At Hitachi GST, Merrifield was responsible for directing
worldwide distribution and sales for the division. He managed the operations
and sales organizations of the division following the merger of the IBM Storage
Technology division and the Hitachi Hard Drive Company.
His appointment follows Ciprico's chairman of the board of
directors, James W. Hansen's tenure as CEO. Hansen held the position since
September 2004 following the retirement of the company's previous CEO. He will
remain chairman of the board of directors.