Bill Norwood
Vice President, Products and Technology
Bill is the Vice president of JDA's Products and Technology group. He has served in numerous executive positions of many growth companies in both the Aviation and Optical industries. He headed one of the optical industries largest companies, as President and CEO he took the USA presence for Hoya Corporation from less than 30 million in sales to over 160 million in sale in a 4 year period. He served as program manager and engineering lead on several NASA and US Air Force Programs in the manufacture and design of NASA Space Experiments and Advanced Tactical Weaponry onboard US Air Force Aircraft. He led the marketing and development of systems for Helicopters used by the Military and Airborne Law Enforcement.
Bill worked for Electro Optical Systems, a Xerox Company, and co-developed many electro-optical devices, including space telescopes, rocket sled test units, electroformed optical components, and high-intensity searchlights for police helicopters and military aircraft. While at Xerox and under contract to NASA he was the project team leader responsible for NASA's first successful lunar probe LUSTER, which brought back some of the first lunar samples and information used on later lunar missions. He was one of two engineers who went to Viet Nam as a consultant to the US Air Force, aboard the C-130 Gunship. On this project he was responsible for design changes and technical support of the onboard illumination system, night vision devices and the fire control computer used to direct the aircraft's weapons.
Bill has consulted with many companies in support of their products and utilized contacts with the FAA and other government branches to help introduce their products. He has been the program manager on two Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA's) with the FAA one to test wireless headsets on the many different aircraft owned by the FAA and another one to test the use of thermal imagining cameras for use on the FAA Air Traffic Control Towers located at all commercial airports.
Bill previously worked for JDA launching the Products Division in 2003 before moving to a position with Universal Container in 2006. Bill has consulted with many companies in support of their products and utilized contacts with the FAA and other government branches to help introduce their products. He has been the program manager on two CRADA's (Cooperative Research and Development Agreements) with the FAA one to test wireless headsets on the many different aircraft owned by the FAA and another one to test the use of thermal imagining cameras for use on the FAA Air Traffic Control Towers located at all commercial airports.