Tech company chief to take on new endeavors

Costa Mesa-based Emulex Corp. announced this week the appointment of James McCluney to president, chief executive and a member of the board of directors. McCluney takes the place of longtime chief executive Paul Folino, who will move to become the executive chairman of the board of directors.

Folino has been a household name in the community for his work with the Orange County Performing Arts Center and as chairman of the New Majority — Orange County, a Republican organization and a major contributor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This move is by no means an indication that Folino is slowing down in the business, government or philanthropy realm. In fact, he may be looking for a few new things to do.

Folino said his focus will still be on Emulex in the long term. He will continue to work with the Republican party and to actively participate in three fundraising campaigns.

“I may look for one or two more public boards to sit on as time permits, and equally important, if not more important, is I will continue to stay very active in all my nonprofit activities,” he said.

“This should be a really easy transition,” Folino said. “Jim [McCluney] and I have known each other very, very well, and I don’t think Emulex will miss a beat during this transition. I look forward to watching Jim taking it to the next level, and I really think the best is yet to come for Emulex.”

McCluney joined Emulex after the storage networking and software company acquired Seattle-based Vixel Corp., where he served as the president and chief executive.

This succession plan has been in the works since the two companies merged, and both parties are excited for Emulex’s future.

“Part of what we talked about over time was me stepping into the CEO role. All good companies have a good succession planning process, and this seemed like a good fit,” McCluney said. Tuesday’s “announcement was just a culmination on all the parts. The timing’s just right.”

The company’s recent acquisition of Aarohi Communications in May and Sierra Logic Inc. late last month will be on the forefront of Folino and McCluney’s agenda, Folino said.

“My focus primarily will be on the transition of leadership to Jim [McCluney] and the integration of Aarohi and Sierra Logic … not just physically, but strategically.”

Folino is a “key member” of the $200-million construction of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall set to open Sept 15. He serves as the vice chairman of the board at Chapman University and has been working on the $41-million campaign toward the new film school where students have recently embarked on their inaugural semester. He is also within just a “couple million” on the new business school at Cal State Fullerton. To a lesser degree, Folino also works with the Orange County High School of the Arts, the Mind Institute and the Discovery Science Center.

The company also appointed Steven Berg as senior vice president of corporate development Wednesday.