Advanced Logic Chief Financial Officer Resigns : Resignation: James T. Richardson cites personal reasons. He is the highest-ranking officer to leave the firm in years.

Advanced Logic Research Inc. said Wednesday that its chief financial officer has resigned to take a job at a computer-products company in Beaverton, Ore.

James T. Richardson, who joined ALR to prepare the manufacturer of personal computers to go public in 1990, said he accepted a job at Logic Modeling Corp. to be closer to his family in Oregon. His successor will be Ronald Sipkovich, ALR’s controller.

“It’s for personal reasons, since I’m from the Northwest,” Richardson said. “It has nothing to do with dissatisfaction with this company or the area. I will miss everyone here.”

ALR employs about 550 people. For its size, the company has a relatively small group of five executives from the marketing, sales, engineering and finance units who report directly to Gene Lu, chief executive. That circle of executives has seen little turnover.

Richardson, who oversaw the company’s growth to $227.9 million in sales for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, is the highest-ranking ALR executive to leave the company in several years.

His departure comes at a critical time for the personal computer industry. Another onslaught of price wars began in the past month, prompting many analysts to predict a shakeout in the PC sector.

Last week, Thomas C. K. Yuen, a co-founder at rival AST Research Inc., left the company after an apparent internal dispute.

At ALR, Sipkovich has been controller since December, 1989. He previously worked in financial management at MAI Basic Four, now MAI Systems in Tustin, and at minicomputer firm Unisys Corp.

In Wednesday’s trading on the NASDAQ market, ALR’s stock fell 25 cents a share to close at $5.