Struggling StarBase Sees Shake-Up in Top Ranks

IRVINE — StarBase Corp. announced an extensive management shake-up Tuesday that includes the departure of the financially struggling company’s top executive and three other members of its board of directors.

Alan M. Davis, who was named chief executive of the Irvine-based software company five months ago, resigned along with Robert W. Leimena, the company’s chief financial officer. Both men will become consultants to the company, said William R. Stow III, chairman of StarBase.

Donald R. Farrow, StarBase’s vice president of sales and marketing, was named president and will assume responsibility for the company’s day-to-day operations. Farrow said that either he or Stow will also become CEO.

Farrow was formerly vice president of sales at Symantec Corp., a Cupertino-based maker of computer maintenance and anti-virus software.

Davis said he and Leimena left not because of any disagreements with Stow or others, but because they had accomplished their turnaround goals.

“There’s no rift,” Davis said. “We’ve gotten two new products out, the sales force is completely in place and the company is on the right track. It was just a good time” to leave.

StarBase, which last year began shipping computer programs designed to assist software developers, has reported a series of steep losses on meager sales. For the first six months of its fiscal year, the company reported a loss of $2.6 million on revenue of $381,000.

But Farrow said the company’s slow sales accelerated in the latest quarter.

Davis also stepped down as a StarBase director. The other departing board members are Roger C. Ferguson, Gary Gratny and Michael Lyones. StarBase added one new board member, Daniel Ginns, chairman of Datametrics Corp. in Woodland Hills.

The stock closed Tuesday at $2.375, down 12.5 cents, in Nasdaq trading.

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StarBase Corp. at a Glance

* Headquarters: Irvine

* Product: Software

* Chairman: William R. Stow III

* President: Donald R. Farrow

* Employees: 40

* Fiscal 1996 net loss: $5.9 million

* Exchange: Nasdaq Small Cap

Source: Bloomberg News; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times