Executive Profiles | Insect Repellent Clothing, Tick Protection

Executive Profiles

Haynes Griffin
Chairman and CEO
 Haynes Griffin, chairman and CEO of Insect Shield, LLC, was previously the founding CEO and president of Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc. Before being acquired by AT&T in 1999, Vanguard, based in Greensboro, NC, was one of the largest independent non-wireline cellular telephone companies in the country. Griffin is also the past chairman of the board of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).

In addition, Griffin was appointed by the White House to the United States Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure to advise the administration on information super-highway policy.

Griffin serves as a trustee for the Center for Creative Leadership, one of the world’s leading organizations devoted to the study of leadership, creativity and effective management. He is also the past North Carolina state chairman for the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Griffin is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School, where he served as chairman of the board of trustees, and of Princeton University, where he has served on the Alumni Council Executive Committee and currently serves on the Development Leadership Council. He is the past chairman of the board of trustees of Greensboro Day School. Griffin has served on numerous other public and private business and charitable boards, as well.


Richard Lane
President & COO
Richard Lane serves as Insect Shield, LLC, president and is the developer of the proprietary, patent-pending Insect Shield process. Previously, Lane was the director of technical research and development for Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation. During his service at Lauren, the company grew from approximately $50 million in sales to over $1 billion.

Prior to his role at Ralph Lauren, Lane held numerous positions within the apparel industry. In 1974, he was founding president of Lane’s Commercial Prewash, a Greensboro-based laundry where he was instrumental in the development of specialty finishes for the apparel industry.

From 1993 to 1999, Lane served as CEO of International Garment Corporation based in Riviera Beach, Florida, a commercial finisher for major clothing manufacturers.

For more than 30 years, Lane has been recognized within the textile and apparel industries as an innovator and developer of complex textile products and finishes. He was a leader in the origination and development of the process of pre-washing garments, which is now a standard in the manufacturing of sportswear and casual apparel worldwide.

Lane is a longstanding member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, and a graduate of the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.


Jason Griffin
President, Insect Shield International, LLC
Jason Griffin joined Insect Shield in October 2002. With strategic oversight of several new company initiatives, he acts as the principle conduit between the marketing group based in Seattle and the plant operations and company headquarters in Greensboro. He also head’s up the Insect Shield work wear program.

Prior to joining Insect Shield, Griffin served in a number of management positions at Dobson Cellular Systems, Inc., headquartered in Oklahoma City. Most recently, he served as the national sales director.

Griffin holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering science/management of technology from Vanderbilt University, and is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School. 


Rick Hemmerling
Vice President of Business Development
In January 2007, Rick Hemmerling joined Insect Shield, LLC, as vice president of business development to help spearhead strategic business initiatives. Under Hemmerling’s direction, the Seattle brand and marketing group supports existing partners such as ExOfficio, Orvis and L. L. Bean, develops private-label products, manages development of an overseas facility, and supports Insect Shield’s philanthropic efforts.

In 1987, Hemmerling co-founded ExOfficio with the idea of developing a new generation of performance apparel. Hemmerling’s creative vision quickly established ExOfficio as an innovator in a highly competitive market. His creations such as the Baja, Air Strip and Amphi collections continue to lead the travel and adventure wear industry in design and functionality. Hemmerling also pioneered numerous cutting-edge fabric and garment technologies such as anti-microbial, ultraviolet-protective and insect-repellent apparel to enhance the protection and comfort of active travelers. It is no surprise that his innovative products have been featured by media outlets such as Good Housekeeping, Time, U.S. News & World Report, Business Week and the TODAY Show, to name just a few.

During his 20 years as president of ExOfficio, Hemmerling led the company to be recognized three years in a row on the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America list. ExOfficio.com was also chosen as one of the best small business websites by Inc. Technology Magazine. In April, 2006 Travel + Leisure Magazine recognized Hemmerling as one of the top 35 travel industry innovators in the world.

Hemmerling helped launch Insect Shield technology via the ExOfficio product line in 2004, resulting in the first-ever EPA-registered insect-repellent apparel to hit the market. He regards Insect Shield repellent apparel as one of the most important garment technology breakthroughs of the last 25 years. Hemmerling considers the development of world health initiatives to help in the fight against diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Lyme disease, and West Nile virus to be one of the most exciting aspects of Insect Shield technology.


Aaron Holcomb
Vice President Finance
Aaron Holcomb joined Insect Shield in July 2013, with oversight of internal controls, regulation, and the accounting department.  Aaron carries extensive knowledge of cost accounting, GAAP, and International Accounting Standards. Prior to joining Insect Shield, Aaron served 9 years in the audit department for a regional certified public accounting firm with supervision of audit teams on a wide range of Industries as a client base.  Aaron who is originally from Ohio holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Greensboro College.