Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Michael Carano

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Editor’s note: Dan Feinberg continues his series on the Hall of Fame, spotlighting the achievements of past Hall of Fame members in the Global Electronics Association.

Those who have made significant contributions to the Global Electronics Association (formerly IPC) and our industry have been honored with the Association’s Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame (HOF) Award. Though many of the first HOF members have passed away and are unknown to today’s Association membership, their contributions still resonate. This special series on the Global Electronics Association’s Hall of Fame members serves as a reminder of who has been honored and why. As a bonus, for those who are still around, we get to find out what these talented individuals are up to today.

This month’s Hall of Fame spotlight features Michael Carano, a former recipient of the Finnegan Standards Medal, which honors those who have exhibited extraordinary leadership in developing and applying voluntary standards. He is the recipient of the Association’s Dieter Bergman Fellowship Award and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Still well known within the industry, many of us have had the pleasure of working with Mike on numerous Association projects and committees over the years.

He has almost a half-century of experience working with semiconductors, is an expert in metals and performance chemicals, as well as new manufacturing processes, advanced packaging, and the manufacture of medical devices.

Mike started his career at a small specialty chemical supplier in Youngstown, Ohio, as a lab tech, working his way into positions with technical operations, and sales and marketing. As the company expanded, he worked as vice president of technology and business development for R&D and tech marketing. The company, Electrochemicals, was acquired by OM Group in 2008, and Mike held a variety of positions until MacDermid Alpha bought the business. He was then the vice president of technology and business development at RBP Chemical Technology, where he directed global business development and research for electronics, mining, and medical chemicals. Mike worked for Averatek and is now semi-retired and continuing to work in the PCB, semiconductor, and advanced packaging market segments.

As is most often the case with Hall of Fame inductees, Mike’s contributions were not limited to Association and standards work. He holds seven U.S. patents and 20 foreign patents, contributing significantly to printed circuit board technology development. He has published over 220 technical articles and presented peer-reviewed papers worldwide. His expertise extends to process control, defect analysis, and troubleshooting in PCB manufacturing.

The first Association course that Mike was involved with was on microsection evaluation. He then got involved with Dieter Bergman and became a true expert in many areas of PCB fabrication. At the 1982 Annual Meeting, Mike got involved with the Technology Market Resource Council (TMRC), followed by his involvement in the Suppliers Council, to which he was later appointed as chair. Over the years, Mike has been involved in over 30 committees, chairing many of them, in addition to sitting on the Global Electronics Association Board of Directors for 14 years. He says he never expected to be a Hall of Fame inductee and that when the Global Electronics Association CEO John Mitchell called to tell him he would be receiving the Hall of Fame Award in 2014, he was totally shocked. “I never expected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Mike says. “My professional goal was to be good at my career and never stop learning.” These are things he has achieved in spades.

Mike has also never stopped teaching. For over 25 years, he has created and taught numerous personal development courses, which have contributed to his role as an industry mentor. In recognition of this work, Mike was nominated by his students and subsequently awarded the “Michael V. Carano Teachers Award of Excellence.”

“Never underestimate what positive effect your actions can have on others,” he said, noting his surprise at the award.

Mike continues to work and remains deeply involved in the industry, enjoying his continued involvement in the Suppliers Council, consulting, teaching, writing, and speaking. He is a regular columnist for PCB007 Magazine. His work is far from done. He looks forward to all that comes next and how he can contribute.

This article originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine.