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WoodWing Solutions Names Dave Luther as CEO, Patrick Becker as Presiden

Friday 20. February 2009 - WoodWing Solutions, the client-facing business group created from the restructuring of WoodWing USA, has named two of the publishing software industry's top professionals to the positions of CEO and President.

Dave Luther, an industry veteran and one of the founders of Baseview Products, will guide the company as CEO, while Patrick Becker, formerly the Senior Vice President of Business Development at WoodWing USA, will assume the role of President.

WoodWing Solutions will provide the sales, installation, training, support and customizations for Smart Connection Enterprise and the entire WoodWing suite of publishing products.

Becker said the formation of WoodWing Solutions allows the company to better serve its customers by focusing on its core mission. “Our goal is to provide better customer service, project management and product integrations, while representing client interests at arm’s length from development,” he said.

Luther and Becker were both part of the initial team that brought WoodWing’s revolutionary Smart Connection software to North America. From 2004 through 2009, the group successfully installed and supported tier-one clients in the newspaper, magazine, catalog, book publishing, corporate and agency markets. WoodWing USA’s client list includes more than 150 individual corporations, featuring some of the biggest names in the North American publishing world, and the list continues to grow on a daily basis.

As one of the founders of Baseview Products (now part of MediaSpan Media Software), Luther is a pioneer in the world of publishing software. He wrote some of the first software ever used in publishing, helping Baseview become arguably the most successful newspaper system supplier ever. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the industry to his new role as the CEO of WoodWing Solutions.

“This is an exciting venture for me, because it’s always been my goal to create businesses that provide high-value solutions for customers that will enhance their profitability,” Luther said. “That’s exactly what WoodWing Solutions is designed to do.”

Becker started with WoodWing USA as a sales representative, establishing himself as the face and voice of WoodWing’s U.S. operations, before being promoted to Senior Vice President of Business Development. Since its inception, WoodWing USA has experienced phenomenal growth, establishing itself as a major player in the North American publishing software market.

In his new role as President, Becker said, “My priority is to remain as close to clients as possible while having more influence on the direction and development of the organization.”