FOR-A Corporation of America has added two high-level executives to its expanding US-based team. Dave Thompson joins the company as Director of Sales, Western U.S.; and Jeff Kaner was named Director of Engineering.
As Director of Sales for the Western Region, Thompson is responsible for all sales and management of FOR-A technology throughout the Western U.S. Kaner leads all U.S.-based design, development and implementation of technology and engineering projects. Both join FOR-A with impressive work histories. Thompson has held senior positions with systems integration and media technology firms. Kaner has worked as a broadcast engineer at TV stations and in engineering at satellite companies and led his own systems integration firm.
Thompson was most recently the regional sales manager for Lawo where he established a five-million-dollar sales pipeline. Previously he’s held sales positions within RIEDEL, JB&A, GB Labs, Melrose Mac, and Digital Broadcast Inc. Based on his experience, particularly with Lawo, Thompson has a deep understanding of SDI/IP conversion best practices and is looking forward to bringing that knowledge to FOR-A.
“FOR-A has long been known for having incredible video quality and, most importantly, a commitment to its customers,” said Thompson. “It is all about the FOR-A family. Our latest generation of solutions brings an astonishing level of versatility with the latest in IP technologies – a key point as the industry turns to IP as the new standard for media infrastructure. My focus has been on traditional linear broadcast and new media clients for the past three years. FOR-A’s current solution set, and more importantly, what we are launching this year, will bring a new era of customers and growth.”
Thompson encourages colleagues, friends, and potential new customers to drop by the FOR-A booth at the 2023 NAB Show to say hello and learn about the latest from FOR-A.
Kaner’s impressive credentials include work as a Senior Systems Integration Engineer in the DirecTV labs where he was part of design teams that built and tested the core for DirecTV’s 4K channels and VOD, Cloud, and end-to-end solutions. He led damage control initiatives that saved millions of dollars in programming and equipment costs for the satellite provider after a flood damaged the El Segundo, California facility. Kaner was half of the two-person engineering team that initially put Disney’s first broadcast television facility, KCAL, Los Angeles on-air in 1991.
As senior systems design and consulting engineer at Little Green Men Engineering in Burbank, Kaner designed and installed A/V infrastructure for a who’s who of broadcasters, government entities, sports organizations, and sports arenas. During his time there he designed three IP-based television stations. He’s installed HD control rooms for several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. Kaner was the lead for one of six engineering teams that did the installation of video replay systems in the MLB stadium facilities before the start of the 2014 season. At the start of his career, he spent three years working on the bench troubleshooting computer boards for systems such as storage platforms for AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) data at Data I/O Corporation. Kaner was also Director of Engineering at the recording studio for the rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
“Both Dave and Jeff have incredibly deep backgrounds in the industry and thoroughly understand our customers’ pain points,” said Satoshi Kanemura. “They’ve also both worked extensively in audio and video; with systems integrators and technology vendors. They have established valuable relationships with major networks, group stations, production houses, and dealers. We are fortunate to have them as part of our growing team.”
