About Us

Name

Year Founded

Executive Team

Paul R. Arena, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Arena has served as Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board and Secretary of the Company since February 2004. Furthermore, Mr. Arena has served as President of the Company from September 2004 to April 2005 and from November 2005 to present. Mr. Arena was the founder of i2 Telecom and has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company’s subsidiary since inception in February 2002. From April 2000 to the present, Mr. Arena has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AIM Group, Inc., a holding company specializing in materials for the wire and cable industry. In July 1994, Mr. Arena founded and was Chairman and CEO of Cereus Technology Partners, Inc. (“Cereus”), a publicly traded technology company (NASDAQ: SmallCap “CEUS”) which achieved a $350+ million market capitalization.  In 1998, Mr. Arena emerged with the vision to deliver a thin client information technology solution to middle market companies with sales of $50 to $500 million.  He acquired several Enterprise Resource Planning, (ERP) companies and integrated an Internet Service Provider, (ISP) to deliver the product offering.  Initially, this was referred to as a Total Service Provider and later grew to be one of the largest Application Service Providers, (ASPs) in the Southeast.  Mr. Arena served in an executive capacity with Cereus and its predecessor companies, including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, from May 1991 to April 2000.  From June 1990 to May 1991, Mr. Arena was a financial business consultant. From February 1988 to January 1990, he served as a Senior Vice President and partner of Gulfstream Financial Associates, Inc., a subsidiary of the Kemper Group.

Through Mr. Arena’s entrepreneurial efforts he performed various corporate finance, syndication and distribution functions which participated in the successful completion of over $2 billion of combined financings during his career.  Some of these ventures included such technology as; cable television, conversion of black and white motion picture films into color, mercury detection device for drilling rigs, ATM debit cards, color video telephones, color fax transmissions and; various types of manufacturing, commercial real estate for hotels and shopping centers; and multi-family housing projects.  Mr. Arena was also a Financial Advisor to one of the World’s largest paper recycling facilities.

Mark Hewitt, Chief Strategic Officer

Mr. Hewitt was appointed Chief Strategic Officer in October 2007 and has served has been a member of the Company’s advisory board since December 2005.  He is a partner with EcoSystem Partners and Nextbend.  He has over 26 years of experience in the communications and entertainment technologies.  Mr. Hewitt provides in depth technological guidance for these companies as well as many other companies in the communications industry.

Mr. Hewitt started his career in Alaska with the creation of the paging network, which was later acquired by Craig McCaw.  He was then elected Chairman of the Public Utilities Board to help rebuild the utility systems and the telephone, electric, water, sewer, and steam/hot water utilities. He later joined Motorola Communications where he first worked on the design of the trunk radio system (core to the Nextel system), the ARDIS Network (core to the Blackberry system), and finally the IRIDIUM system in the areas of ground segment support and network design. He later joined Sterling Cellular where he led overall program management, engineering, site selection, market development, and regulatory areas.

Later, Mr. Hewitt joined Frontier Communications as Sr. Director, Engineering and Product Development where he led technology in the emerging IP systems field.  Global Crossing later acquired Frontier. Mr. Hewitt then joined I-Link as Sr. Vice President of Business Development and Product Marketing.  There he launched the first softswitch/IAD in the United States .  The associated service became the first national broadband voice network in the United States .  He received numerous product of the year awards that were instrumental in increasing the shareholder’s value more than ten fold to $800+ million. Following the successful venture with I-Link, Mr. Hewitt has operated as CTO at a number of communications, portal, and entertainment device companies.  He is well known in the industry as a visionary and a technology guru.

Mr. Hewitt has degrees from the University of Alaska in Electronics Engineering, Business Administration, and Police Administration.  He has been a member of the City Council, the FNSB Emergency Management Team, and the Governor’s Telecommunications Task Force in Alaska .

Larry Stessel, Chief Marketing Officer

Mr. Stessel was appointed Chief Marketing Officer in May 2007 and has been acting in that capacity since November 2006. During his tenure with Sony Music from 1975 to 1991, Mr. Stessel was the executive responsible for the marketing strategies for Michael Jackson (including Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time), Babyface, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Charlie Daniels Band, Pearl Jam, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Luther Vandross and numerous others.  As Senior VP/Marketing for Epic Records, Mr. Stessel oversaw and directed all marketing and advertising campaigns, music video production, touring and media relations for that label’s U.S. operations.  Subsequently Senior VP/International Marketing for Sony Music, he was responsible for implementing all strategic marketing plans for the international market as it related to U.S. based artists.

As General Manager and Senior VP of Mercury Records from 1992 to 1994, Mr. Stessel oversaw the development of seven new platinum artists including Vanessa Williams, Black Sheep, Rusted Root, Billy Ray Cyrus and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He also initiated marketing campaigns with third party companies such as MasterCard, Discover Card, The National Football League and the Playboy Media Corporation.  As General Manager and Senior VP of EMI Records from 1994 to 1996, Mr. Stessel oversaw all of the activities of the marketing, sales, promotion, media relations, creative services, artist development, touring and video production departments.

As President of Alliance Entertainment’s Independent National Distribution (INDI) from 1996 to 1998, Mr. Stessel directed all aspects of the company from label development and acquisition to sales campaigns and marketing operations. In 1997, Mr. Stessel founded Trillium Entertainment, an independent marketing and consulting company emphasizing strategic marketing campaigns, business plans, event marketing and corporate sponsorship opportunities for recording artists, start-up entertainment ventures, independent music labels, Internet companies and others entertainment driven businesses. Mr. Stessel is an associate member of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and a voting member of the Country Music Association (CMA).  He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1975.

Phillip C. Rapp, Managing Director – Business Development

Mr. Rapp joined the Company as Managing Director – Business Development in October 2007. During the past 30 years, Mr. Rapp has been engaged in senior executive positions in the financial services industry.  Most recently from May 2002 through September 2007, Mr. Rapp was head of institutional trading for Labranche & Co., the New York Stock Exchange’s largest specialist firm.  Prior thereto, from June 1996 to March 2002, Mr. Rapp was employed in a similar capacity for Knight Securities and from April 1993 to May 1996, Mr. Rapp was in Broker Dealer sales at D.E. Shaw, a multi-billion dollar asset management company.  Mr. Rapp has extensive experience developing real estate and computer related technologies.

Douglas F. Bender, General Manager and Senior Vice President – Engineering

Mr. Bender has served as General Manager and Senior Vice President-Engineering of the Company since November 2002.  Mr. Bender is responsible for the Company’s California operations, which include engineering and manufacturing.  From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Bender co-founded and served as Vice President of Business Development for RealVue Simulation Technologies, a simulation technology company in the business of developing complex equipment simulations for commercial and industrial manufacturers. From 1999 to 2000, Mr. Bender served as Vice President of Engineering for Splash Technologies, a color solutions technology company supplying the commercial and OEM color print controller markets. From 1992 to 1999, Mr. Bender served as Vice President of Engineering and Operations for Western Development Laboratories (later acquired by Lockheed Martin), a communications company focused in the hi-speed digital satellite and medical radiology markets. Mr. Bender started his career working for TRW as a software engineer, progressing to project manager and subsequently to Business Area Director.

Roy D. Stubbs II, Vice President – MIS Operations

Mr. Stubbs has served the Company as Vice President – MIS Operations since January, 2005.  From 2003 to 2004 Mr. Stubbs worked as an independent consultant providing applied technology consulting to business users of telecommunications and computer services.  From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Stubbs served as Vice President of Engineering & Operations of Rapid Link Communications, a provider of internet-based communications services.  From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Stubbs serves as Vice President – Technical Operations of VIA Net.Works, Inc., a leading supplier of business communication products and solutions to small and medium-sized businesses in Europe and the U.S.   From 1991 to 1998, Mr. Stubbs was the owner of DataSciences Atlanta, Inc., a provider of technology and network planning services to telecommunications providers.  Clients included providers of regional telecommunications services, a nationwide integrated digital pager/wristwatch network, a low earth orbit satellite phone system, and an international provider of Advanced Intelligent Network services. From 1986 to 1990, Mr. Stubbs served as Vice President and General Manager of BellSouth Advanced Networks, Inc., a provider of Enhanced Network Services.

Mr. Stubbs holds the B.S.E.E. from the University of Florida and received a Master of Science in Management from Pace University, New York City.

Dr. Audrey L. Braswell, Director

Dr. Braswell has been a Director of the Company since June 2002.  Dr. Braswell has been the President and owner of Vista Pacifica Enterprises, an operator of several health care facilities in California , since 1974.  For the past 35 years, Dr. Braswell has been engaged in various levels of health, education, and social assistance activities.  Dr. Braswell is also a real estate developer of residential, commercial and industrial properties.

D. Chris Bylander, Director

Mr. Bylander began serving as a director of the Company in May 2006.  From May 2004 to present, Mr. Bylander has been the founder, Chairman and CEO of Corient, CEO of Notebook Design International, LLC, a computer branding company, and a Director of  IT vendor NGendo Systems, LLC operating under U.S. Government minority preferment. In March, 2007 he became a partner of IonIdea, Inc., an IT outsourcing/ offshoring company with production facilities in the United States, India, and Ukraine . In October, 1995, Mr. Bylander founded International American Group (IAG), specializing in business development to the manufacturing and IT/ telecommunications industries. While at IAG, he also served as U.S. President and CEO of a European telecommunications company, U.S. President and CEO of a global manufacturing group, Managing Director of a software developer in the financial services industry, and COO of a top Gartner-rated eBusiness infrastructure company. Mr. Bylander received a bachelors degree in economics from Uppsala Cederblads in Sweden in 1978 and attended De La Salle in the Philippines and Sigtunaskolan in Sweden prior to that. Between 1993 and 1996 he participated in the MBA program at Oxford Brookes University (formerly Oxford Polytechnic) in Oxford, England.

Monty Bannerman, Director

Mr. Bannerman began serving as a director of the Company in August 2007.  With over 25 years of industry experience, Bannerman has experience in nearly all sectors of the telecommunications industry and was engaged in the early introduction of digital and Internet technologies and services throughout the world. He has extensive experience in the areas of strategic planning, business development, as well as sales and marketing, engineering, systems development and network operations.

From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Bannerman was a senior executive and most recently CEO of Verso Technologies.  Before joining Verso, Bannerman served as Terremark Worldwide's Chief Technical Officer from 2000 to 2004, where he led the teams responsible for the design, implementation and operation of the Network Access Point (NAP) of the Americas , the fifth tier-one NAP in the world. The NAP is home to over 165 of the worlds' largest carriers and many US government entities and is one of the primary interconnection and peering facilities in the United States . He was also instrumental in raising capital for the company.

Prior to that, from 1996 to 2000, Mr. Bannerman founded IXS.NET, which developed and deployed one of the first integrated VOIP network platforms in Asia providing services in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He had previously founded DSP.NET from 1993 to 1996, one of the first commercial ISPs in northern California .

From 1983 to 1993 Mr. Bannerman served as Vice President at Bell Canada International, to assist Nortel Networks in the global introduction and market development of Nortel's new DMS digital central office switching and SL-10 packet network products. Prior to that, Bannerman had been with Bell Canada since 1979, where he was involved in the introduction of the first digital switching and packet network systems to national and international corporations.

Advisory Board

George Muñoz, Advisory Board Member

Mr. Muñoz, has been a member of the Company’s advisory board since February 2006.  He has extensive senior level government experience, is co-founder of Muñoz Group, a niche investment banking firm focused on international M&A transactions, and is a partner in the Chicago law firm of Tobin, Petkus & Muñoz.  Mr. Muñoz is currently on the board of directors of the following NYSE listed companies: Marriott International (MAR), Altria Group (MO) and Anixter International (AXE).  One of the Hispanic Business "TOP 100 INFLUENTIAL HISPANICS" (2003), Mr. Muñoz has served in the following roles; President and Chief Executive Officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (1997-2001), an independent agency of the Federal Government. As CEO, oversaw an 18 billion dollar portfolio of loans, guarantees and political risk insurance on private sector investments in the global emerging markets.  Prior to OPIC, Mr. Muñoz was appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the U.S. Treasury Department (1993-1997).  Muñoz oversaw the Treasury's budget, financial statements and management policies.  Mr. Muñoz worked in law and investment banking in Chicago prior to moving to Washington, DC.  He was a partner in the investment banking firm of Stevenson, Colling & Muñoz (1990-1993), where he focused on transactions with Mexico and Latin America. Prior to that, he was an Associate and a Partner in the Chicago law firm of Mayer Brown and Platt (1980-1989) working on tax and commercial transactions.

Mr. Muñoz graduated JD; Harvard Law School (1978); MA, Public Policy; Kennedy School of Government (1978); Master of Law in Taxation; DePaul University (1984); BA, Accounting; University of Texas at Austin (1974); Certified Public Accountant (Licensed in Texas, Illinois and Virginia); Licensed Attorney (Licensed in Washington, DC, Illinois and Texas); CFP (Certified Financial Planner™).  Mr. Muñoz was the Former President of the Chicago Board of Education (1984-86) and is currently a Trustee, National Geographic Society (2003-Present).