Wes Burgess

VP Engineering & Quality, Cocona / 37.5 Technology

Denver

For more than a decade, Wes Burgess has been working in the high-tech textile industry, from outdoor performance apparel to flame retardant military gear to synthetic tools for aerospace and subsea industries. He’s always been focused on new product development, commercializing next-generation value-added products that solve real-world problems.

Prior to joining Cocona, Burgess was New Product Development Leader at Cortland-Actuant. Responsibilities included working with global customers and industry groups to identify market opportunities while coordinating all regional activities to develop new products, design methods, techniques, practices and procedures to ensure the design and manufacture of engineered synthetic ropes, heavy lift slings, electro-optical-mechanical cables, and umbilicals for the heavy marine, subsea, ROV, seismic and defense markets. Previously he was Director of Development at Massif Mountain Gear Company, a world leader in supplying flame resistant and high performance outdoor apparel to the military, law enforcement, search and rescue professionals. Burgess started his career at Unifi, Inc. as a Project Engineer. By the time he left six years later, he had been Technical Manager of specialty additives, recycle products and the nylon division.

Burgess’ drive and entrepreneurial spirit also led to the invention and patenting of technology that is currently protecting our troops and a separate technology that allows lighter-than-air ships to operate for longer periods of time in near space.

Burgess earned an MBA from Wake Forest University Babcock Graduate School of Management and a B.S. in Textile Engineering from North Carolina State University.

At Cocona, Burgess is a member of the executive team responsible for defining strategic sales, business, and product direction. He also manages worldwide yarn supply chain relationships as well as master batch and yarn inventories, new product development and process engineering.