Daily News Briefs

Candela Corp., a Wayland, Mass., maker of laser technology for medical and cosmetic applications, announced that Catherine A. Kniker has joined the company as vice president of corporate strategic development. She was formerly a vice president at Genuity Inc., and previously was a consultant in the high-technology sector, focusing on strategic planning and marketing strategy development and implementation. . . . Atlanta-based EarthSearch Communications (ESC) has landed a contract to provide Volkswagen with VolksTrack, a location-based global positioning system tracking device, to be installed on all VW models manufactured in and imported to Brazil. EarthSearch CEO Kayode Aladesuyi said the company expects a first-year operating revenue of about $50 million from this agreement. VolksTrack, powered by EarthSearch, will be offered as a standard option on all vehicles sold at the 550 Volkswagen dealerships in Brazil, including used cars. Integration of VolksTrack product into the manufacturing line is expected in the near future. EarthSearch will also provide installation training at the dealerships. VolksTrack is expected to be available to consumers by Nov. 1.