IRVINE, Calif.-Disposable phone maker Hop-On announced it appointed Samuel Demissie as its interim president. Demissie joined Hop-On in February 2003 as president of its Handset Development Group. The company is still looking for an interim chief executive.
The company’s former chief executive officer, Peter Michaels, resigned from the company several weeks ago following his arrest for fraud in connection with a now-defunct online gambling company. A federal indictment accuses Michaels and others of raising millions for World Wide Web Casinos, using false representations and then pocketing some of the money, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The news served to highlight the troubled company, as well as the apparent disappearance of virtually the entire disposable mobile-phone industry. Indeed, Hop-On joins fellow disposable-phone hopefuls New Horizons Technologies International Inc., Diceland Technologies Corp. and Telespree Communications in looking to break out of the market. Promises from such players go back as early as 2000, but it seems few have managed to actually bring their products to market.
Demissie, Hop-On’s new president, has previously worked with semiconductor companies NEC and Philips Semiconductors. Prior to joining Hop-On, he was the vice president of global marketing for Holley Communications.
“Samuel has already played an important role in the successful development of our phone and is very well equipped to take on this increased role as the company moves forward,” said Michael DeMartini, Hop-On’s chief operating officer.
