29.11.2018

Boehler joins Serious Labs board

Skyjack president Brad Boehler has joined the board of virtual reality training simulator specialist Serious Labs

Skyjack president Brad Boehler has joined the board of Canadian virtual reality training simulator specialist Serious Labs as a non-executive director. He will advise on business and strategy topics and provide counsel regarding the compliance of VR simulators with a variety of standards. His appointment expands the Serious Labs board to seven members.
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Brad Boehler

Boehler joined Skyjack in 2003 as an engineer, becoming director of product safety in 2007, vice president engineering in 2009, vice president of sales and marketing in 2011. That same year he took over as interim president and was confirmed as present in 2012. He began his career as a military engineer with the Canadian armed forces, moving to forestry equipment manufacturer Tigercat in 1996 as an engineering administrator, leaving to join Skyjack seven years later.

Serious Labs chief executive Jim Colvin said: “Brad’s strong safety background and his deep knowledge of the industry are unparalleled. His diverse insights will be a valuable addition to the board as we grow and improve the future of operator training around the world. We are delighted to welcome him to our board of directors”.

Boehler added: “I am pleased to have been elected to the Serious Labs Board of Directors and I look forward to helping them reconstruct reality to the benefit of workers across the globe”.

Vertikal Comment

This looks like a mutually beneficial move for both companies, Skyjack has been a strong supporter of Serious Labs development efforts, helping develop a number of scissor lift scenarios for the company’s simulators. Boehler has also played a role encouraging IPAF’s move into virtual reality training and the use of simulators, as deputy president and a director of the association. Being on the inside will obviously help the manufacturer build on its pioneering efforts in this area.

As for serious labs it would be hard placed to find a more knowledgeable, experienced or passionate individual at this level of management. The market for virtual reality solutions is set to take off but will almost certainly involve an increasingly rapid pace of development and increased competition, so having such a person on its board can only help the business chart a successful path through what promises to be an exciting and yet challenging period.