Leadership.
Management Team
Brian R. Kahn
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Brian R. Kahn became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer on January 21, 2011. Mr. Kahn founded and has served as the investment manager of Vintage Capital Management, LLC, and its predecessor, Kahn Capital Management, LLC, since 1998. Vintage focuses on public and private market investments in consumer, manufacturing and defense industries. Mr. Kahn also was the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of White Electronic Designs Corporation, where he served on the Governance, Compensation and Strategic Alternatives committees. Additionally, he recently served as a director of Integral Systems, Inc. where he served on the Nominating and Governance, Strategic Growth and Special Litigation committees. Mr. Kahn graduated cum laude and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Harvard University.
Bel Lazar
President & Chief Operating Officer
Bel Lazar brings over 25 years of experience in the defense, semiconductor and technology fields to API, having served most recently as Senior Vice President of Operations at Microsemi Corporation (NASDAQ: MSCC) and a member of their executive team. During his tenure, he was responsible for several divisions serving the Aerospace & Defense markets and significantly improved operating margins and overall profitability. Prior to Microsemi, Mr. Lazar spent over 22 years at International Rectifier (NYSE: IRF), in expanding leadership and general management roles, culminating as the Vice President of Aerospace & Defense business unit with full P&L responsibility for several divisions worldwide. Mr. Lazar holds a B.S. in Engineering from California State University, Northridge, a M.S. degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law.
John (Jack) Freeman
Chief Financial Officer
Prior to joining API, Jack Freeman served as Chief Financial Officer of Spectrum Control, Inc. since 1990, having previously served as Corporate Controller. He was appointed a Senior Vice President in 2000 and served on the company’s Board of Directors from 1991 through May 2011. Prior to joining Spectrum Control, Mr. Freeman was a Principal with the Certified Public Accounting firm of Root, Spitznas & Smiley, Inc. Previous roles included Principal with Salvia, Schaffner & Bigelow, Inc. and accountant with Price Waterhouse & Co. Mr. Freeman earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Gannon University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
Robert (Bob) McKenna
President, RFS & S3 Divisions
Bob McKenna brings over 20 years of senior management experience to API. Previously, Mr. McKenna served as Senior Vice President of New Business Development for Spectrum Control, Inc. since 2001. In this role, he was responsible for all acquisition activity for the Corporation, including 11 acquisitions with core revenues of over $88.0M. Previously, Mr. McKenna served as Spectrum’s Vice President of Resource Development (1997-2001), Global Distribution Sales Manager (1995-1997), Business Unit Leader of Power Products (1993-1995), and Director of Human Resources (1991-1993). He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Gannon University and completed graduate work at Mt. St. Mary’s College and Edinboro University.
Board of Directors
Brian R. Kahn
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Brian R. Kahn became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer on January 21, 2011. Mr. Kahn founded and has served as the investment manager of Vintage Capital Management, LLC, and its predecessor, Kahn Capital Management, LLC, since 1998. Vintage focuses on public and private market investments in consumer, manufacturing and defense industries. Mr. Kahn also was the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of White Electronic Designs Corporation, where he served on the Governance, Compensation and Strategic Alternatives committees. Additionally, he recently served as a director of Integral Systems, Inc. where he served on the Nominating and Governance, Strategic Growth and Special Litigation committees. Mr. Kahn graduated cum laude and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Harvard University.
Matthew E. Avril
Director
Matthew E. Avril serves as President, Hotel Group for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and is responsible for hotel operations worldwide for Starwood’s nine hotel brands, consisting of 960 properties in more than 97 countries. Mr. Avril also oversees Starwood’s global sales organization. Mr. Avril has over 20 years experience in the hospitality and vacation ownership industry, serving most recently as President and Managing Director of Operations for Starwood Vacation Ownership (SVO), a division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide from 2002 to 2008. There, he oversaw Sales and Marketing, Resort Operations, Finance, Legal Affairs, Homeowner Association Management and Human Resources functions. Mr. Avril graduated with honors from the University of Miami and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Kenton W. Fiske
Director
Ken Fiske founded SenDEC in 1972 as a custom electronics design firm, serving the electronics design needs of Xerox, Kodak, and other leading manufacturers in Upstate New York. Prior to launching SenDEC, he worked for Xerox Corporation as an engineer, technical specialist, and engineering manager engaged in the design and development of new copier and duplicator products. Mr. Fiske implemented the first microprocessor used in a Xerox Copier/Duplicator and is the inventor or co-inventor of 8 U.S. and foreign patents. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in Electrical Engineering. He completed advanced studies at both the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Mel Keating
Director
Mel Keating has experience in various executive, advisory and Board roles for both public and private companies, most recently serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Semiconductor Corp., a worldwide manufacturer and seller of semiconductors. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Quovadx Inc., a healthcare software company. He is currently a director of Infologix Corp. and is also on the Advisory Board of BTI Systems Inc. Additional prior directorships include: Price Legacy Corp, LCC International Inc., Integrated Silicon Solutions Inc., Tower Semiconductor, Plymouth Rubber Company, and Kitty Hawk, Inc. Mr. Keating holds a B.A. degree in History of Art from Rutgers University, and both an M.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kenneth J. Krieg
Director
The Honorable Kenneth J. Krieg heads McLean, VA-based Samford Global Strategies and serves on the board of directors of several private companies, is an Executive in Residence at Renaissance Strategic Advisors and is a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses. Previously, he served as the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (“USD (AT&L)”) from 2005 to 2007, with overall responsibility for the Department of Defense’s procurement, research and development, and other major functions. Prior to his appointment as USD (AT&L), he served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Director of Program Analysis & Evaluation, leading an organization that advises the Secretary of Defense on defense systems, programs and investment alternatives. Mr. Krieg holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Davidson College and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.