Richard R. Whipp — Vice President of Operations at Biolase

Mr. Richard R. Whipp, also known as Rick, has been Vice President of Operations of BIOLASE, Inc. since October 2011. Mr. Whipp served as Director of Operations at Biolase Technology, Inc. since July 2011 until October 2011. He has over 30 years of experience in manufacturing and operations. Prior to joining BIOLASE, Mr. Whipp spent 13 years in operations at Culver City, CA-based Discus Dental, a dental services and software division of Philips Electronics. Mr. Whipp served as Senior Director of Operations at Discus Dental and was responsible for manufacturing and distribution operations, with direct experience in diode laser supply chain management and lean manufacturing. Prior to working at Discus Dental, Mr. Whipp served from 1992 to 1998 at Torrance, CA-based Leica Geosystems, a manufacturer of high-tech marine navigation and survey GPS equipment. He was responsible for all plant operations and managed all manufacturing, planning, purchasing, service, warehouse and logistics operations. Mr. Whipp began his career in 1978 as a senior program planner and gradually worked his way into increasingly more responsible manufacturing management positions at such companies as Monrovia, CA-based Conrac Industries Inc. and Costa Mesa, CA-based Gulton Industries Inc.