Oct. 18 during the kiosks.org association's annual meeting, it was announced that executive director Greg Swistak would be stepping down from his position at the end of the month. (The name of the association was changed to The Self-Service & Kioks Association at the meeting, as well.)
Swistak has been involved with the association since its first meeting in 2001. At the time, he was president and owner of Factura, a kiosk enclosure manufacture firm. Swistak assumed the role of vice president of the organization, and would later serve on the executive committee and membership committee.
In 2004, a year after he closed Factura, Swistak was invited to serve as the Association's executive director by Dick Good, chief executive of NetWorld Alliance and one of the prime movers of the association.
"We were very fortunate to get him, and he's really done a lot to lead this organization," said Alan Fryrear of the Self-Service & Kiosk Association.
Looking back on his time with the association, Swistak said it has evolved from a volunteer organization to one with elected officials. He has also seen it become much more active within the industry.
"From the time I joined until now, we have much more active committees," he said. "The committees are out there, really trying to accomplish some things."
One big accomplishment is the adoption of the new name (click here to learn more). Another change is the steady increase in the quality of RFPs generated by the association's Web site.
Swistak leaves his formal role for a position as general manager of the custom products division at Elo TouchSystems, but he said this is by no means a "goodbye."
"I don't intend to stop being active with the association in any way," he said. "This is just a transition for me, having a different relationship.
"I'll be involved with this association for a very long time."
