Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Company: Electronic Technical Services
Location: Ruskin, Florida, United States
Ken Taschner, president and chief executive officer of Electronic Technical Services, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in electronics and engineering.
When Mr. Taschner became an amateur radio operator at just 8 years old, he couldn’t have realized that those experiences would be the base for a 55-year career. Despite dropping out of high school and never holding an engineering degree, he has constructed an esteemed reputation in the world of electronics.
Prior to beginning his professional journey, Mr. Taschner devoted more than five years to the military, serving in the U.S. Air Force as a staff sergeant and combat controller beginning in 1970. He demonstrated his bravery during the Vietnam War as part of the Air Force Commandos special forces group, specializing in dangerous combat jumps from airplanes. Mr. Taschner’s name is featured on the Air Commando Association’s Wall of Fame. He considers his time in the military to be the greatest highlight of his life.
As he neared the end of his military tenure in 1975, Mr. Taschner created Electronic Technical Services LLC, where he has held the roles of president and chief executive officer since. Through this company, he offers consulting services, showcasing his expertise in engineering despite not holding a degree in the field. Mr. Taschner has collaborated with a wide range of companies, from major corporations to small businesses, but he has always preferred to work with startups. He has played a key part in the design of more than 300 products across industries, including aerospace, cable TV, energy management, military communications and scientific instrumentation.
While establishing and growing Electronic Technical Services, Mr. Taschner took on additional positions at a number of other organizations, including as an engineering manager in color and appearance at Pacific Scientific Gardner’s Neotec Instruments Division. From 1987 to 1990, he was the vice president of research and development at BYK Additives & Instruments, a manufacturer of sealants, adhesives and other additives. Mr. Taschner later contributed for nearly 10 years as a design support engineer with Thales Communications. Beginning in 2010, he spent several years as a senior systems engineer at Rockwell Collins, an aerospace technology company.
Although he has not taken a traditional path to his career, Mr. Taschner’s accomplishments have still been supported by his education, beginning with completing a GED through the University of Maryland. After the first 20 years of his professional life, he returned to school to obtain an Associate of Arts in business administration from Frederick Community College in 1991. Mr. Taschner graduated magna cum laude from Frostburg State University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in business, finance, accounting and management. Subsequently, he earned a Master of Business Administration in marketing from Mount Saint Mary’s University in 1995. Committed to lifelong improvement, Mr. Taschner has been certified as a journeyman electronics technician, in computer-aided design and drafting, and with an amateur radio license. He is currently working toward a PhD.
Well-regarded for his achievements in the field, Mr. Taschner has been granted multiple patents, including one in 1983 for analog-to-digital conversion technology. Illustrating his expertise, he has published more than 60 papers on electronics and engineering. Mr. Taschner has also written several books, including “The Chipmakers” and “Input/Output.” He was honored with Outstanding Performance Awards from Thales Communications in 2006 and 2009.
In addition to his extensive professional life, Mr. Taschner is a loving father to two and grandfather to one. He finds fulfillment in photography, reading and learning new things. While Mr. Taschner is currently carrying on with his consulting work through Electronic Technical Services and pursuing a PhD, he has also started planning for retirement. He aims to immigrate to Thailand for retirement in the years ahead.
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