NanoLumens Bright Thinking

Rick Cope is the embodiment of entrepreneurial spirit captured within a military mind. With over 25 years of experience, Rick is a former Combat Commander who served as a Special Ops Advisor to General Schwarzkopf and Senior Program Manager, directing a $250M fund for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); the independent research branch of the U.S. Department of Defense initiative. Named by the Hudson Institute as the best Public-Private Partnership in recent history. Rick has since led several companies as CEO, President, CTO, and COO and holds over 30 industry patents. He is a negotiating powerhouse who knows how to identify a ground-breaking idea, assemble a great team and bring that idea to life.

Not only the founder of NanoLumens, today, Rick takes an active role in the company as CEO. An avid proponent of veteran’s affairs and several other charitable organizations, Rick currently serves on the board of the National Christian Foundation. You can read more about Rick’s passion in his book The Third Bucket.

Karen Robinson is a serial entrepreneur and a fundraising force to be reckoned with. Having served as CEO for several high growth ventures over her career, she has currently raised over $100 million in the course of her career. Also named as the first Woman of the Year by WIT in 2000, Karen currently spearheads strategic growth as the EVP of Business Development.

When you can’t find Karen by her one-of-a-kind laugh in the office, you may find her giving back to her favorite organizations such as TiE Atlanta, The Council of Board Advisors (COBA) and Opportunity International (OI) where she travels the globe concentrating on micro-lending to entrepreneurs in third-world locations in pursuit of her passion of eradicating poverty.

Gary Feather is a sought after senior operations executive and an expert in the worlds of display technology, imaging, lighting and energy systems. He holds nine United States Patents with co-inventors in TV, display content and LED systems. Gary began his career at Texas Instruments where he progressed through the ranks for seventeen years before moving to Sharp Electronics where he served as the Senior Vice President of LED Lighting. Today, Gary currently spearheads product development and operations as CTO.

An avid traveler, Gary has earned 3.9 million lifetime airline miles! And today, because the majority of his travel is for work, you can find him enjoying home; involved with Bible Study Fellowship, Norcross Cooperative Ministries and Medical Teams International.

Wes Funsch is a best-in-class operations manager with a focus on lean transformations, bottom line optimization and modernization. Known for maximizing profitability and exceeding industry standards, Wes is a proud graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he studied Material Science Engineering with a specialization in Metallurgy. Prior to his position as VP of Operations, Wes was a plant manager for the 350 employee EATON Lighting plant in Americus, Georgia as well as for the $500MM RBC Bearings company.

A twenty year veteran of the Boy Scouts of America, today Wes is the Director of Programming for the Central Georgia Council. Active in multiple sports with his two sons, Wes is also a marathon runner and most recently ran the 2016 Peachtree Road Race.

Tony Cannon is a detail oriented financial authority with experience in capital raises, asset management, and streamlining cross-functional business processes to ensure operational performance. As the Vice President of Finance Tony is responsible for the overseeing all accounting and finance functions, including financial reporting to NanoLumens executives, board of directors, and lenders.

A Florida native, Tony is a devoted University of Florida alumnus and avid basketball fan. He also enjoys traveling, having visited 40 states in a single year. As a new father of two boys, he enjoys spending time at home with his growing family.

Almir DeCarvalho is a strategic sales leader with cultural finesse and understanding of the relationship. In his role as the Vice President of Sales, East Coast, he is responsible for expanding the global footprint of NanoLumens while also enhancing the ongoing relationships of top tiers partners. One of the first fifteen employees and an active member of the NanoLumens leadership team, Almir brings his straight shooting ideas and strong work ethic to this already talented team.

As a global citizen, Almir is fluent in Portuguese and conversational Spanish. He is a mentor and coach both at work and at home and is looking forward to many a college tour in the coming years as he helps to lead his two daughters on their paths to higher education.

Dave Merlino is an expert communicator and sales leader with the ability to cut through noise and get to the bottom line in an effective and timely manner. In his role as the Vice President of Sales for the West Coast, he is responsible for driving business from Texas to California and the Pacific Northwest. With multiple BLUE chip American companies as repeat customers, Dave is responsible for double digit revenue growth across the organization. A confident negotiator, Dave began his NanoLumens career in business development and has strategically grown into an executive leader.

A former radio host, Dave is a recognized voice across Georgia through his syndicated show. He is driven at work and at home and makes staying healthy with his wife a regular part of his routine. Currently overseeing the NanoLumens Las Vegas Visualization Center, Dave is a Las Vegas local and says “You can’t find a better steak than at Hank’s at Green Valley Ranch!”