NORTH YORK, ON / ACCESS Newswire / July 31, 2026 / ZTEST Electronics Inc. ("ZTEST" or the "Company") (CSE:ZTE)(OTCID:ZTSTF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dave Barnett as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 24, 2026. Mr. Barnett has served as an independent director of the Company since July 2024 and currently serves as Chair of the Board.

Mr. Barnett's appointment follows a formal search process conducted by a subcommittee of independent directors and approved by the Board of Directors. The Board considered both internal and external candidates before unanimously selecting Mr. Barnett. Consistent with good governance practice, Mr. Barnett recused himself from all Board discussions, deliberations and decisions relating to the CEO search. The Board has determined that Mr. Barnett will continue to serve as Chair while assuming the role of President and Chief Executive Officer.

"ZTEST has built a rare foundation for a Canadian micro-cap company: a profitable operating business, consistent free cash flow generation, and a strong balance sheet with almost $5 million in cash," said Mr. Barnett. "As CEO, my priority will be disciplined capital allocation - supporting Permatech's continued growth, developing a robust pipeline of profitable acquisition opportunities and making decisions that enhance long-term intrinsic value on a per-share basis for our shareholders."

"Dave brings strong analytical skills, sound judgment and a long-term investor mindset," said Trevor Treweeke, Director of ZTEST Electronics. "The Board believes he is well suited to work alongside our existing operating team as we execute on the Company's next phase of growth."

Mr. Barnett is a CFA charterholder with more than 25 years of experience in capital markets, enterprise risk and business evaluation. He began his career at BMO Nesbitt Burns, where he spent six years across portfolio management, corporate treasury and debt capital markets. He currently serves as Vice President and Senior Consultant, Risk Control at Aon, advising senior executive teams at major Canadian corporations and government organizations on enterprise risk, operational resilience and capital preservation. Since 2016, he has also conducted independent risk and business evaluations across manufacturing, construction, forestry and industrial sectors for Northbridge Insurance, Aviva Canada and iV3 Solutions. In addition to his professional experience, Mr. Barnett brings more than 25 years of personal experience investing in micro-cap companies, with a disciplined, valuation-focused approach to identifying long-term value. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Simon Fraser University.

Mr. Barnett has beneficial control over 990,500 common shares of the Company, representing approximately 2.7% of shares outstanding.

About ZTEST Electronics Inc.

ZTEST Electronics Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Permatech Electronics Corporation ("Permatech"), offers Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) to a wide range of customers. Permatech's offering includes Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Assembly, Materials Management and Testing services. Permatech operates from an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility in North York, Ontario, Canada. Permatech is a contract assembler of complex circuit boards, serving customers in the Medical, Power, Computer, Telecommunications, Wireless, Industrial, Trucking, Wearables and Consumer Electronics markets. It specializes in servicing customers who are looking for high yield and require high quality and rapid-turnaround on low and mid-volume production of high complexity products.

For more information, contact: Dave Barnett, 604-897-9663, email: davebarnett@ztest.com.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR+ in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.com).

SOURCE: ZTEST Electronics Inc.