Longtime Orange County technology executive Bruce Edwards has stepped back as head of Santa Ana’s Powerwave Technologies Inc., a maker of amplifiers for wireless phone networks.
Edwards, a former executive with defunct computer maker AST Research Inc. who came to Powerwave in 1996, goes from chief executive to executive chairman, the company said Friday.
Ron Buschur, Powerwave’s chief operating officer since 2001, was named chief executive.
Earlier in his career, Buschur worked for HMT Technology Corp. and later Komag Inc., two Silicon Valley makers of thin-film disks for disk drives that combined in 2000.
Buschur’s other career stops include Milpitas-based Maxtor Corp. and former computer maker Digital Equipment Corp.
Powerwave’s current chairman, John Clendenin, becomes lead director.
The company returned to profitability last year after enduring a rough patch for the wireless industry.
In 2003, Powerwave moved production from Santa Ana to Asia to keep up with competition. The move cut about half of Powerwave’s 1,200 workers at the time.
Earlier this month, Powerwave said it plans to pay $11 million for Canada’s Kaval Wireless Technologies Inc., a maker of radio frequency amplifiers, repeaters and other gear that boost the performance of wireless networks in buildings.
