PEOPLE NEWS
Axion Power mourns sudden passing of chairman and CEO David DiGiacinto, chairman and chief executive of Axion Power, died unexpectedly on January 25. David DiGiacinto was respected as much for his proven business acumen — fostered in over 30 years of commercial experience — as a kindhearted and fair employer, known for his ability to see all sides of the management situation: the workforce, the customer and the need for a company to thrive. “Companies are about people,” he said recently. “How you employ and lead them with structure, flexibility, and process. The other side of the people equation is the customer. Customers will buy and appreciate if they gain the confidence of their suppliers and they see a product, operational organization, and management team that can execute consistently and successfully.” He was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania — a town that despite his travels he was attached to all his life — in 1954. He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point with a BS in Engineering and the Humanities in 1975. While at the academy he lettered in varsity football and baseball. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Air Force and became a pilot in command before he eventually resigned his commission as a captain. He flew one year for a private charter before he started his business career with Pfizer in 1982. He worked at Pfizer for two major operating groups until 2000 in everincreasing positions of responsibility in sales, marketing, business development and general management
where he was in charge of businesses, domestic and international. From 2000 onwards, he joined Spencer Trask Ventures a New York private equity investment. Within 18 months of joining he became senior managing director and eventually VP for business development. Once a company or technology was identified, it was up to Dave DiGiacinto to sponsor the investment candidate through the review process, and finalize the business proposition. As part of this he served on the board of directors of several client companies, both public and private. He also held roles as audit and compensation committee chair on many of those boards. This large experience was brought to bear when he was brought into help Minrad, a troubled general anaesthesia and medical device company. He was involved in raising a $40 million debt financing and became the company’s president. DiGiacinto refocused and restructured the company. It was later successfully sold to Piramal Healthcare. After this he took on the P&L responsibility of a $200 million private label pretzel and snack food company, managing the day to day operations. This business was successfully sold to ConAgra Foods. He has also worked on various other boards of directors in helping companies to achieve their full potential. He was brought into help Axion Power in February 2014. He quickly became a key figure in the firm and took over from Tom Granville as chairman last summer when he
David DiGiacinto • 1954-2015 retired due to ill health. DiGiacinto’s new work encompassed Axion’s private placement in November as part of a more general attack to balance the books and bring the start-up firm’s exciting technology to a wider audience. In his private life, he held various civic responsibilities for his hometown, Bethlehem and also for local non-profit organizations. A local paper reported that friends and family members of David DiGiacinto recalled him as a fiscal watchdog — he was the city’s financial controller — dedicated to his city and his family. “He was a great public servant with a great love for the city and an even greater love for his family,” said Robert Donchez, the mayor of Bethlehem. “He was one of the smartest people I ever met and certainly one of the most passionate,” said Bethlehem council president William Reynolds. A local paper said that despite a divorce in 2000, his ex-wife described him as her best friend and how they still talked daily. “Dave was a devoted family man,” a friend said. He was just 61. ■
Sad farewell to Chuck LaSota Charles LaSota, president of the Battery Innovation Center, lost his battle with his cancer on January 26. His presidency of the BIC, based in Indiana in the US, was a second career for LaSota who had completed a distinguished and much respected 35-year term with the US Navy. The BIC is a not-for-profit technology development enterprise
8 • Energy Storage Journal • Spring 2015
that brings together resources from industry, academia, and government agencies to accelerate the development and commercialization of advanced battery solutions. The BIC, which was formed in May 2012, is being considered for membership in the soon-to-be-formed Energy Hub run by the US Department of Energy. One of his colleagues said: “He
had that unique ability to very quickly grasp a technical problem and then provide the technical leadership as solutions were developed and implemented.” Jim Greenberger, head of NAATBatt International, said: “Chuck was an outstanding patriot and an even more outstanding gentleman. “He will be sorely missed.” ■
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