American Superconductor Names Paratore Senior VP and General Manager of Wires Business Unit

American Superconductor Corporation has named David Paratore senior vice president and general manager of its Wires business unit, which manufactures and sells the company's high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire. The announcement was made in conjunction with several other promotions or newly expanded assignments for corporate and business unit staff. Paratore, who joined AMSC in 2000, most recently was vice president and general manager of AMSC's SuperMachines business unit. Prior to that, he headed the company's Integrated Electronics business unit, which subsequently became part of the Power Electronic Systems business. Paratore previously held a series of positions in operations and general management with Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation. "Dave has been an outstanding leader and manager at American Superconductor. His passion for success has delivered great results, including our $70 million ship propulsion motor contract with the U.S. Navy," said Greg Yurek, chief executive officer. "Now that our new first generation wire manufacturing operation is up and running, and as we begin to look at the requirements for scaling up our second generation wire manufacturing process, the time is right to move Dave into this key role. Dave's focus on operational excellence is just what we need to lead this business unit through its next phase of growth." Eric Snitgen, who was vice president and general manager of AMSC Wires, has been named to the newly created position of vice president of sales and marketing and will continue to report to Yurek. Prior to joining AMSC in 2000, Snitgen held executive sales and marketing and general management positions at Hendrix Wire and Cable from 1992 to 2000 and at Cooper Power Systems from 1982 to 1992. "As we increase our commercial manufacturing capacity, Eric's extensive knowledge of our customer base and proven track record in wire and power equipment sales make him uniquely qualified to drive the market expansion efforts for our industry-leading superconductor products," Yurek added. Also today, the company announced that Charles Mayer has been promoted to vice president and general manager of the AMSC SuperMachines business unit. Previously, Mayer managed the company's superconductor motor development projects as director of Navy Motor Programs. Prior to joining ASMC in 2002, he was director of nuclear projects at Exelon, an energy services company. >From 1968 to 1997 Mayer was an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he commanded a nuclear submarine and a submarine squadron during the latter part of his naval career. In addition, Stuart Karon was promoted to vice president of business development for AMSC SuperMachines. In this position, Karon will spearhead the company's HTS rotating machine marketing and sales activities. Karon joined AMSC in 1998 as director of business development and government programs. Earlier, he was director of sales at Spectronic Instruments, an analytical instrument company. Karon was also an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1968 to 1994, serving a portion of his career as commanding officer of a guided missile destroyer. "The organizational realignments we are implementing today are key elements in our plan to further strengthen our business growth over the next few years. With these changes, we will be able to more fully leverage the strengths and industry experience of some of our best people," Yurek said.