John Bjorn - President & CEO
Dan Smith - Chief Financial Officer
Babar Farooqi - Senior Vice President, Technology
Brett Gipe - Vice President, Business Development
John Bjorn - President & CEO
With more than twenty years in the customer-based technology industry, John Bjorn is a seasoned executive with hands-on experience in all facets of management. Mr. Bjorn joined Vericom in 2003 and manages all departments and functional areas.
Before heading up Vericom, Mr. Bjorn was the Chief Operating Officer of eLink Communications, a provider of voice and broadband data communications services, sold in 2002 to Eureka Networks. Mr. Bjorn joined eLink as the General Manager for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions, and subsequently was promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, he was the Regional Director of Indirect Distribution for AT&T Wireless' northeast markets. As a Director of Consumer Sales, also with AT&T, he received the JD Powers Award for Service Excellence in 1999. Mr. Bjorn has also held management positions with American Personal Communications, UniNet Incorporated and Xerox. Mr. Bjorn graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in Economics.
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Dan Smith - Chief Financial Officer
Dan Smith has sixteen years of experience in mergers, acquisitions, leverage buyouts, venture capital, banking and valuation consulting. His management experience encompasses both start-ups and well-established companies across a variety of industries and financial conditions. Mr. Smith manages all financial areas for the Company.
Prior to owning his own consulting firm, Mr. Smith founded Congressional Pharmaceuticals, an early stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing drugs that address the homeland security, oncology and dermatology markets. In 2004, the company was sold to Hollis-Eden Pharmaceutical.
Other positions include: SVP of Corporate Development for Active Health Management; Managing Director at the Geneva Companies; Principal at Willamette Capital; Vice President at American Capital Strategies; and First Scholar at First Chicago Bank. Mr. Smith is a graduate of the University Of Chicago Graduate School Of Business earning an MBA in Finance and Marketing as well as a graduate of Indiana University earning a B.S. in Accounting.
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Babar Farooqi - Senior Vice President, Technology
Babar Farooqi has more than nineteen years of experience in managing software and computer technology organizations and joined Vericom Technologies as a result of the acquisition of Portable Internet, Inc. Mr. Farooqi is responsible for all technology research, development and operations for the Company.
As VP of Technology for Portable Internet, he managed the development of an industry-leading handheld based Mobile Resource Management solution. Previously, at Macro 4, Inc, he re-engineered the pre-sales process, generating 110% year-to-year growth and improving technical support productivity by 37%. Prior to Macro 4, as VP of Product Development at Thor Technologies, Inc., now Oracle Corporation, Mr. Farooqi created a best-in-class Identity Management solution. Also, he held a number of senior management positions in development and professional services during his ten year tenure at Computer Associates, Intl. Inc. (CA). In his final role at CA, he built a multi-million dollar professional services organization in the Midwest region.
Mr. Farooqi is a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology, having earned both a M.S. and a B.S. in Computer Science. Additionally he holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics and Physics from Balochistan University.
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Brett Gipe - Vice President, Business Development
Brett Gipe comes to Vericom following a nearly twenty year career with St. Louis-based Enterprise Rent-A-Car, recently ranked 21st on the Forbes 500 list of the largest privately held companies in America, with annual revenues exceeding $10 billion. Mr. Gipe heads up Vericom’s business development efforts.
As Regional Vice-President of the Washington, D.C. market for Enterprise, Mr. Gipe had bottom-line accountability for every facet of their operations, including marketing, developing, and managing relationships with some of their largest insurance company, military, dealership, and vehicle manufacturer partners. Mr. Gipe brings comprehensive experience in the areas of fleet vehicle management and consulting, and an extensive track record of developing and managing large accounts and government relations, at the local, state, and national levels.
Prior to Enterprise, Mr. Gipe held sales and senior management positions with Total Health Unlimited and IDS, Inc. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College and completed his post-graduate studies in business administration at the University of Delaware.
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