Jeff Herman departs Imatest, taking off for the Space Coast

After six years as CEO and successfully growing the company, I've amicably departed Imatest and will move my family to Melbourne, Florida.

Judy, my wife, and I have long toyed with the idea of moving to the Space Coast region to be closer to family and to enjoy all that most people think of when they think of the area: beaches, fishing, seafood, and a more relaxed vibe.

However, as I looked further into the area, I discovered that interesting business is happening there too.

Of the 100 largest metro areas in the US, the Space Coast has the sixth-highest concentration of "advanced industries" jobs, according to a 2016 report from the Brookings Institution. The area is well-known for traditional aerospace heavies like Harris, Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance, and Embraer. The new guard of aerospace is also building a presence in the area. SpaceX, OneWeb and Blue Origin all have operations facilities there.

Though what surprised me was the growing entrepreneurial focus that is spinning off small high-growth companies. Groundswell, a high-tech incubator and co-working space, is a major hub of this movement. I connected with Groundswell's leadership and they have oriented me to the area and made many introductions. I am grateful.

I am already in discussions with a few companies in the area, but I wanted to reach out to my broader network to possibly unearth additional opportunities. I'm looking for a leadership role in a technology-focused business. A few areas of experience include: photonics, software, internet, e-commerce, and computer security.

Please feel free to reach out if you know of something interesting, or if you just want to reconnect.

Jeff

[email protected]