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Genoa CEO steps down, company cuts workforce

Fiber-optic component maker Genoa is making cutbacks in the light of current business conditions.
Genoa, a manufacturer of InP-based linear optical amplifiers located in Fremont, CA is making a number of changes in light of what it describes as increased focus on customer design-ins and the context of the current business environment.

Genoa s Rick Gold, who led the company as it brought the linear optical amplifier to market, is stepping aside as CEO. The company has appointed its senior VP of operations, Fariba Danesh, as acting CEO. In addition, Genoa will cut its cost structure with a reduction of its 100-strong workforce by approximately 20%.

Genoa s InP linear optical amplifier is based on a 1550 nm VCSEL. The VCSEL contains an active region that pumps excess photons into gain medium, amplifying all wavelengths in the same way EDFAs currently amplify WDM signals. The amplifier’s chip-scale dimensions potentially offers lower power consumption and costs, and lends itself to integration with other optical functions in small packages. The first amplifiers were shipped in February.

"Genoa has come to an important inflection point in its history," said Gold, who has served as president and CEO since 1998. "The LOA has been developed from a technology idea to a real, shipping product with the potential to change the economics of key pieces of optical networks. Today, as the company is actively working with customers who are embracing our product and vision, I am confident that Genoa has achieved an excellent foundation for its next phase of growth."

According to Jim Witham, Genoa s senior VP of sales and marketing, this phase includes a shift in emphasis from early-stage R&D to customer-oriented product engineering. This transition, coupled with current telecommunications market conditions, accounts for the headcount reductions.

"Genoa is committed to focusing resources on working closely with customer engineers to optimize the use of the LOA in their new products," said Witham. "Genoa s number one goal is to ensure that our customers are as successful as possible."

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