MOUNT VERNON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Applied UV, Inc. (NasdaqCM: AUVI) (“Applied UV” or the “Company”), a global leading provider of patented, scientifically and clinically proven surface and air pathogen elimination and disinfection technologies (fixed, mobile, and HVAC), LED lighting products and premium hotel furnishings, announces today the following leadership appointments following the completion of Applied UV’s acquisition of Puro Lighting, LLC (“PURO”) and LED Supply Co. (“LED Supply”). Eugene Burleson who has served on Applied UV’s Board of Directors since 2020 has been named Chairman of the Board. Max Munn, the Company’s Founder, and a member of the Board of Directors and, has been serving as the interim CEO, has been appointed CEO and President of Applied UV. Brian Stern, chief executive officer and co-founder of PURO, and Andrew Lawrence, chief operating officer and co-founder of PURO and LED Supply have joined the Company’s management team.
In addition, the Company has formed a Global Scientific Advisory Board and appointed Dr. Bernard C. Camins, Dr. Christopher E. Mason and Mark Beringer to serve as advisors.
Max Munn, Founder, CEO and Director stated, “Gene Burleson has provided us sound counsel since he joined our Board. I championed his elevation to serve as our chairman. Having two of the founders join our ranks will help to ensure timely execution of the integration of Puro and LED Supply. The addition of these distinguished thought leaders to our Scientific Advisory Board will help drive the adoption of our entire suite of air and surface pathogen elimination portfolio by our customers and potential customers. We welcome all these esteemed individuals to the Applied UV Family.”
Mark Beringer, a member of Applied UV’s Scientific Advisory Board and Chief Wine Maker at Phantom Creek Estates in the Okanagan Valley, BC stated, “We utilize our Airocide systems to protect our most valued assets, our oak fermentation tanks. These vessels represent a huge investment, and they must be meticulously maintained from drying out or becoming contaminated with any foreign yeast, bacteria, molds, or mildews. We keep our rooms at a high level of relative humidity, so we count on the Airocide units to keep the air clean and free of any organism or Volatile Organic Compounds (“VOCs”) that could potentially damage the wood vessels or the wines within them. With Airocide our rooms are hospital level clean.”
Executive Management and Board of Director Appointments
Eugene Burleson – Has been a member of our Board of Directors since our IPO. He is a private investor, currently a director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee of Sunlink Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE American: SSY), an investor in healthcare facilities and related businesses located in the Southeast, and a director and the Chairman of the Compensation Committee of HealthNow New York, a private health insurance company. He was Chairman of PET DRx Corporation from June 2005 to July 1, 2010, and its Chief Executive Officer from October 2008 until its acquisition by VCA Antech in July 2010. Mr. Burleson was a director of HealthMont Inc. from September 2000 until its acquisition by SunLink in October 2003. Mr. Burleson served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mariner Post-Acute Network, Inc. from January 2000 to June 2002. Mr. Burleson also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alterra Healthcare Inc., a developer and operator of assisted living facilities and is on the Board of Deckers Outdoor Corporation Inc. Mr. Burleson served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of GranCare Inc. from October 1988 to November 2000. Additionally, Mr. Burleson served as President and Chief Executive Officer of GranCare Inc. from December 1990 to February 1997. Upon completion of the merger of GranCare’s pharmacy operations with Vitalink Pharmacy Services Inc. in February 1997, he became Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Vitalink Pharmacy Services Inc. Mr. Burleson resigned as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Vitalink Pharmacy Services in August 1997. From June 1986 to March 1989, Mr. Burleson served as President, Chief Operating Officer, and a Director of American Medical International Inc. (“AMI”), an owner and operator of acute care hospitals. Based in London from May 1981 to June 1986, Mr. Burleson served as Managing Director of AMI’s international operations. Mr. Burleson received his early management training at Eastman Kodak from 1963 to 1974. He graduated from East Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in accounting and earned an MBA degree in 1972.
Brian Stern and Lawrence Webb join Applied UV’s leadership team as the Company continues the global market expansion of its patented, disruptive, and highly effective suite of surface and air pathogen elimination and disinfection solutions, which now includes the PURO and LED Supply suite of products. Mr. Stern has been appointed to the role of President of PURO Lighting and will serve as a Director on the Board of Applied UV. Mr. Webb has been appointed to the role of president of LED Supply.
Brian Stern most recently served as chief executive officer and co-founder of PURO Lighting Inc. and LED Supply Co. which merged with Applied UV in January 2023. Brian is a visionary entrepreneur and University of Denver alum with a BS in Business Administration who has made a significant impact in the business world. With the co-founding of LED Supply Co. in 2007 and Puro Lighting in 2019, Brian established himself as a leader in both the LED lighting and UV disinfection markets. Under his direction, LED Supply. was recognized multiple times by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the country. With Puro, Brian secured some of the largest contracts for UV disinfection and implemented cutting-edge UVC technology on a nationwide scale. As CEO of both companies, Brian drove their meteoric rise to become one of the fastest growing companies in the United States.
Andrew Lawrence most recently served as chief operating officer and co-founder of PURO Lighting Inc., and LED Supply. He began his professional career in the radio ad sales industry working for a top Denver station where he developed his skills as a salesperson to quickly became the top revenue generator for the firm. In 2009, Andrew co-founded LED Supply Co. with his partner, Brian Stern. As a small business owner/operator, Andrew gained extensive experience in people management, human resources, business operations, key account development and business strategy. In 2018, together with Mr. Stern and Jim Colantoni, Andrew co-founded PURO Lighting, providing ground-breaking UV light technology to help bring clinical-level disinfection to wherever people gather. As Andrew moves into his new role as president of LED Supply, he has the benefit of continuing to manage and work with the same strong team of people he has developed over the past 14 years.
Scientific Advisory Board
Applied UV recognizes the value of adding additional domain expertise and has appointed Dr. Bernard C. Camins, Dr. Christopher E. Mason and Mark Beringer to its newly created Global Scientific Advisory Board. These three distinguished individuals are recognized as leaders in infectious disease and vinology. They understand both the value and strength of the Company’s suite of surface and air disinfection solutions and the impact they could have in improving indoor air quality (IAQ), by protecting people, businesses, and economies from existing and future pathogens. The Company plans to utilize their expertise as ambassadors and speakers at industry conferences, educating vertical end users about the efficacy of the Applied UV portfolio.
Dr. Bernard C. Camins, MD, MSc is currently Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Infection Prevention Medical Director for the eight-hospital Mount Sinai Health System (“MSHS”) in New York. Dr. Camins received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. He then completed his internal medicine residency, chief medical residency, and infectious diseases fellowship at the same institution. During his fellowship, he also completed a Master in Clinical Research when he learned medical epidemiology and biostatistics with MPH students at the Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, Georgia. He was previously a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Healthcare Epidemiologist for the UAB Health System from 2014-2018. He also served as the Medical Director of the Employee Health Program for the UAB Health System. Prior to that, he was Assistant Professor of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and an Associate Hospital Epidemiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He also served as the Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Employee Health at three community hospitals in the BJC health system. He has been involved in healthcare epidemiology and has conducted research to prevent device-related infections like central-line associated bloodstream infections (“CLABSI”) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (“CAUTI”). He was also one of the site investigators for the CDC-sponsored Prevention EpiCenters Program. He has served on multiple committees for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the CDC/SHEA Outbreak Response Training Program Planning Committee. He has been on the Advisory Board for the Guidelines Committee of the Association of periOperativeRegistered Nurses (“AORN”) and the Awards Committee for the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been a member of the Emergency Operations Center at MSHS created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through his role at Mount Sinai, he has implemented policies on testing and isolation precautions for patients, proper personal protective equipment recommendations for healthcare workers in the setting of a global shortage of supplies and contact tracing after both community and workplace related exposures to COVID-19. He has been a consultant for several organizations such as MoMA, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Opera on how to reopen safely and follow guidelines set forth by the CDC and local health agencies. He has advised the United States Tennis Association on how to safely host the US Open for two consecutive years.
Dr. Christopher E. Mason is a professor of Genomics, Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine. He led the first demonstration of genetic sequencing in zero gravity and designed the experimental protocols used on the International Space Station. Dr. Mason has co-founded four biotechnology startup companies including Onegevity Health, Biotia, BridgeOmics, and Genome Liberty. He received his PhD in Genetics from Yale University in 2006.
Mark Beringer – Great grandson of Beringer Vineyards founding brother Jacob Beringer, was immersed in wine from the moment he was born in the heart of the Napa Valley. As the direct descendent to Beringer’s first winemaker and one of the most iconic family names in Napa Valley wine history, he knew from a young age that he would follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. Eager to immerse himself in winemaking after receiving an Enology degree from Cal State, in Fresno, California, he spent a year in the cellars at Beringer in Sonoma and then joined Duckhorn Vineyards in 1992. Mark began as Enologist and worked his way up to Vice President of Winemaking at Duckhorn. In 2009, Mark joined Artesa Vineyards & Winery as Vice President and Winemaker. In 2015, Mark returned to his namesake Beringer Vineyards, joining as Chief Winemaker, and following in the footsteps of acclaimed Winemaker Emeritus Laurie Hook. Now he brings years of wine making expertise to Phantom Creek Estates.
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About Applied UV
Applied UV, Inc. (“AUVI”) provides proprietary surface and air pathogen elimination and disinfection technology focused on Improving indoor air quality, specialty LED lighting and luxury mirrors and commercial furnishings, all of which serve clients globally in both the commercial and retail segments.
Our products address the needs in the healthcare, hospitality, food preservation, cannabis, education, and winery vertical markets. The Company has established strategic manufacturing partnerships and alliances with Canon Virginia Inc, Acuity Brands Lighting, Johnson Controls International, Siemens, W.W. Grainger, and maintains a global network of 89 dealers and distributors in 52 countries, offering a complete suite of products through its two wholly owned subsidiaries - SteriLumen, Inc. (“SteriLumen”) and Munn Works, LLC (“MunnWorks”). SteriLumen owns brands and markets a portfolio of clinically proven products utilizing advanced UVC Carbon, Broad Spectrum UVC LED’s, Photo-catalytic oxidation (“PCO”) pathogen elimination technology, branded Airocide ™, Scientific Air™, Airoclean™ 420, Lumicide™, PUROHealth, PURONet, and LED Supply. SteriLumen’s proprietary platform suite of patented, surface and air technologies offers, the most complete pathogen disinfection platform including mobile, fixed and HVAC systems and software solutions interconnecting its entire portfolio suite into the IoT allowing customers to implement, manage and monitor IAQ measures recommended by the EPA across any enterprise. SteriLumen’s Lumicide™ platform applies the power of ultraviolet light (“UVC”) to destroy pathogens automatically, addressing the challenge of healthcare-acquired infections in several patented designs for infection control in healthcare. LED Supply Co., is a full-service, wholesale distributor of LED lighting and controls used throughout facilities in North America.
MunnWorks manufactures and sells custom luxury and backlit mirrors, and conference room and living spaces furnishings.
Our global list of Fortune 100 end users including Kaiser Permanente, NY Health+Hospitals, MERCY Healthcare, Baptist Health South Florida, New York City Transit, Samsung, JB Hunt, Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park, JetBlue Park, France’s Palace of Versailles, Whole Foods, Del Monte Foods, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons and Hyatt, and more. For information on Applied UV, Inc., and its subsidiaries, please visit https://www.applieduvinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The information contained herein may contain “forward‐looking statements.” Forward‐looking statements reflect the current view about future events. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward‐looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements contained in this press release relating to the view of management of Applied UV concerning its business strategy, future operating results and liquidity and capital resources outlook. Forward‐looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and assumptions regarding its business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward–looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. The Company’s actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward‐looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees of assurance of future performance. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward‐looking statements. Factors or events that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them. The Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, the Company does not intend to update any of the forward‐looking statements. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.