Message #200 From:
NewsBot Date: March 8, 2008 05:08:58 PM
Force Dynamics, LLC Announces New Board Appointments
Damon Walsh named as Chairman
Daniel Busher named as Director
Force Dynamics, LLC–the joint venture company
of Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) and General Dynamics Land
Systems (NYSE:GD)–today announced that Damon
Walsh has been named Chairman, and that Daniel Busher has been
unanimously selected as a new member of its board of directors. The
appointments were effective March 3, 2008. The remaining members remain
unchanged with Mark Roualet as Vice Chairman; Susan Young as Treasurer,
and; Richard Hamilton and John Gonias as members at large.
Mr. Walsh served as a career officer in a wide variety of U.S. Army
staff and command positions before joining Force Protection. He is a
Level III Certified Acquisition Professional as well as a Certified
Professional Contracts Manager with more than 25 years experience in
both the operational Army and Acquisition communities. Mr. Walsh holds a
Master’s Degree in Management from the U.S.
Naval Postgraduate School and is a graduate of the Army Command &
General Staff College. He is also a veteran of Operations Desert
Shield/Desert Storm, Provide Comfort, Uphold Democracy, and Iraqi
Freedom.
“Damon’s leadership
in Force Protection’s customer operations has
been critical to our success,” said Michael
Moody, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Force Protection. “His
expertise gleaned from decades of experience in the military’s
acquisition and contracts operations are invaluable to our continued
successful customer relationships. We look forward to his leadership on
the Force Dynamics board.”
“I am honored by this position with Force
Dynamics,” said Walsh. “Force
Dynamics is uniquely positioned to bring Force Protection’s
best-in-class blast protection technology and General Dynamic’s
unmatched production infrastructure to bear in supporting the war
fighter with the best blast and ballistic protected products available.
Working with Mark, Dan, and the other board members, we look forward to
a bright future and continuing to find ways to broaden the scope of our
success by expanding our customer base and taking advantage of the
tremendous enterprise we've created to date.”
Mr. Busher has more than 20 years of international business experience
in the automotive industry. Prior to joining Force Protection in 2006,
he was an executive of materials for North American Automotive
Operations within Alcoa. He also served as a member of the GM Saturn
Corporation start-up team that implemented revolutionary new labor
agreements and lean manufacturing methods from early concept to full
production. Mr. Busher earned his Bachelor's of Science Degree in
Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He also holds
an Executive MBA, Beta Gamma Sigma honors, from the Owen School at
Vanderbilt University.
“We are very pleased with Dan’s
contributions to Force Protection’s
operations management,” said Moody. “His
expertise and record of success in the automotive industry, particularly
in implementing innovative technology, is a crucial fit for Force
Dynamics’ ongoing objectives and will help
ensure that the company maintains its competitive advantage in producing
the finest tactical wheeled vehicles possible.”
Force Protection, Inc. is a leading American designer, developer and
manufacturer of life saving survivability equipment, predominantly
ballistic- and blast-protected wheeled vehicles currently deployed by
the U.S. military and its allies to support armed forces and security
personnel in conflict zones. The Company’s
specialty vehicles, the Cougar and the Buffalo, and the Cheetah, are
designed specifically for reconnaissance, forward command and control,
and urban operations and to protect their occupants from landmines,
hostile fire, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs, commonly referred
to as roadside bombs). The Company is one of the original developers and
primary providers of vehicles for the U.S. military’s
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, vehicle program.
For more information on Force Protection and its vehicles, visit www.forceprotection.net.
Safe Harbor Language
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties. The Company generally uses words such as “believe,”
“may,” “could,”
“will,” “intend,”
“expect,” “anticipate,”
“plan,” and
similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, including
statements relating to the Company’s ability
to diversify its business, the Company’s
ability to improve its performance, and the change of the culture of the
Company. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements. Actual results could differ materially from those
anticipated in the forward-looking statements for many reasons,
including the risks described in the Company’s
Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Although management believes the expectations reflected in
the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they relate only to
events as of the date on which the statements are made, and the Company’s
future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements may not
meet these expectations. The Company does not intend to update any of
the forward-looking statements after the date of this document to
conform these statements to actual results or to changes in
expectations, except as required by law.
Company Contact: Tommy Pruitt Government Communications
& Public Relations Director 843-574-3866 or Investor
Relations Contact: ICR, Inc. James Palczynski Principal
and Director 203-682-8229
