Biographical Information
EDWARD RICHARD has significant experience in building electronics contract manufacturing platforms and deployment of new technology on a worldwide basis. He has created several international companies from start up to successful financial exit for private equity and institutional investors.
Prior to joining the Askew Kabala Firm, Mr. Richard was founder, CEO, and President, of Align Micro International Corp. A company that offers electronics manufacturing capabilities and value added services to meet the global requirements of its customers, enabling them to rapidly and competitively capture new markets for their technology within the Latin America region. A subsidiary company, Align Micro do Brazil, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, provides wireless technology vendors with an efficient alternative to the high cost of importing finished products into Latin America. Align Micro has identified a particular market niche in the manufacturing and distribution of mobile phone handsets, consumer electronics, cable set-top units, and other wireless infrastructure equipment to regional telecommunications carriers and retail customers. The business is based on the founders’ thirty-year expertise in electronics manufacturing and telecommunications operations in the USA and Latin America. The company acts as a market-entry vehicle and export platform for communications technology vendors throughout the world that have identified Latin America as a preferred target market.
Mr. Richard Co-founded and was President of Orbis Communications, Inc., a company with electronics contract manufacturing and telecommunications services in various locations throughout Latin America. On the telecom side, Orbis operated as an inter-exchange carrier for voice and data, utilizing satellite and ground-based technologies throughout the Americas, including major points of presence in Argentina, Perú, Chile, Brazil and the U.S. In the area of manufacturing, Orbis operated three electronics contract manufacturing facilities based in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil, producing a wide variety of computer, consumer electronics products, and wireless communications technology for domestic distribution and export of finished goods to the global marketplace.
Mr. Richard was President of Energy Technology Crop., responsible for raising $7.5 million of private equity to develop the company’s building control products and software technology. Established R&D engineering, manufacturing, and distribution facilities in the United States, along with an off-shore manufacturing platform located in Mexico to support the world-wide distribution market. At Energy Technologies, he also directed product development and national marketing of energy management systems for commercial and institutional end users throughout the United States and Canada.
Mr. Richard is a graduate of Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan, with a B.A. in Asian History/Languages, 1965 – Emphasis on Japanese & Chinese culture and language and attended the University of Maryland 1968 – Accounting, marketing, general business, and MBA studies. Mr. Richard speaks Japanese fluently and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese.
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