Harry B. Shimp
As the founder and president of Charon Industries, Mr. Shimp brings over 25 years of experience in the general management of high technology manufacturing companies. He has had P&L responsibility for more than fifteen different manufacturing businesses in the fields of precision equipment, photovoltaics, engineered materials, optics and aerospace.
He spent his early career at General Electric where he advanced through managerial positions in marketing, manufacturing, and engineering in both domestic and international locations. Mr. Shimp left General Electric in 1989 as the Division General Manager of the High Temperature Materials Division which produced fused quartz, refractory metals and synthetic sapphire for the electronic, fiber optic, and lighting markets.
In 1999, the Solarex photovoltaic company, with Mr. Shimp as president, was wholly acquired by BP, plc. BP merged its own solar business with Solarex to create BP Solar. As president and chief executive officer of BP Solar for the next four years, Mr. Shimp guided the company to revenues in excess of $300 million, an annual growth rate of 25% representing almost one fifth of the worldwide photovoltaic market.
Since leaving BP in early 2003, Shimp has concentrated his efforts in photovoltaics, precision equipment and specialty materials and is involved with companies in these fields.
Mr. Shimp holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and Masters degrees in Engineering and Industrial Administration from Carnegie-Mellon University.