Experience Makes The Difference
We all start somewhere…
In early 2016, Thom Tanner was working for a medical device manufacturer in Northern California when he received a call from his younger brother Neil Tanner, who owns Tanner Teleprompting. An upcoming shoot at Lucasfilm required teleprompting for people who were both very tall and very short! The event would certainly require a stage hand to adjust the teleprompting screen, which calls attention to their height differences and add delays.
Time was limited, but within a week Thom designed a working prototype, welded from scrap metal and constructed with spare electronics- except the film shoot was in two days! At 3am the next morning, the prototype was sprayed in black Krylon, and Neil picked it up for an 8am start at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. Thom held his breath…
At 11am, Thom received a call from Neil- it had worked perfectly, and Lucasfilm loved it! Even better, the director of special effects was impressed with the design (a true compliment, indeed!).
Soon after, Thom realized there was a real need for robotic teleprompters that could be remotely raised and lowered, matching a speaker’s line of sight with the audience. He had just turned 50, and after working for 20 years at the same company, it was time for a leap of faith. Tanner and his future business partner Steve McNerney began TeleStepper in mid-2016, selling their robotic teleprompters by word of mouth. A month later, Thom received the break he was looking for when staff members at the White House discovered their product at a convention and placed an order, helping launch the business. TeleStepper is now the official supplier of teleprompters to the White House and Apple, among other prestigious organizations!
For 2022, Thom’s lofty two-year goal is called “7 and 7”, which requires TeleSteppers to be installed on all 7 continents, and used by the world’s G7 leaders.
This way of thinking won many clients by providing for their success.
Today, after many hours of engineering, design validation and practical testing we offer products which are rugged enough to use daily, in a variety of situations and in permanent installations.
Our Values
At PresenterTek, we believe a successful business is not based on profit alone. To us, it is a moral obligation to consider the good of the American economy while also pursuing what is best for our company. With that in mind, we are proud to support American jobs and manufacturing with the production of our products.
Our products are designed and manufactured in Nevada City, CA which provides good-paying jobs that support American families.
We are willing to accept a lower profit margin by choosing not to outsource overseas. Having our engineers close ensures the highest quality of product. In addition, our US-based customer service enables us to have a reliable support team that not only understands how to troubleshoot technology, but who can also relate with our customers’ needs.
WHEN YOU CHOOSE PRESENTERTEK, YOU’RE HELPING KEEP AMERICA’S ECONOMY STRONG.
The Team
Steve McNerney, Firmware Engineer, President
Steve’s experience as a firmware and senior systems engineer is unique, having worked in industrial automation, motion control, GUI development, embedded software and with medical devices. As such, he’s a valuable asset to PresenterTek, contributing both towards the leadership and all electronics architecture.
In a previous role with a medical device manufacturer which offered season concert tickets to Shoreline Amphitheater, he developed an affinity towards music and is now an accomplished guitarist helping to mentor younger adults in learning to play the acoustic, bass and electric guitar. His favorite guitar is electric…go figure!
Steve also spends much of his leisure time travelling and on a pontoon boat owned with his wife Grace.
LeeAnn Smith, Manufacturing Engineering Manager
LeeAnn brings many years of design and manufacturing engineering to PresenterTek, and is now currently managing all efforts to optimize current products, transfer new designs into manufacturing and ensure quality products.
Her experience includes over 24 years of engineering experience as seasoned Engineer for an In-Vitro diagnostics medical device manufacturer, where her emphasis was placed upon quality products and proper documentation.
LeeAnn enjoys travelling, 4-wheeling and spending time with family and friends.
Rachel Belendez, Manufacturing Supervisor
Rachel’s experience in product manufacturing spans over 20 years, working formerly at a medical device company. She brings a strong commitment towards ensuring quality and documentation to PresenterTek. As one of the company’s greatest strengths, she arrives every day with a smile on her face.
Rachel enjoys spending time with her 5 sons and grandson, and can frequently be found at the ocean, river or lake. A proud mom of a son in the US Army, she possesses a keen ability to identify any music artist in any genre.
Her favorite saying? “Integrity is doing the right thing- even when no one is watching.”
Mike Shapiro, Software Development Engineer
Mike is a 40 year veteran of Silicon Valley. At Presentertek he has stepped into several roles as a Webmaster and a Software Engineer on the TeleZSpin host control control configuration software. Mike is a musician and in the past has known and played with such people as Jerry Garcia and Gregg Rolie (Journey, Santana, Ringo) He is the credited writer of the Cult Classic Swami and oh yeah….. really good at website design.
