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Chief Executive Officer
5383 Hollister Avenue Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 967-8060 x248
Starting his business career in 1978, Dan Firestone has been engaged in several small, high-growth
private companies in the computer distribution, real estate, and manufacturing industries.
In 1984, Mr. Firestone and a partner co-founded Century Computer Marketing, a distributor of computer
products and spare parts, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until May 1994. Under Dan's direction,
Century Computer grew from start-up to $40 million in annual revenue with six offices in four countries
before it was sold in 1994 to a small public company for $32 million.
After spending a year providing management consulting services and searching for his next project,
in July 1995 Dan and two partners launched Somera Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRA),
which grew to $220 million in annual revenue. Dan served as Chief Executive Officer from 1996
to September 2001, and as Chairman of the Board from inception until September 2003. Along the way,
Dan was responsible for raising $52.8 million in venture capital, $65 million in debt financing, and
$120 million in the company's initial public offering in November 1999.
In September 2001, Mr. Firestone stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Somera Communications,
Inc. to pursue his own venture investment and business consulting activities, as a principal and President
of Somera Ventures, LLC, a Private Equity Investment firm that now holds seven companies in its portfolio.
He sits on the board of, and provides strategic and operational consulting to, several of his portfolio
companies, including Tempest Telecom Solutions and is actively engaged at Encore Renewable Energy
as its President and CEO.
