Schwartz Becomes President at Woodland Hills’ Terminal Data

James R. Schwartz, a longtime vice president at Woodland Hills-based Terminal Data, was named the company’s president and chief operating officer. He replaces Michael Rothbart, who remains chairman and chief executive.

Schwartz, 51, was vice president and general manager of the company’s Duplicator Products division in Menlo Park for five years. Rothbart, who is 65 and had been both president and chairman since founding the company 18 years ago, said the change was needed to plan for succession, that it was voluntary on his part and that it was unrelated to the company’s poor showing last year.

Terminal Data, which makes systems that convert documents to images that can be stored on microfilm, magnetic disks or optical disks, lost $2.6 million on revenue of $34.8 million for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30. Its sales were down 24%.

Terminal Data also added retired economist Philip Barnett to its board of directors. Until 1983, Barnett was senior vice president of California Federal Savings & Loan. He fills a vacancy on the board left by the resignation of Lachlan H. Foster, a partner of Morrison & Foerster, the company’s general counsel.

Rothbart said Foster resigned because his law firm was concerned about its liability premiums, which were increased by Foster’s position on the Terminal Data board.