BLM GROUP USA announced Tim Tapper as regional sales manager covering Illinois and Iowa. Tapper brings more than 33 years of experience in the laser machine tool industry, with a background spanning laser process optimization, CAD/CAM and CNC programming, laser resonator technology and automation. “Tim’s extensive industry experience in lasers and automation is a great fit with our team and for our customers,” said Gunar Gossard, vice president of sales. Prior to joining BLM GROUP, Tapper held laser product, applications and development engineering manager roles at several leading OEM laser machine tool manufacturers. He is a certified laser safety officer (LSO) and holds a bachelor’s degree in laser optical engineering from the Oregon Institute of Technology.