IFI Names Paul Copioli to Lead Global Expansion of VEX

[Brandon Martus]

Innovation First International Names Paul Copioli to Lead Global Expansion
of the VEX Robotics Design System
New Corporate Structure and Management to Facilitate Continued Rapid Growth

Greenville, Texas – January 6, 2010 - Innovation First International announced today that Paul Copioli has been named president of VEX Robotics, Inc. This newly formed and wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International and the position of president have been created to accelerate and manage the global expansion of the VEX Robotics Design System and related programs.

Mr. Copioli has more than 16 years experience in robotics, engineering and management and a strong background in competition robotics for education. After receiving his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from the US Air Force Academy, he received a Masters degree in engineering from the University of Michigan. He joined Innovation First after working for Lockheed Martin and subsequently heading the mechanical product development group at FANUC Robotics America. A long time mentor to school robotics teams, Mr. Copioli was recognized in 2005 by FIRST as the national Woodie Flowers Award winner. The highest honor among mentors in the FIRST robotics community, the award celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.

“Paul is a tremendous talent and is well respected as a leader among the professional and educational robotics communities,” said Tony Norman, president and CEO of Innovation First International. “He is well suited to lead the further global expansion of VEX Robotics and the new corporate structure will allow us to focus our resources toward this end.”

“There is a pressing need to involve more students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs,” said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics. “VEX has proven to be a powerful catalyst to engage and motivate students and educators alike. I look forward to serving the wide range of students, classroom teachers and organizers of co-curricular and extracurricular robotics competition programs currently using the VEX platform. I’m also excited to lead the expansion of our global distribution network to reach even more students.”

The VEX Robotics Design System was launched in 2005 and has expanded rapidly in the United States and beyond. VEX is the platform of choice for many middle and high schools that have adopted robotics in the classroom and for extracurricular competitions. Intelitek, Carnegie Mellon and Autodesk have each developed extensive classroom curriculum based on VEX and are authorized resellers of the product line. To meet growing global demand, the company is currently setting up additional sales and distribution partnerships in Europe and Asia.

The full PDF version of this release can be found here.