Dance Out in Shuffle at GA Technologies

In February, GA Technologies President Kerry Dance tried to assuage employee anxiety over a pending sale of the La Jolla company by giant Chevron to a couple of Denver entrepreneurs.

“Some of us will view this change as exciting,” Dance wrote in a memo. “Others may view it as threatening. Nevertheless . . . things change.”

Things have now changed for Dance. Effective Nov. 15, he will step down as GA Technologies president, the result of what officials are calling a “restructuring” under the new, cost-conscious ownership of brothers Neal and Linden Blue.

Last month, the Blue brothers completed their $50-million purchase of the La Jolla high-technology company. In an interview four weeks ago, they said they would push for a lean, well-managed operation.

With the Blue brothers--Neal is chairman, Linden is vice chairman and senior vice president--firmly in charge of management, “it doesn’t make any sense to have two presidents,” according to one GA Technologies source.

Dance announced his departure in a memo to employees two weeks ago.

Neither Dance nor the Blue brothers could be reached for comment Monday.

GA Technologies’ work force has remained at 1,200, but several departments have been cut back or eliminated in an attempt to restructure the company “in a tighter format and hold down administrative costs,” one employee said.

So far, it was reported, the planning and economics operation, along with the public relations function, has been eliminated, and cuts have been made in the company’s legal and treasury departments.