IRVING, Texas — EF Johnson Technologies, a solution provider of mission-critical communications technology for emergency responders and independent subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corp., announces two changes to its senior leadership structure.
Mitch Urbanczyk, currently vice president of strategic systems sales, will now lead as the senior vice president of sales. Mitch will oversee all sales functions in the public safety and enterprise channels, creating a unified communications strategy for the entire EFJohnson wireless solution suite, according to the company.
Stephanie Spears, currently serving as senior director of bids and proposals, will now assume the role of vice president of bid operations. In addition to overseeing the pre-sale management functions of the business, Stephanie will also lead the wireless engineering team.
“Mitch Urbanczyk and Stephanie Spears have demonstrated commitment to the EF Johnson team and expertise in multiple fields,” says Duane Anderson, president and CEO of EF Johnson Technologies. “We are uniquely positioned for continued growth as a leader in wireless communications, thanks to significant contributions by Mitch and Stephanie. These senior leadership changes demonstrate our ability to adapt, transform and capitalize on our momentum to drive growth, scale our business and operations and deliver extraordinary value to our
customers.”
EF Johnson also announces a strategic partnership with Instant Connect Software, a global leader in interoperable push-to-talk communications.
The integration will extend RF coverage through IP connectivity and elevate the impact and value of voice communications for radio users worldwide by digitally integrating the Instant Connect platform with KENWOOD NEXEDGE Gen2 systems, according to the company.
Instant Connect’s proprietary push-to-talk (PTT) software is said to turn virtually any IP-connected device into a PTT device that can connect to two-way radio systems. KENWOOD NEXEDGE Gen2 radio users can now seamlessly share operation-critical PTT talk channels with Instant Connect users regardless of the device used.
This “any device, any network” connectivity eliminates communications gaps between radio and IP, improves teamwork and productivity, and enhances worker safety, especially in remote and hazardous environments, the company says.
“Our two companies are forging a new landscape of interoperable communications leveraging the Instant Connect integration to extend traditional RF where cellular and two-way radio users operate in a single environment,” says John North, EF Johnson’s VP of sales. “This integration delivers additional value to KENWOOD two-way radio users by enriching their current radio investment through interoperability.”
The collaboration is currently available on KENWOOD NEXEDGE Gen2 products for enterprise and operationcritical users. Integrations within expanded radio product lines are expected in the future.
“Instant Connect is proud to partner with EF Johnson Technologies to enhance and extend the value of missioncritical radio networks,” says Forrest Claypool, Instant Connect CEO. “We’re connecting radio with mobile/IP users across a wide range of devices while also offering KENWOOD radio users a new level of PTT automation. For radio users, these automated PTT capabilities add a new level of functionality and performance on the front lines.”
