Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

Friday Harbor adds Chris Simms, Gregory Buehler to leadership team to accelerate AI-powered mortgage origination

News Source: Friday Harbor

Seasoned hires bring product and partnership firepower as Friday Harbor scales AI-native mortgage tech

SEATTLE, Wash., July 24, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Friday Harbor, an AI-powered platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, announced two strategic hires today: Chris Simms has joined as head of strategic partnerships, and Gregory Buehler has joined as founding product manager. They bring over 35 years of combined experience in mortgage lending, product strategy and technology innovation.

Friday Harbor adds Chris Simms, Gregory Buehler to leadership team
Image caption: Friday Harbor adds Chris Simms, Gregory Buehler to leadership team.

Simms will oversee Friday Harbor’s customer relationships as well as its strategic alliances with technology integration partners and industry associations. His initial focus will be on customer engagement and success as he works to ensure lenders see lower costs, shorter cycle times and a better experience for borrowers on every loan. He sees a clear opportunity to help lenders modernize in a space long overdue for change.

“Lenders are hindered by legacy systems and manual processes that haven’t kept up with the innovation in other industries,” Simms said. “Friday Harbor is the first solution I’ve seen that truly understands and improves the process with real AI. This role felt like a natural opportunity to combine my passion for innovation with my industry experience to help transform how loans are manufactured.”

Buehler will define and execute product strategy in close partnership with the founding team, a role that Friday Harbor CEO Theo Ellis describes as ‘the glue between business and engineering.’ To that end, Buehler will collaborate with engineering, operations and customer success to scale Friday Harbor’s platform to serve a wider range of lenders, loan types and use cases while maintaining alignment with real-world origination pain points, workflows and tech stacks.

“I’ve helped build product from scratch at multiple B2B startups, and what drew me to Friday Harbor was how well the founding team understands both the problem and the customer,” Buehler said. “With AI2’s backing and a clear opportunity to modernize mortgage lending, joining the team was an easy decision.”

“Chris and Gregory bring the kind of leadership we need at this stage: deep domain knowledge paired with a builder’s mentality,” said Ellis. “We’re not just growing headcount. We’re building the kind of team that can deliver real change to a long-stagnant part of financial services. With their help, we’re making loan manufacturing faster, smarter and finally worthy of the digital age.”

Simms joins Friday Harbor after a 20-year career leading mortgage sales, origination and capital markets teams at Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, First Integrity Mortgage Services, Pulaski Bank and other institutions. During his time at these lenders, he partnered directly with mortgage technology firms to help align software solutions with real-world industry workflows. He currently serves as president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of St. Louis.

Buehler has over ten years of experience leading product development at early-stage B2B startups including Pebble Health, learning management software provider Skilljar (acquired by Gainsight) and social analytics firm Simply Measured (acquired by Sprout Social). Buehler holds dual master’s degrees from the University of Washington: an M.B.A. in international studies from the Foster School of Business and an M.A. in Japan studies.

About Friday Harbor

Friday Harbor is an AI-powered platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time. The company combines deep fintech expertise with cutting-edge artificial intelligence to remove complexity, slash origination costs and deliver a better borrower experience. For more information, visit https://fridayharbor.ai/.

Tags: #mortgagetech #AI #fintech


This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Friday Harbor), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/friday-harbor-adds-chris-simms-gregory-buehler-to-leadership-team-to-accelerate-ai-powered-mortgage-origination/

Copr. © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, Calif., USA. -- REF: S2P STORY ID: S2P127991 FCN24-3B

 

INFORMATION BELOW THIS PAGE, IF ANY, IS UNRELATED TO THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.