Semitool exec focuses on Asia

Larry Murphy is sort of the Will Rogers of the computer chip industry: He’s never met a job he didn’t like.
Murphy, president and chief operating officer of Semitool Inc., http://www.semitool.com has been in town just under a year and wonders what took him so long.

"Before I got here, I had been to 47 states," he said. "But the first time I ever set foot in Montana was for my job interview. I sure wish I’d come sooner."

Murphy succeeded Semitool founder Ray Thompson as president. Thompson is now chairman and chief executive officer.

Semitool makes and markets the equipment used by the semiconductor industry to manufacture computer chips. It is a publicly traded U.S. company headquartered in Kalispell.

In April 2004, Murphy left the presidency of Tosoh SMD Inc. to come to Semitool, first as its executive vice president and today as its president. It’s a job that’s had him on the road two-thirds of his first year.

"I’ve been working on growing our Asian markets," he said. "People buy from who they know, so it’s all about face time and trust. Currently Semitool’s targeted markets are Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Malaysia."

By GEORGE KINGSON
The Daily Inter Lake

Full Story: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2005/05/15/business/bus01.txt