Z-Wave Alliance Welcomes Mark Walters as Chairman

MILPITAS, CA--(Marketwire - Jul 28, 2011) - The Z-Wave Alliance, the industry leading open consortium of global companies dedicated to establishing Z-Wave as the standard in wireless home control, today announced that it has appointed Mark Walters as Chairman of The Z-Wave Alliance. Walters re-joins the Z-Wave Alliance having served as its Chairman from its inception in 2005.

Prior to making his return, Walters worked in the commercial building and lighting control markets. Preceding his time with the Alliance, Walters served as Director, Residential Products at Leviton Manufacturing, a Z-Wave Alliance member. Walters brings more than twenty years of experience in engineering, business development and marketing, and will be responsible for the strategic direction of the Z-Wave Alliance, as well as representing the Alliance and its members at various industry events.

"We are thrilled to welcome Mark back to the Alliance," said Ian Hendler, Director of Business Development at Leviton Manufacturing, a Z-Wave Alliance principal member. "Having worked closely with Mark in the past, we are confident that he will continue to drive the Z-Wave Alliance forward as mass market home control adoption continues to expand."

"We're confident that with Mark at the helm of the Z-Wave Alliance, we will continue to build a strong, unified brand working together to bring wireless control not just to the home, but into new channels such as hospitality and healthcare," added Len Horowitz, President, Evolve Guest Controls.

"I'm honored to be re-joining the Z-Wave Alliance as its Chairman and to represent the manufacturers of the world's largest ecosystem of interoperable home, energy and health management products," said Walters. "As Z-Wave technology enters its 10^th year in the market I look forward to contributing to its continued success and to the success of the companies worldwide that have embraced Z-Wave as a part of their offering."

Walter's appointment is yet another foothold in the home control market as the Z-Wave Alliance continues its global expansion as the industry leader, offering the largest ecosystem to consumers. With Walter's appointment, the Z-Wave Alliance continues its forward momentum with additional recent announcements, including: 500th certified Z-Wave product, Mitsumi serving as a second licensed source for Z-Wave® wireless RF technology and the addition of Evolve Guest Controls as a principal member.

About Z-Wave
Z-Wave is an award-winning, proven and interoperable wireless mesh networking technology that allows a wide array of devices in and around the home to communicate including lighting, appliances, HVAC, entertainment centers and security systems. Developed by Sigma Designs, Z-Wave brings many benefits to everyday life including remote home monitoring, home healthcare, safety and security, and energy conservation. Z-Wave certified products are currently available from leading consumer brands in 500 products worldwide. For more information about Z-Wave, please visit www.z-wave.com.

About the Z-Wave Alliance
Formed in January 2005, the Z-Wave Alliance is a consortium of leading companies in the home technology space dedicated to solidifying Z-Wave as the standard for wireless home control products. The principal members include 2Gig, Cooper Wiring Devices, Danfoss, Evolve Guest Controls, FAKRO, Ingersoll-Rand, Leviton and Sigma Designs. Its members lead the home controls market, providing leading edge products and systems that deliver increased comfort, convenience, energy conservation, safety and security. Z-Wave technology is the foundation of all products manufactured by the Alliance members. For more information about the Z-Wave Alliance, visit www.z-wavealliance.org.

Z-Wave® is a registered trade mark of Sigma Designs and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.