Management Team
Nathan Hale President and CEO
Nathan Hale founded Sawgrass Technologies, Inc. in 1988 in Charleston, SC. From his purchase of a software/systems integration business, Nathan repositioned Sawgrass from a software developer to a technology, software and ink developer. As a pioneer in the field of digital transfer printing technology for mass customization of products, Nathan has positioned Sawgrass as a global leader in ink printing technologies.
An entrepreneur, Sawgrass is Nathan’s second successful start–up venture. Nathan’s first business enterprise was Tropical Snow, a flavored shaved ice business that he started on the Isle of Palms, SC. As the business continued to thrive, Nathan opened 25 franchises around the state of South Carolina before eventually selling the company. A native of Idaho and an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, Nathan spent two years as missionary in Michigan in the early 80s.
Nathan attended Brigham Young University. Nathan has been recognized as an innovator in the industry. Click here to read more.
Bill Hogan, CFO
Chief Financial Officer Bill Hogan manages the corporate finance and accounting activities at Sawgrass. He also acts as a strategic partner to the CEO and Executive Leadership team and develops operational and strategic plans. Bill also maintains reporting and Controllership to GAAP standards and treasury relationships and cash management.
Bill brings more than 23 years of financial experience to Sawgrass, including five years at the executive finance level. Most recently, he held the position of Executive Director of Finance at Hill-Rom Clinical in Charleston, SC. He was also the Chief Financial Officer for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in Waterbury, VT. His experience also includes an eleven year tenure at General Electric, where he most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at General Electric Quartz.
Bill earned a BS in Finance from Indiana University
Ming Xu, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Ming Xu has been with Sawgrass for the past 15 years. As Vice President and CTO, Ming leads the strategic technology development for the company and oversees research planning. Ming also oversees intellectual property management and serves as a Patent Agent for the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Ming holds several degrees including a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science. He holds a Ph.D. from Brigham Young University and earned an MBA from The Citadel.
Darcy Mauro, Vice President of Marketing
Darcy brings more than 15 years of extensive marketing experience to Sawgrass in her role as Vice President of Marketing. Darcy is responsible for the coordination and management of global marketing campaigns, the implementation of marketing communications, and product marketing initiatives.
Prior to joining the company, she served as Vice President of Marketing for CoLinx and Rockwell Automation, where she led the ecommerce marketing team. She was responsible for the development and implementation of ptplace.com, the first website in the power transmission market. In addition, Darcy was formerly a Director for The Gap Inc. and a member of the original team that developed the Old Navy concept.
Bob Keller, Senior Director of Operations
As Director of Technology Services, Bob Keller’s responsibilities run a wide range from product development, operations, technical support and manufacturing at Sawgrass.
Prior to joining Sawgrass, Bob served eight years as a Naval Submarine Officer. Bob earned a BS in Computer Science from the US Naval Academy (1990) and a Masters in Business Administration from The Citadel (1997).
Laura Hogan, Comptroller/Director of Administration
Since joining Sawgrass over 10 years ago, Laura Hogan and has worn many hats in the company. As Controller/Director of Administration, Laura oversees the accounting and HR functions and assists the President and CTO with patent and legal issues.
Prior to her work at Sawgrass, Laura gained 11 years of experience in sales, customer service and accounting at Atlantic Service Group in North Charleston at both their Prestige Furniture Rentals and Atlantic Document Storage units. She also served as Office Manager in their Commercial Bonded Warehouse office. She also has experience working with an accounting firm.
Laura graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Business Administration with major in Accounting from The Citadel.