V-Neun Chosen to Oversee Product Development Growth Worldwide

GREENVILLE, Texas--VEX® Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, announced today that John V-Neun has been named Vice President of Engineering. In this role, V-Neun will help manage the explosive growth of the VEX Robotics product lines, and will be responsible for the company's engineering & educational development projects worldwide.

V-Neun has more than eight years of product development, project management, and engineering design experience. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University in upstate New York, he relocated to Greenville, TX to join the Innovation First International team. Mr. V-Neun was one of the primary designers responsible for the initial development of the VEX Robotics Design System, and has been involved with VEX Robotics since its inception, serving as the company's product manager and later Director of Product Development.

"John is a results-oriented leader with a proven track record of developing successful product lines," said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics, Inc. "He is well suited for this position, and I am confident in his ability to lead the charge as we continue to provide high quality, affordable & accessible products that will engage students worldwide."

A prominent member in the robotics community, V-Neun has spent nearly 15 years as a participant, volunteer and mentor of FIRST®. In 2008, he was recognized by FIRST® as a Woodie Flowers Finalist Award winner, an honor which celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.

"VEX Robotics is at a very exciting point in time, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead our engineering team as we work to create the next generation of products that will help advance STEM education," said John V-Neun, vice president of engineering for VEX Robotics, Inc. "I am excited by what we've accomplished over the past five years, and with what we plan to accomplish in the next five."

VEX is the only middle and high school robotics platform with significant penetration in both the daytime classroom instruction and extracurricular competitions. The company's mission is to make VEX Robotics accessible to as many schools as possible, to as many students as possible, in as many cities, states and countries as possible.

About VEX Robotics

VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational robotics products to middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on the VEX Robotics Design System, visit www.vexrobotics.com.