Redwood City Ð NeXT announced in December that it has tapped Darren Smith to replace Conrad Geiger as the communications specialist in NeXT's marketing and communications division. Smith formerly worked in NeXT's technical-support department, handling questions about Intel configurations and installation.
"I'm really excited about the position," Smith said. "I've gotten a good spin from Conrad on how important it is to keep everyone informed and some tips on how to communicate well with user groups. It was great to be in tech support helping people individually, and it'll be even better to be on the front line selling NeXT."
"We're really excited to bring this function in-house," said Lisa Magnuson, marketing programs manager at NeXT. "Darren is responsible for communicating with the outside NeXT user community and will have the added responsibility of communicating with [NeXT's] direct-sales force."
Geiger, who lives in Seattle, was dismissed in November when NeXT decided to relocate his function to Redwood City. Because Smith works out of the main office, he will have contact with everyone who is producing the information, Magnuson explained.
Smith will be able to take part in "conversations in the hallways and in cafes, and that will let us be more responsible and have a team effort," she said.
"Conrad did a great job," Magnuson added. "This is in no way a reflection on him. We're sorry to see him go, but, at the same time, we're excited to have Darren on board." Smith will continue Geiger's tradition of informing interested parties of the latest NeXT news and of strongly supporting user groups, Magnuson said.