Mar 04, 2009In the middle of a recession, most people prefer to hang on to whatever job they have, and if they do move, it's not usually to a much smaller company. Don't tell that to Joe White.
Back in 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, White left a comfortable position to join Matrics, a startup company focused on a technology then unknown to most people—radio frequency identification.
White helped build Matrics into a business that was eventually acquired by Symbol Technologies for more than $200 million. Since then, he's remained a high-profile presence in the industry, guiding Symbol's RFID efforts, and later Motorola's after it acquired Symbol.
Perhaps it's the business cycle, or just the love of a challenge, but White seems to have a hankering for the startup life: It was announced today that he's joining RFID Global Solutions as the company's chief operating officer.
Why RFID Global Solutions? "The company has done successful implementations that use ultra-wideband, passive UHF [ultrahigh-frequency], passive HF [high-frequency], battery-assisted tags and Wi-Fi tags," White says, "so they have a full portfolio of technology solutions. I looked at that, at the engineering and RFID experience, and at the executive team [Diana Hage, a former IBM executive, is the firm's new CEO]. They are top-notch all the way around."
In addition, White had previously worked with the company because it's a Motorola partner, and he worked with Joe Leone, president of RFID Global Solutions, when both were employed at Matrics.
A crazy move in this economy? "Yeah, there's some risk," White states, "but I saw an opportunity. Sometimes you take a risk when the economy is bad, because you believe in something and know there is a significant opportunity. I've always been entrepreneurial, and I like helping smaller companies grow."