NanoRacks LLC was formed in 2009 to provide commercial hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station via a Space Act Agreement with NASA. NanoRacks’ main office is in Houston, Texas, right alongside the NASA Johnson Space Center. The Business Development office is in Washington, DC., and NanoRacks’ now has a new office in Silicon Valley, California. The Company has grown into the Operating System for Space Utilization by having the tools, the hardware and the services to allow other companies, organizations and governments to realize their own space plans.
To date over 200 payloads have been deployed by the Company on the International Space Station and our customer base includes the European Space Agency (ESA) the German Space Agency (DLR,) the American space agency (NASA,) US Government Agencies, Planet Labs, Urthecast, Space Florida, NCESSE, Virgin Galactic, pharmaceutical drug companies, and organizations in Vietnam, UK, Romania and Israel. Our customer base has propelled NanoRacks into a leadership position in understanding the emerging commercial market for low-earth orbit utilization.
