Business News
Presstek Appoints Edward E. Barr to Board of Directors
Thursday 04. September 2008 - Presstek, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRST), the leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset business solutions, today announced that Edward E. Barr has been elected to the Board of Directors.
Mr. Barr is an industry leader who served as President and CEO of Sun Chemical Corporation from 1987 to 1998 during which time Sun Chemicals revenues grew from $600 million to over $3 billion. Mr. Barr has over forty- five years of industry experience, including senior management roles in Sun Chemical and Courtaulds plc, and has also served as Chairman and CEO of Sun Chemical Group BV, and as Chairman of Kodak Polychrome Graphics.
“I am excited to welcome a seasoned executive of Eds caliber to the Presstek board,” commented Jeff Jacobson, Presstek President and Chief Executive Officer. “Eds track record, which includes the successful transformation of Sun Chemical into the leading global graphic arts printing ink and pigments company, demonstrates his strategic vision, industry insight and passion to succeed. Ed and I worked closely together during his tenure as chairman at Kodak Polychrome Graphics, and I am looking forward to another successful collaboration as Presstek executes its strategy.”
“Presstek has a unique and innovative market position, and I am pleased to work closely again with Jeff Jacobson, and the entire team, as we leverage Pressteks strengths to build shareholder value,” commented Mr. Barr.
Barr joined Sun Chemical in 1962 and served as president and chief operating officer from 1975 to 1982, when he left to become Chief Executive Officer and partner with Courtaulds plc in a US-based specialty chemicals joint venture. He rejoined Sun Chemical in 1987 as President and Chief Executive Officer. From 1998 thru 2003, Barr served as Chairman and CEO of Sun Chemical BV, the holding company for Sun Chemical and its other interests, including its 50% equity in Kodak Polychrome Graphics.
A former trustee of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Barr serves as chairman of the board of United Water Resources and is a director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Newline Noosh, a leading provider of print sourcing and procurement solutions. From 1985 to 1987 he chaired the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, a blue ribbon panel responsible for guiding the state’s economic development. From 1976 to 1985 he was a member of the New Jersey Board of Higher Education and served as its chairman from 1978 to 1981.
An economist by training, Barr received his MS from the University of Michigan and participated in the Ph.D. program in economics at New York University (1959-1961). Later, he completed M.I.T.’s Senior Executive Program. A graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business (BS, 1957), he was named a distinguished alumnus of NYU and awarded the John T. Madden Memorial Medal in 1978. Barr was elected an NYU Albert Gallatin Fellow in 1979 and a life member of the Albert Gallatin Associates in 1984. He was awarded honorary degrees by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (doctor of science) and Monmouth College (doctor of laws). Barr is an overseer of NYU’s Stern School, where he led the recently-completed five-year capital campaign.