Cedar Rapids, IA–Deb Rolfes has been selected as managing director for the newly formed Electronic Systems Professional Alliance (ESPA).
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA), and National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) joined forces to form ESPA, which will serve as the foundation of a career-ready workforce for the electronic systems contracting industry.
Rolfes is responsible for strategic planning and business development, including licensing sales, finance, and marketing. She will also serve as a spokesperson for ESPA.
Rolfes began her career in sales and quality assurance at Parsons Technology Inc., a software development and marketing company, before assuming increased responsibility in new positions with Decisionmark Corp. As business development manager for Decisionmark, she drove marketing and technical standards, served as liaison to electronics industry associations, established relationships with consumer electronics companies and managed strategic partnerships. During Rolfes’ tenure, Decisionmark was a member of the CEA, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) as well as various special interest groups at Microsoft and Intel.
On the heels of Rolfes appointment, ESPA also introduced new logos for the organization as well as for its certification product, which will launch in the fourth quarter of 2007. The logos were designed to appeal to the broad-based electronic systems industry stakeholders, particularly to electronic systems business owners and technicians.
According to ESPA managing director Deb Rolfes, the look and feel of ESPA’s identity helps to communicate the alliance messages of strength, energy, and unity.
“ESPA serves as the foundation of a career-ready workforce for the industry, and the logos really capture this idea,” Rolfes said. “By this time next year, ESPA logos will appear on installation vehicles and contracting bids nationwide, so it is important that they be seen as a powerful, unifying force for the entire industry.”
The certification product logo includes the word “Certified-EST,” which is the official designation of technicians who have successfully passed the ESPA certification exam.
