- BTI Telecom Corp., a privately-held communications company, named J.W. Braukman to the top finance post. Prior to joining BTI, Braukman held various senior finance posts in a number of divisions at General Electric. Most recently he was CFO at GE’s information technology solutions business unit. He also served as CFO of the company’s Italy operations, Nuovo Pignone, a business with sales of $1.6 billion and eight manufacturing locations. Prior to joining GE, Braukman served as executive vice president and chief financial officer at Rhythms NetConnections Inc., a broadband provider. “With his tremendous track record of driving growth and profitability at multi-billion dollar businesses in GE, an organization legendary for financial strength and discipline, we are confident he will contribute to BTI’s long-term success,” said CEO Joseph Cece. BTI offers a host of retail services to business customers, including local, long distance, data, and Internet access.
- Debbie Pickard is the new finance chief at Mirenco Inc., a maker of emission reduction technologies based in Radcliffe, Iowa. Prior to taking over the finance department, Pickard provided consulting services to the finance and accounting department at Mirenco. She has over 18 years experience in corporate auditing and accounting and has held a variety of finance positions in the transportation, agriculture, investment, and health care industries. She has also worked as an internal auditor at Iowa State University. Pickard received a B.S. in business administration, with an emphasis in accounting, from the University of Nebraska.
- John Lukrich has been tabbed to head the finance department at Generic Media, a digital media infrastructure company launched in February 2000. Lukrich most recently served as chief financial officer and vice president of finance and operations at Burst.com, a provider of video and audio delivery software. Prior to that, Lukrich was interim director and CFO of NetAmerica.com, a B2B e-commerce company. Lukrich also served as president of Intervista Software, a 3D software company acquired by Platinum Technologies, where he helped the company raise $15 million in. Those experiences will help Lukrich in his new position, as Generic Media prepares to obtain a fresh round of funding in late Q1 or early Q2.
