executive consultants

Our Executive Consultants have been chosen for their tremendous domain expertise. These people have decades of successful experience in a variety of disciplines and are available for short or long term assignments. Contact us today to talk about how these experts can help you.

CONSULTANT NAME

David Urry
David has 20 years of experience in building and marketing innovative software products. He advises the venture community on technology viability and works with software companies on a project basis or as interim VP of Product Management or Engineering. His product innovation successes include the first commercially viable Java applications (SUN CORBA Group, 1994), Computerized Document Management (Odesta Corporation, 1988), Employee Relationship Management (Extensity, 1996), and collaborative on-line negotiation applications (eSprocket, 2000), and photo-phones (Polaroid, 2001).

David's technical expertise in product development includes databases from working in Oracle's Core Technology Group, Java and Web services with SUN, application integration with TIBCO, document management and workflow from Odesta, and wireless technologies from Polaroid. He strives to leverage XML, SOAP, WSDL, XHTML Wireless and other new technologies into innovative software solutions. David has a BS degree from Northwestern University and a CM in Business from Harvard University.

Ed Sporl
Ed has 30 years of experience in building and managing organizations in the financial industry, including his own firm, Sporl & Co. His expertise extends to all aspects of the management of investment management organizations, including regulatory compliance and marketing, in the pension and institutional market space, in ERISA Compliance, in Pension Asset and Liability Structuring and in Pension Account Manager selection and performance monitoring.

Ed has experience also includes IPO underwriting, negotiating with underwriters, development of registration statements and compliance with securities regulations. His technical expertise includes Financial Controls and Capital Budgeting.

Ed has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame and an MBA from Stanford Graduate Business School.

Whitey Bluestein
Whitey Bluestein has more than two decades in strategic business development and deal-making (both strategic and commercial), growing new businesses, managing complex business relationships and negotiating ventures and strategic alliances in the U.S. and Europe. He has worked with domestic and international companies in telecoms, media/entertainment, wireless, retail, energy, financial services and healthcare.

Bluestein, a former attorney, has negotiated deals and managed alliances with Microsoft, Verizon, RadioShack, American Express, Kaiser Permanente, British Telecom, Qualcomm, SBC, Sprint-Canada, Versatel (NL), BellSouth, and other important companies. Whether you are a new business or an established company trying to take your company to the next level, Bluestein provides his vision and rich experience to help you grow your business.

Bluestein brings integrity, drive, creative strategies, relentless pursuit of an objective, and dogged persistence to his efforts.

Ralph Marx
Ralph Marx is a seasoned executive with two decades of experience in marketing, business development, and engineering in the software industry. Since 1983, Marx has focused on emerging technology solutions and has been a key executive in three successful software ventures. In the past few years, Marx has been project oriented, assisting young companies in a wide variety of senior duties.

Marx founded Acteva, Inc., which was a leading player in the modernization of the events and activity services industry. As CEO, Marx drove the Acteva idea from conception through planning and funding and on to a successful launch of the Acteva service. Marx garnered clients like Microsoft and Stanford University and his efforts at Acteva were covered in major publications including Forbes and Fortune and as a Case Study taught in Harvard’s Graduate MBA program.

Ralph Marx founded Advocate Systems, Inc., in 1987. As CEO, Marx guided Advocate Systems into quickly becoming the recognized market leader for law firm automation and computer consulting. Advocate As its US technology and marketing partner, Advocate developed one of three products for a $20 million joint venture with a British Software Company backed by Guinness PLC, British Petroleum, OCE, and Thompson CSF creating a nationwide distribution channel in just over 9 months.

Michael Cannon
Michael Cannon is an internationally renowned sales and marketing expert, speaker and best selling author with business gurus Brian Tracy, et. al., of “Create the Business Breakthrough You Want.” An expert in working with B2B companies to increase sales, Michael has assisted hundreds companies, as big as SBC and as small as a 1-person start-up, to increase sales up to 1300% so far! He has over 20 years of sales, management and founder’s experience in the enterprise software, telecommunications, wireless, training and professional services industries and has held positions ranging from Account Executive to VP of Sales to CEOMichael was featured on the front cover of Self Employed America Magazine and has made guest appearances on radio programs like Entrepreneur Magazine and the AMA’s Marketing Maters LIVE!

Michael consults with executives in B2B companies to help them solve sales problems and to improve their odds of making and exceeding plan. Client results typically include one or more of the following:

Strategic Results	Tactical Results
Increased Sales	Improved Lead Generation
Reduced Sales Costs	Increased Sales Pipeline
Improved Net Income	Improved Closing Ratios
More Accurate Forecasts	Accelerated Sales Cycles

In addition to advising clients on how improve sales and marketing effectiveness, Michael helps organizations create and execute strategic sales plans and gain significant competitive advantage through the implementation great sales messaging.

Here is what clients have to say about working with Michael:

“What Michael did for us was extraordinary. He helped us grow sales over 1300% in 12 months, which enabled us to boot strap expenses and attract top tier Venture Capital investors such as Sigma Partners and Novus Ventures.”
David James Clarke IV, Co-Founder
Logilent Learning Systems, Inc.

“Michael’s extensive experience in sale strategy and planning saved us lots of time and increased our confidence that the sales plan would scale to meet our revenue projections.”
Natasha Deganello, CEO
Papillia

Earl Sacerdoti
Earl Sacerdoti is a serial entrepreneur, management consultant, executive coach, and angel investor focused on early-stage software ventures. He has over thirty years’ experience in general management and managing research, development, and engineering. He has conceived and grown new businesses and brought a variety of advanced software technologies to market. Dr. Sacerdoti has spent 17 years operating The Copernican Group, an affiliation of management and technical consultants focused on making applications of advanced software technology practical. As a founder, board member, executive, or early investor he has worked intimately with three startups that went public, three that were acquired, and a half dozen others that are operating successfully. His recent work with startups includes collaborating on business plans, setting development plans, recruiting staff, conceiving initial products, managing product development and product marketing, negotiating distribution agreements, and mentoring executive staff. Dr. Sacerdoti earned a BA in Psychology from Yale, and MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science from Stanford. He completed the Stanford-AEA Executive Education Program. He is a cofounder of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, the inventor of three issued and several pending patents, and the author of a book and over 20 papers and articles on a wide range of advanced software topics. He is also well known for his early basic research in Artificial Intelligence.

Dr. Sacerdoti can step in immediately as interim CTO or VP Engineering to get your development projects completed (to high standards) and out the door. He can serve this role effectively with a commitment of 40%- to full-time. Because of his technical “chops,” he can help your team attract, recruit and evaluate candidates for a permanent executive. He can structure and augment your technical staff to improve performance and increase motivation by stressing personal accountability. He can work with your marketing team to focus your product concept to get to release as quickly as possible (but no quicker!). And his 25 years' experience as a serial entrepreneur, consultant to early-stage software companies and angel investor can give your team an added perspective on your business strategy.