Executive Profiles
Haynes Griffin
Chairman and CEO
Haynes Griffin, chairman and CEO of Insect Shield, LLC, was previously the founding CEO and president of
Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc. Before being acquired by AT&T in 1999, Vanguard, based in Greensboro, NC, was
one of the largest independent non-wireline cellular telephone companies in the country. Griffin is also the past
chairman of the board of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).
In addition, Griffin was appointed by the White House to the United States Advisory Council on the National
Information Infrastructure to advise the administration on information super-highway policy.
Griffin serves as a trustee for the Center for Creative Leadership, one of the world’s leading organizations devoted to
the study of leadership, creativity and effective management. He is also the past North Carolina state chairman for
the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Griffin is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School, where he served as chairman of the board of trustees, and of
Princeton University, where he has served on the Alumni Council Executive Committee and currently serves on the
Development Leadership Council. He is the past chairman of the board of trustees of Greensboro Day School. Griffin
has served on numerous other public and private business and charitable boards, as well.
Richard Lane
President & COO
Richard Lane serves as Insect Shield, LLC, president and is the developer of the proprietary, patent-pending Insect
Shield process. Previously, Lane was the director of technical research and development for Polo Ralph Lauren
Corporation. During his service at Lauren, the company grew from approximately $50 million in sales to over $1
billion.
Prior to his role at Ralph Lauren, Lane held numerous positions within the apparel industry. In 1974, he was founding
president of Lane’s Commercial Prewash, a Greensboro-based laundry where he was instrumental in the
development of specialty finishes for the apparel industry.
From 1993 to 1999, Lane served as CEO of International Garment Corporation based in Riviera Beach, Florida, a
commercial finisher for major clothing manufacturers.
For more than 30 years, Lane has been recognized within the textile and apparel industries as an innovator and
developer of complex textile products and finishes. He was a leader in the origination and development of the
process of pre-washing garments, which is now a standard in the manufacturing of sportswear and casual apparel
worldwide.
Lane is a longstanding member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, and a graduate of the
College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.
Jason Griffin
Executive Vice President
Jason Griffin joined Insect Shield in October 2002. With strategic oversight of several new company initiatives, he
acts as the principle conduit between the marketing group based in Seattle and the plant operations and company
headquarters in Greensboro. He also oversees all government sales.
Prior to joining Insect Shield, Griffin served in a number of management positions at Dobson Cellular Systems, Inc.,
headquartered in Oklahoma City. Most recently, he served as the national sales director.
Griffin holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering science/management of technology from Vanderbilt University, and
is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School.
Rick Hemmerling
Vice President of Business Development
In January 2007, Rick Hemmerling joined Insect Shield, LLC, as vice president of business development to help
spearhead strategic business initiatives. Under Hemmerling’s direction, the Seattle brand and marketing group
supports existing partners such as ExOfficio, Orvis and L. L. Bean, develops private-label products, manages
development of an overseas facility, and supports Insect Shield’s philanthropic efforts.
In 1987, Hemmerling co-founded ExOfficio with the idea of developing a new generation of performance apparel.
Hemmerling’s creative vision quickly established ExOfficio as an innovator in a highly competitive market. His
creations such as the Baja, Air Strip and Amphi collections continue to lead the travel and adventure wear industry in
design and functionality. Hemmerling also pioneered numerous cutting-edge fabric and garment technologies such as
anti-microbial, ultraviolet-protective and insect-repellent apparel to enhance the protection and comfort of active
travelers. It is no surprise that his innovative products have been featured by media outlets such as Good
Housekeeping, Time, U.S. News & World Report, Business Week and the TODAY Show, to name just a few.
During his 20 years as president of ExOfficio, Hemmerling led the company to be recognized three years in a row on
the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America list. ExOfficio.com was also chosen as one of the best
small business websites by Inc. Technology Magazine. In April, 2006 Travel + Leisure Magazine recognized
Hemmerling as one of the top 35 travel industry innovators in the world.
Hemmerling helped launch Insect Shield technology via the ExOfficio product line in 2004, resulting in the first-ever
EPA-registered insect-repellent apparel to hit the market. He regards Insect Shield repellent apparel as one of the
most important garment technology breakthroughs of the last 25 years. Hemmerling considers the development of
world health initiatives to help in the fight against diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Lyme disease, and West
Nile virus to be one of the most exciting aspects of Insect Shield technology.
Hemmerling’s free time is spent helping his wife with their five children (three of which are adopted from a Siberian
orphanage), yet he has still found the time to travel to 26 countries around the world.
Bob Carroll
Vice President of Finance
Carroll’s resume includes more than a few small business success stories. Before joining the Insect Shield team,
Carroll served for 14 years as Executive Vice President and COO of ExOfficio. Prior to that, he was CFO of Trillium
Health Products and CFO of Piper Aircraft. His planning and execution brought these companies increased
profitability and tremendous financial success. As VP of Finance with Insect Shield, Carroll is charged with
overseeing the strategic financial planning process and creating a foundation that secures the long-term growth and
profitability of the company.