By Heidi Douglas
Matthew Combs (B.S. Civil Engineering, ‘11) joined the Stamford office of Erland Construction. As assistant project manager and part of the dedicated team of professionals working on the East Windsor-based firm’s $61.4 million Summer House project, Combs tracks budget items, reviews drawings and coordinates the delivery of materials to the site. Summer House, a twenty-one story luxury apartment building set to open next year, will include 226 units of apartment space, 2,700 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a roof deck and a fifth-floor pool overlooking lower Summer Street in Stamford. He joined Erland in 2011.
Martin Gugliotti (B.S. Mechanical Engineering/Materials Engineering, ‘01) was named one of 42 winners of the 2014 Hartford Business Journal 40 Under Forty award. Given annually to Greater Hartford men and women who have achieved a great deal early in their careers and exhibit significant promise for future success, this year’s winners are entrepreneurs, executives, community leaders and up-and-comers. Co-owner and artistic director at Gugliotti Salon and Spa and dean of students at International Institute of Cosmetology, Gugliotti also co-founded Le’Marca, a leader in innovative styling. Since its inception in 2000, Le’Marca has introduced a full haircare line, stylist tools and ECCO, a revolutionary hairdryer using half the power of typical dryers without diminishing performance.
James L. Schmitz (B.S. Electrical Engineering, ’86) joined Wright State Research Institute (WSRI) as a remote sensing expert assisting with unmanned aerial systems programs. Prior to joining WSRI, Schmitz focused on electromagnetic scattering theory and radiation modeling techniques. He also worked at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and Air Force Research Laboratory. An expert in sensors, radar sensors and optical sensors, and automatic target recognition, his research will focus on enabling a single operator to control multiple remotely piloted aircraft, or unmanned aerial systems. Schmitz earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Lowell and University of Massachusetts-Lowell, respectively.
Michael W. Schwarm (B.S. Electrical Engineering, ’92) was named vice president of business development and sales at Antenna Research, a world class supplier of 
RF and antenna systems to the military, commercial, and EMC markets. Schwarm has held business and engineering leadership positions for several defense and commercial companies, including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, DRS Technologies and Lucent Technologies. Most recently, he developed opportunities and delivered several Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Communications and Electronic Warfare (EW) products and systems to U.S. Government and international customers. Schwarm holds an M.S. in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Robert S. Yorgensen (B.Tech. Mechanical Technology, ‘85), president & chief executive officer of the solar manufacturer STR Holdings Inc., announced the company’s intention to sell a controlling interest to Chinese developer Zhenfa Energy Group Co. for $21.7 million by the end of the year. Under terms of the agreement, STR will retain three of seven seats on the board of directors after the closing, including Yorgensen; he has been with the firm for 27 years. After the closing, STR will remain based in Connecticut and its senior management team will continue running day-to-day operations.
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