Wilkes-Barre, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/11/2009 -- The Board of Directors of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, Inc. (NEPIRC) recently announced the appointment of Eric Joseph Esoda, CPA as the organization’s Executive Director effective January 1, 2010. Mr. Esoda currently serves as NEPIRC’s Managing Director and held prior positions as the organization’s Controller, Director of Finance & Administration and Operations Manager since joining the company in 1998.

Mr. Esoda obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Scranton and his Masters of Business Administration from Binghamton University. Following his collegiate education, Mr. Esoda worked for the international accounting and consulting firm of KPMG and Syracuse-based firm of Fust, Charles, Chambers, LLC. Mr. Esoda is a Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania, a former officer of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a member of the NEPA Alliance Business Finance Corporation Board of Directors and serves on the Board of Directors of the Great Valley Technology Alliance. Mr. Esoda also served the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program as an advisor to organizations similar to NEPIRC in New Mexico, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 2008, he was nominated for the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program award of Manufacturing Champion of the Year by several Pennsylvania-based economic development leaders and business owners.

He is a resident of Clarks Summit and active within several charities and professional groups throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.

NEPIRC is a non-profit corporation that provides strategic consulting assistance to small and mid-sized companies in the northeastern Pennsylvania region. NEPIRC is one of seven Industrial Resource Centers in Pennsylvania, a program funded by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and a member of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST/MEP).

NEPIRC’s founder and current Executive Director, William J. Desciak, will remain active within NEPIRC in other capacities and pursue additional economic development initiatives on behalf of NEPIRC and other organizations.