IAM Robotics Names Joel Reed CEO

IAM Robotics founder Tom Galluzzo will become the company’s chief technology officer and has named current vice president, Joel Reed, as the new chief executive officer.

Reed, who joined IAM Robotics to build sales and marketing functions, will lead the company into a new phase of growth as the logistics market turns to robots that can both pick and transport inventory items to address industry worker shortages.

Reed has nearly 25 years of leadership experience bringing innovative ideas and products to market. He began his career as a technology consultant at Ernst & Young (now Cap Gemini) but ultimately was drawn to an entrepreneurial track.

His accomplishments include helping introduce the first mobile-based online storage solution at i-drive.com; developing and executing the commercialization plan of a 3D LIDAR data processing platform at Allpoint Systems, which was acquired by Autodesk; and establishing the market presence for a new class of autonomous AGVs (automated guided vehicles) at Seegrid, a leader of self-driving vehicles for material handling.

Galluzzo will continue to lead the vision for future products at the company and will focus on advancing IAM Robotics’ world-class technologies to bring transformative solutions to market. Galluzzo explained the changes: “It’s been a goal of ours to find someone that could lead the business, so I can focus on what I’m best at, which is the technology. Joel is someone that I admired in the Pittsburgh business community, and he has done an excellent job establishing our market traction and putting us on an accelerated growth path.”

“Joel knows what it takes to introduce advanced robots into industrial settings, and he has the integrity and commitment to be a champion for our customers, partners and employees,” continues Galluzzo. “I’m confident having Joel lead us, and I’m excited as we realize the promise of robots solving critical industry challenges.”

Joel Reed, CEO, IAM Robotics

“When I started in the early days of autonomous material handling robots, we didn’t face the labor shortages, e-Commerce expectations, and intense competition that we face today. Having fully flexible operations and innovative distribution capabilities is now a business imperative,” says Reed.

“The talented team at IAM took on the extremely difficult task of automating both material selection and transport and fielded a solution that gives our customers and the industry a platform for moving into the future. It’s an exciting time, and I am thankful for this opportunity to work with our team, customers and industry partners.”