About FirstPass
FirstPass History
FirstPass was incorporated in 1993 with the goal of providing ASIC design services to the Mil/Aero marketplace. Our expertise soon expanded into commercial space and commercial devices.From 2000 to 2005, FirstPass was a captive design house for Vitesse Semiconductor Corp., focusing on development of complex ASICs for the telecom market including Intelligent Switch Fabrics, PCI and SATA type devices. We drove methodology improvements company-wide, especially in verification.
In 2005, FirstPass reincorporated as an independent design services company. We have enjoyed solid growth and re-established ourselves as an outstanding provider of ASIC and FPGA design services.
FirstPass has remained ahead of the technology curve, maintaining our high level of expertise through the technical changes and advances in fabrication process, tools and methodologies.
Management
Bob Schneiderwind, PresidentBob was one of the founders of the original FirstPass, and is responsible for restarting the corporation in 2005. He has over twenty years of highly diverse design engineering and technical management leadership experience within the semi-conductor industry. Past responsibilities included design, program management, personnel development and management, and product line management. Prior to FirstPass, Bob worked at Honeywell Defense Avionics, Martin Marietta Astronautics, and Vitesse. He has a BSEE from the University of Nebraska.
Mark Koenig, CEO
Mark is responsible for the day-to-day operations of FirstPass. His extensive experience includes over 25 years in the semiconductor industry, holding positions in Product/Test Engineering, Quality Leadership, Design Management, and Product Line management. Prior to FirstPass, Mark worked at Harris Corp., NCR Corp., and Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. Mark has a BSEE from Purdue University.
Steve Kiel, CTO
Since his graduation from Purdue University in 1988, Steve has worked in test and design of electronic systems and semiconductors. He has worked as technical lead for diverse projects including a sub-system in a launch vehicle guidance and navigation system, a rad-hard microcontroller development, and a large packet switching ASIC subsystem. Prior to joining FirstPass in 1996, he worked for Lockheed Martin Astronautics.
