ATLANTA, July 16, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) announced the loss of one of Georgia's leading visionaries in technology with the passing of the company's founder and first CEO, Dr. John E. Pippin, 79, on Friday after a prolonged illness.
Dr. Pippin founded EMS Technologies (then Electromagnetic Sciences Inc.), along with eight employees, in 1968, and retired as the company chairman in 1998. He is credited with establishing the company as the place to go when the engineering community had 'impossible' microwave problems to solve.
From its earliest days, EMS focused on developing technologies for advanced wireless communications. "We were an entrepreneurial company from day one," Pippin stated in a company videotape created to observe EMS's 30th anniversary in 1998. "The main reason we were successful was our people."
In the early 1970s, EMS pioneered the use of ferrite technology in space applications. As its technology base grew, EMS became an important supplier to the U.S. Defense Department, especially in space communications. A major milestone came in 1976 when EMS built the first electronically steerable antenna flown in space for the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) satellite, precursor to both Milstar and Advanced EHF, built to ensure secure communication transmissions among U.S. military and country leaders. Today, almost every major military satellite flying in space carries EMS hardware. The company had 2006 revenues of $260 million and employs 1,000 people, with major offices in Norcross, Georgia and Ottawa, Canada.
EMS President and CEO Paul Domorski stated, "We are indebted to Dr. Pippin for his entrepreneurial spirit and for his visionary leadership that gave EMS its strong technology foundation. It's that foundation that has served EMS so well, and has continued to be a hallmark of our company. Dr. Pippin's spirit will continue to live on in our labs and in our people as we design high-performing, high-quality products to meet our customers' needs, and grow the company in the future. On behalf of all the employees of EMS, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Pippin's family."
EMS Chairman of the Board John Mowell added, "John Pippin was truly a self-made man, who possessed a significant hunger for acquiring scientific knowledge, knowledge he would later translate into innovative solutions to extremely challenging problems and programs at EMS. In his field, he was considered the absolute best! Beyond that, John, in my opinion, had one of the very finest human qualities a leader could possibly have...compassion, not only for his colleagues and fellow workers, but his family and friends as well. John will now continue his journey in a better place, and no doubt, will continue to voice concerns to his superiors as to the physics of the universe."
Prior to founding EMS, Pippin was vice president of Research at Scientific-Atlanta, where he served from 1964 to 1968. A Fellow of the National Science Foundation and an IEEE Fellow, Dr. Pippin was an engineering graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and earned his Ph.D in Applied Physics from Harvard University.
About EMS Technologies, Inc.
EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) is a wireless and satellite communication solutions leader, serving aeronautical, defense, maritime, commercial space and supply chain markets. Through its LXE, EMS SATCOM, and Defense & Space Systems divisions, EMS keeps people, systems and data connected, wherever they are -- on the ground, in the warehouse, in the air, or in space. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, employs approximately 1,000 people worldwide and operates major manufacturing facilities in Atlanta and Ottawa, Canada.
For more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com.