1. I am a semi-retired professional with over 35 years of executive leadership experience with
several companies in both manufacturing and professional services. My experience as a CEO
and COO includes startups, acquisitions, mergers and plant closures, and is ending with a
company I co-founded, Athena, SWC, LLC, headquartered in Amherst, NY.
This past month, I passed my leadership role as Managing Director and CEO of Athena to my
long-time and trusted partner, Todd Zielinski.
Athena is a leading provider of B2B marketing demand solutions designed to help business
grow sales. Athena’s outsource sales infrastructure offer is comprised of capabilities (people,
processes and technology) that enable an array of services including: target market positioning
and profiling, compelling messaging aimed at key influencers and decision makers, and sales
process activity support, resulting in a measureable and continuous flow of highly qualified
sales-ready leads, new business relationship opportunities, and improved sales-rep productivity.
Athena has experienced an average 30%+ year-to-year revenue growth over the past 9 years.
My 35+ years of hands-on and senior management experience, included full profit and loss
responsibility for a strategic business unit of the world's largest manufacturer of floor
maintenance equipment. During my career, I have developed expertise in the various phases of
strategic development and performance systems development, from design to implementation
for company start-ups and business turnarounds.
Previous leadership positions included CEO and Managing Director of GEMKO Information
Group, LLC, an IBM and Microsoft Dynamics business partner; and Vice President and General
Manager of a Fortune 1000 commercial products’ corporation in their strategic business unit.
Under my direction, sales and growth for the strategic business unit increased from a small
start-up business of $1 million, to a professionally managed company of $20 million+ over a 14-
year period.
Previous to my leadership positions, I worked for Price Waterhouse LLP as a Management
Advisory Services Manager and Consultant, where I was responsible for the direction and
participation in consulting and audit support related engagements.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Niagara University, and earned an
MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.