International distributor Fiber Optic Center Inc. (FOC) has promoted Ben Waite, currently the company's executive vice president, to president and CEO effective Jan. 1. Founder Neal Weiss has been president since FOC's inception in 1992 and, following Waite's appointment, will work part time as an adviser. Weiss founded FOC as a spinoff of the fiber business of Boston Electronics Corp. (BEC), an importer and exporter of laser components, where he began working in 1981. BEC was one of the first companies to specialize in fiber optics, offering a range of products, from connectors and consumables to draw towers and modified chemical vapor deposition gas systems. Waite has a bachelor's degree in physics, mathematics, and science and technology studies from Colby College. He started at FOC in 1995 and has worked with customers to solve production and sourcing issues, achieving steady sales growth year to year.