FLAAR employs a number of different people from varying backgrounds. We believe this mix is one factor that makes our institute effective as we monitor the development of digital imaging technology worldwide. All the full-time employees are Guatemalan (logical, since our main office is in Central America). But volunteers tend to come primarily from Europe, either German-speaking or from Eastern Europe or the Balkan area.

Dr Nicholas Hellmuth is the founder, President, and Director of FLAAR. A Harvard graduate, Nicholas has spent many decades working in Latin America, including while holding three research Fellowships at Yale University in the 1970's. FLAAR still has its office in Guatemala and we do many of our studies here of how wide-format inkjet printers can provide better signage for museums and archaeological parks in Central America. The reason we do so many evaluations is because our experience is with advanced digital photography with our 22-megapixel medium format (Phase One from Denmark), our two 48-megapixel BetterLight systems (from Silicon Valley area of California) and our 80-megapixel Cruse digital reprographic system (from Germany). 

Once we have the images from these high-quality digital capture devices, we seek to understand which wide-format printers are best to reproduce the quality we capture in the cameras. FLAAR also has two CreoScitex EverSmart flatbed scanners (now Kodak branded). So our evaluations and reviews of wide-format printers are dedicated to learning what's the best technology and ink chemistry. We publish these results in order to bring in research funding for our various projects.

Other staff members include co-operative education students.  In order to provide students experience in the real world, FLAAR hires students from local universities. Most of these students stay with FLAAR for between two and six years.

Flor Setina (Office Manager and Administrative Assistant of Dr Hellmuth). Flor began working in FLAAR since 2001.	Jose Melgar (Graphic Designer for FLAAR Reports and PPT lectures as well as Technical Writer and evaluator for wide-format printers). Jose has been working in our FLAAR team since 2006.

Silvia Herrera (Graphic Designer for FLAAR Reports). She is part of the FLAAR team since 2007. She now works from her home-office in Barcelona, Spain. This way there is always one employee on European time zone since Dr Hellmuth is often in the UK or elsewhere in Europe.	Pablo Martinez (Graphic Designer for FLAAR Reports). He is recently joined FLAAR in 2008. Pablo has experience in his prior job operating VUTEk printers, RIP software, Seal liquid laminator. He is assisting Dr Hellmuth in the evaluation projects of Seiko ColorPainter mild-solvent printers and Drytac UV-cured liquid laminators.

Antonieta Cajas (student assistant for antropological and archaeological publication, Assistant in Ethnobotany projects). Antonieta started working with FLAAR in December 2008. She is studying anthropology at Universidad San Carlos.	Ana Cristina Guirola, (student assistant for antropological and archaeological publications, Assistant in Ethnobotany projects). Ana Cristina started working with FLAAR in March 2009.

Eliseo Emmanuel Hurtado Bran.  Eliseo started on June 2009 because FLAAR is expanding, and we need capable people. He works on the development and direction of several web projects, as well as on the update and improvement of the system processes.	Priscila Sandoval (Biologist, Assistant in ethnozoology projects). Priscila started working with FLAAR in June 2009. She helps to make reports about bats and felines (different type of large cats). She also does Photoshop and Adobe inDesign for preparing FLAAR Reports.

Maria Renee Ayau (Graphic Designer), she started in April 2010, to help with the FLAAR Reports. Maria Renee previously worked with FLAAR for several years and now is returning with more experience. She is the second employee to return from having gone out on their own after an initial several years at FLAAR. We welcome her back.	Sofia Monzon (Graphic Designer), began working at FLAAR in June 2010 to help with all the new FLAAR Reports. So many companies are asking for evaluations that we have had to hire additional staff.

Ievgenia Nemirova is a student of architecture in Ukraine. She is a volunteer at FLAAR for 3D architectural renderings of Mayan pyramids and for translating selected FLAAR Reports into Russian language in Cyrillic script.	Doris Veselić, is a student of graphic design at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. She was at ISA trade show 2010 in Orlando to do research for her thesis on RIP software, Doris was also assisting the FLAAR team of six at this sign expo, taking pictures and videos for our FLAAR Reports and websites.

Josue Mazariegos is a talented graphic designer graduating from Universidad Galileo. He is adding new style to the FLAAR web sites. He began work with FLAAR in January 2011.

Jennifer Lara is also finishing university studies in graphic design at Universidad Galileo. She is working primarily on panoramic camera reviews, and digital camera reviews in general but is being trained in wide-format inkjet printers at upcoming Graphics of the Americas and FESPA Americas where you can meet here in Orlando. She began working in December 2010 doing photography with Nicholas in the remote Maya areas of Peten as well as doing GigaPan panos in the Pacific Ocean mangrove swamps of Monterrico.

Gustavo Gallegos is an experienced Multimedia Designer with a background in Video Production. He graduated in Missouri and now works in the St Louis headquarters of FLAAR to bring his knowledge and interest in pre-Columbian civilizations of his home country (Mexico) to the world of students, scholars and lay people interested in Maya and related cultures. He is also organizing all the social media for FLAAR and adding animation, a project that FLAAR has been preparing for the past years.

Camila Morales is an intern from Colombia working as the production assistant in FLAAR’s new video department. Her interest in precolombian cultures took her to Guatemala where she worked with digital applications for tangible cultural heritage, scanning several ancient artifacts in 3D for ethobotany research. Camila also had the opportunity to work with experienced photographers and learned to use top of the line photographic equipment. She is currently working in FLAAR Photo Archive digitalizing 35mm, medium format, and large format film with a flatbed scanner and assisting the production of FLAAR’s new educational videos.

Joseline Mishell Ojer Ordoñez is an intern starting work at FLAAR. We provide training to interns in how to use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, etc. Interns leave FLAAR knowing often more than they have learned in their school or university. Mishell will be learning the hardware and software while scanning all the 1990's publications of FLAAR (on the Maya ballgame iconography, on Chenes Maya architecture, and other topics of Maya studies at FLAAR) so they can be re-issued as electronic PDFs to be available as free downloads to professors, students, and interested general public.

Daniela Da´Costa is a student of biology (tropical flora and fauna of Guatemala). She is just starting work at FLAAR this month (June) to assist us in launching our new web sites on Mayan ethnobotany and in July to launch our site on Mayan ethnozoology. While at FLAAR she will receive training in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and digital photography equipment and techniques.

Deyni Medina (Administrative Assistant and manager travel) She started in august 2011, helping with itinerary planning for FLAAR factory visits and evaluations around the world.	Here is the FLAAR Staff at ISA trade show 2010 in Orlando, Florida. From left to right: Pablo Martinez, Ana Maria Sanchez, Doris Veselić, Jacqueline Najera and Jose Melgar.

Here Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth and FLAAR staff in a holiday season social activity. Here he is giving away to the staff via raffle the presents that he receives as he travels around the world.

Here is Jose Melgar (at the left) at APPPEXPO Shanghai 2009 taking notes on several printers in this trade show. He will continue to attend trade shows and evaluating printers at factory and site visits to get updated information for our reports and websites.	Jose Melgar visited the Sky Air-ship Digital Printing Equipment, in Shenyang after the trade show in Shanghai. He has worked as a graphic designer, technical writer and photographer of wide-format printers at trade shows and factory visits (L&P Virtu, Rastek, Wit-Color, Hi-Jet, etc).

At the left Nicholas Hellmuth with a sample printed by the GRAPO Manta at GRAPO factory visit 2008. At the right Diana Dogaru (Spuhl) and Nicholas Hellmuth holding a sample printed by the Spuhl Virtu RS 35/48 in the main demo room adjacent to the Spuhl factory in Switzerland. Nicholas is in airplanes about 350,000 km a year to inspect advanced digital imaging equipment in order to have fresh material for his lectures. This year he has already lectured in Zagreb, Sarajevo, Belgrade and will speak later this year in Johannesburg, Chicago, and in 2010 for several hours at Graphics of the Americas in Miami.

Each year, when funding is available from research sponsorships, we provide opportunities for students to come to Guatemala to experience our various research projects. Both Alen Bubanja and Tina Košir are students at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. Dr Hellmuth has lectured several times at this university as well as at other university special programs elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Both these students worked with digital photography, Maya ethno-botany (especially cacao), and Tina's project was also to survey the potential for 3D scanning and 3D "printing" of archaeological sculpture and artifacts.

Dr.Hellmuth photographing the Maya vases for La Ruta Maya Conservation Foundation (at left). Some of these pictures were used to evaluate the Mimaki JF-1631 at the recent demo room visit.

Jose Melgar is now working as a Technical Writer on UV printers. Here is Jose Melgar taking notes on the Matan Barak printer at ISA 2008 (at the left) and scrutinizing the Gandinnovations printer in their factory demo room in Toronto, Canada (at the right).

Luis Sacayon is a student at Universidad Rafael Landivar, Guatemala City. FLAAR makes it possible for the students who work for us to learn by visiting digital imaging companies in foreign countries. Here is Luis at the factory of Durst this year in Brixen, Italy (at the left). In the photograph at the right Juan Luis is taking photos at SGIA 2008 for our websites and FLAAR Reports. FLAAR has also sent him for introductory training in 3D scanning at a ZCorp distributor training center in Slovenia. Juan Luis has also undertaken two site-visit case studies of two large sign printing companies in Slovenia.