Power Moves: A new set of finance execs for Aurora and a new CEO for Sheetz

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us: pittsburgh@technical.ly.

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Aurora boosts its finance expertise after its public debut.

After just over a month as a public company, Aurora Innovation promoted former VP of Finance Richard Tame to CFO. Beyond navigating the company through both its acquisition of Uber Advanced Technologies Group last year and its major SPAC deal this fall, Tame brings previous experience in finance at Lyft, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon to the new role.

“Over the last year, Richard’s leadership and financial expertise has helped shepherd the company through several acquisitions, expansion, and our path to being a public company,” said Aurora CEO Chris Urmson in a press release about the news. “Naming Richard as CFO recognizes the incredibly important role he and his team have played in our growth and will continue to play as we commercialize our products.”

Beyond Tame’s promotion, Aurora also expanded its finance team to include Stacy Felt as VP of investor relations, Helen Chue as the senior director of business risk and insurance and Katherine Jong as senior director of financial planning and analysis. All of these new roles will help navigate the complex finances that Aurora will need to keep track of as it aims to successfully launch a commercial product and turn a profit in the coming years as a public company.

Sheetz has a new CEO as its tech team expands in Pittsburgh.

Family-owned and Pennsylvania-headquartered convenience store company Sheetz announced Travis Sheetz (nephew of founder Bob Sheetz) as the new president and CEO starting in January 2022, after previously serving as the company’s president and COO.

The news comes after the company shared it would expand its tech offices in Pittsburgh in an effort to build its innovation, data and IT teams. A spokesperson for the company shared via email that this new commitment to tech would allow Sheetz to test new innovations for the convenience industry in addition to plans for expansion of delivery options and the addition of 25 to 30 new stores in the next year.

“I am extremely humbled for the opportunity to carry out my Uncle’s mission for this company and ensure the family values he instilled when he founded Sheetz in 1952 continue in the future,” said Sheetz in a press release. “I look forward to building on the success and innovation Sheetz exhibited during my brother’s time as CEO. Sheetz will continue to put our people first, bring innovation to our industry and fulfill our vision to create the business that will put the Sheetz as we know it today out of business.“

Seegrid’s CEO is an Entrepreneur of the Year.

Just ahead of Thanksgiving, Ernst & Young announced its finalists for the Entrepreneur of the Year National award, which included Seegrid CEO Jim Rock. The company noted that Rock was selected from a pool of over 200 people and 185 companies in the United States, based on decisions from judges regarding entrepreneurial leadership, talent management, financial performance, societal impact, ability to overcome challenges and originality.

“Being selected as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year National finalist is a testament to the drive, talent, and perseverance of the entire team at Seegrid,” said Rock in a statement. “I’m proud of our outstanding accomplishments in providing leading mobile automation solutions that fulfill a crucial need: keeping the global supply chain running reliably despite the substantial challenges the world encountered over the past two years. I am incredibly honored to be a part of this exceptional team.”

EY named Seegrid CEO Jim Rock an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 National finalist. Read the full press release here:https://t.co/fOj9oITJb8

— Seegrid (@Seegrid) November 23, 2021

Officeworks hired a local leader amid a Pittsburgh expansion.

Office space consulting firm Officeworks recently announced an expansion to Pittsburgh amid a slew of new workspace openings and expansions here from companies such as Sheetz, DoorDash, Duolingo and 3M. With the announcement also came the appointment of Brandon Moore as the new managing director of the company’s Pittsburgh offices. Officeworks also has locations in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey and DC.

“Pittsburgh is home to so many great companies, leading healthcare and education institutions, and emerging industries,” says Officeworks CEO Mark Loughlin in a press release. “We are excited to have the opportunity to expand the Officeworks brand into the Western PA market. We are committed to investing on a local level, supporting these companies with the resources of our multi-location dealership and our best-in-class service.”

ChemImage picked a VP of medical devices.

ChemImage, a Point Breeze-based company that specializes in smart chemical imaging technology and machine learning applications, announced that Carl Denys would join the company’s management team as VP of medical devices. Previously, Denys worked at EOS Imaging, Deerfield Imaging and Boston Scientific. In this new role, he will focus on opportunities for ChemImage’s technology in medical applications, a press release said, with a specific early focus on diagnostic endoscopy and quantification of pre-clinical heart failure-related congestion. The news comes as Pittsburgh’s private, public and nonprofit sectors announced commitments to building the life sciences industry here.

“As our business has grown and our focus turns more to solving complex medical challenges, we identified the need to add leadership with strong experience in medical devices,” ChemImage founder and President Patrick Treado said. “Carl comes to us with experience in strategic planning, sales, marketing, and business development with global organizations. We are confident that he will help us to continue to grow in the medical device space.”

Sophie Burkholder is a 2021-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Heinz Endowments.