Konarka Names Rick Hess President and COO

Konarka Technologies Inc. of Lowell, Mass., a developer of polymer photovoltaics, announced that Rick Hess has been named to the new position of president and COO. Howard Berke, Konarka's founder, will continue on as chairman and CEO. Prior to joining Konarka, Hess was CEO of Integrated Fuel Cell Technologies, a venture-backed company in Burlington, Mass. He was also previously president of M/A-COM, a manufacturer of high frequency components and systems for the wireless, defense, public safety and automotive markets that is now a unit of Tyco Electronics, the largest business unit of Tyco International. After beginning his career as an engineer at Westinghouse Electric, Hess founded Stable Energy Sources, a manufacturer of microwave subsystems and components serving military and industrial accounts. When it merged with Herley Industries he served as president of the combined company.