SANTA BARBARA, CA (1 September 2004) CHK America, specialists in the visual communication of passenger information, has created a new position in the Santa Barbara office for a Production Manager to be filled by Rob Deacon, a fifteen-year veteran in this field. The announcement was made today by Frederick A. Wood, President and CEO, CHK America.

Deacon joins CHK America from the company’s Head Office, Cook, Hammond and Kell (CHK) in London, England, following a fifteen-year career with the company. A highly-regarded and talented designer, Deacon has been responsible for designing maps and guides for the UK transit industry, including system wide information for Transport for London. Deacon originally commenced work for CHK in 1985 where worked as a conventional cartographic draughtsman prior to producing maps in digital format. A short break from July 1997 to April 2001 took Deacon to Duncan Print & Packaging, also in England, where he was responsible for preparing large-volume projects for printing, representing top clients such as Chanel, Bourjois and Marks & Spencer. Deacon’s cartographic career began in 1981, training as a cartographic draughtsman for Hunting Surveys in England where he was responsible for large-scale mapping of site plans for local authorities in the United Kingdom. He also produced large and small scale mapping projects for Middle Eastern countries highlighting oil fields and development areas.

“As the leader in passenger information solutions, we are delighted to have attracted an employee of Rob’s caliber to join us in our US office,” commented Wood. “Rob’s design and production experience will have an immediate impact on our US clients.”

Established in September 1999, CHK America provides passenger information solutions to the public transportation industry. Current clients include Los Angeles MTA, Santa Barbara MTD, Foothill Transit, Nashville MTA, Austin Capital Metro and San Antonio VIA. CHK America, a division of United Kingdom based Cook, Hammond and Kell, was established to expand the reach of its parent company’s products across the US. CHK’s products and services have been distributed extensively across Europe for over 140 years. Other companies in the group include Cook, Hammond and Kell, FWT Studios, Oxford Cartographers, National Map Center London, National Map Center Dublin.