Wayne Herkness II - Founder

After leaving the Navy, Mr. Herkness worked for United Carbon in West Virginia. In 1958, he became president and CEO of Greenbrier Instruments, Inc., in Ronceverte, WV, where he worked until its purchase by Bendix Corporation in 1961. In 1964, Mr. Herkness founded the Damon Company, which he ran until his death in 2015. An engineer and inventor, he held three U.S. patents.  Mr. Herkness graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1939 and served in United States Navy resigning his naval commission as Commander in 1950.

Samuel B. Newsom - President / CEO

Sam has been the President and CEO of The Damon Company since 1996. He is primarily responsible for overseeing operation of the Salem, VA manufacturing facility.  Additionally, Sam is responsible for engineering design on new projects within The Damon Company and Shrewd Archery.  Prior to his work at The Damon Company Sam was the CEO of SBN Commercial and Residential Construction Company.

Laven C. Newsom - Vice President

Laven is a native of Salem, VA and a 2012 graduate of Wake Forest with a BA in Political Science.

 

Riley Newsom - Engineer

Riley is a native of Salem, VA and a 2014 graduate of VMI

 

Kevin Ponceloranca - Kevin grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Industrial Engineering. 
He has resided in the Roanoke area since 2016.

 

Stephen Stump - Machine Shop Foreman

 

Ben Wilkerson - Manufacturing Engineer

 

Steve Fejes - Tag Sales and Laser Engineer

 

Margaret Harris - Tag Sales

 

Tina Embrey - Accounting / Purchasing