Hydropoint 2012 » Leadership Team
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HydroPoint Leadership

The HydroPoint Leadership Team is a group of seasoned executives and board members who have successfully lead technology companies in dynamic industries. They bring a wealth of experience in developing products and integrated solutions, and selling and marketing those through direct and channel relationships.

Chris Spain
CEO and President

Chris Spain

Chris Spain founded HydroPoint in 2002. Chris has over 20 years experience managing emerging growth technology and information services companies. Before founding HydroPoint, he was the President and founder of Shaman Corporation providing mission-critical IT data services (sold to Corporate Software & Technology). Shaman Corporation’s customers included Intuit, United States Department of Education, Hambrecht & Quist, and other leading financial institutions focused on secure and stable 24/7 IT operations. Prior to Shaman Corporation, Chris was President of Accelerated Media, a digital and broadcast media company that produced award winning, innovative interactive projects for Pacific Bell, Discovery Channel, Chronicle Broadcasting, Colossal Pictures and Francis Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios among others.

 

Chris Manchuck
Senior Vice President, Sales

Chris Manchuck co-founded HydroPoint and is responsible for enterprise and channel sales strategy and management as well as strategic partner development and support programs. Chris was most recently Vice President of Channel Sales at HydroPoint. Chris has over a decade of experience managing technology, media and data services strategies for Fortune 500 companies. Previous positions included VP of Business Development at HydroPoint and prior to that founder and VP of Content Development at Shaman Corporation, securing and managing partnerships with Microsoft, Adobe, and Symantec.

 

Peter Carlson
Vice President, Product Management and Technology

Peter Carlson

Peter Carlson co-founded HydroPoint and has 15 years of experience building IT product and services using distributed data systems and scalable Software-as-a-Service solutions for the small to medium enterprise and Fortune 500 markets. Before HydroPoint, Peter was VP Engineering at Shaman Corporation, providing industry leading, award winning IT data services. Prior to Shaman, Peter held environmental management positions at UC Berkeley. Peter graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley

 

Steve Wilde
Vice President, Finance and Accounting

Steve Wilde

Steve Wilde oversees HydroPoint’s finance, accounting and FPA activities. Mr. Wilde joined HydroPoint in 2006. Prior to that, he was the corporate controller for PTLC during which time the company grew from 50 to over 300 employees. Steve has over 20 years of progressive experience with technology, healthcare, and consumer product companies. He has also held management positions with Harris, Mariposa Technology, Marconi and Allerderm Laboratories. Steve holds a BS degree in business and a BS in computer information systems from Humboldt State University.

 

P.S. Reilly
Vice President, Strategy, Marketing & Sales Operations

P.S. Reilly provides leadership in the strategy and sales and marketing outreach at HydroPoint. She has served as a senior executive or strategic advisor to companies in the energy and water sectors for the last dozen years. Prior to HydroPoint, she served as the COO and VP of Products for Optimum Energy, a building control system application firm. She was also an Executive Vice President at Ziff Davis, where she was responsible for alliances and new ventures. She served as a Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for and HP wholly-owned subsidiary, Deep Canyon.

 

Adam Opoczynski
Vice President, Engineering

Adam Opocynski

Adam Opoczynski brings more than two dozen years experience building and delivering telecommunications hardware, software and network management products to HydroPoint’s engineering organization. Prior to joining HydroPoint, Adam served as vice president, engineering for Larscom, a leading provider of WAN connectivity and network access equipment. Previously, Adam held the position of vice president of R&D for ECI Telecom Inc., one of the world’s leading providers of telecommunication networking solutions, where he was responsible for delivering carrier-class multi-service aggregators along with many other key products. Adam holds a BSEE in Electronics and Telecommunications from the Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland.

 

Ben Slick
Vice President, Key Accounts and Business Development

Ben Slick

Ben Slick joined HydroPoint with over 24 years of sales and general management experience in the software and network services industry. Mr. Slick guides the Company’s business development strategy, oversees strategic partner relationships and manages key customer accounts. Ben has extensive sales and general management experience in the software and network services industry. Previously served as Vice President of Sales in two publicly traded Software companies: Delrina (acquired by Symantec) and Xiox Corporation, as well as VP/GM at NETCOM On-line, a publicly traded Internet services company.

 

Al Sonntag
Vice President, Operations

Al Soontag

Al Sonntag directs manufacturing, distribution, data delivery, and IT operations. With more than 30 years of manufacturing, operations, IS&T and procurement expertise, Al’s leadership in implementing ERP, CRP, and network solutions drives strategic year-over-year company growth with exceptional inventory management, infrastructure, and facilities operations. Prior to joining HydroPoint in 2004, Mr. Sonntag spent 16 years at Broderbund Software overseeing information technologies, operations, and manufacturing, he optimized external and internal supply chains, development processes, and technical support infrastructure for multi-national direct to consumer and multi-channel retail distribution.

 

Mardi Diamond
Vice President, Professional Services and Support

Mardi Diamond

Mardi Diamond is responsible for strategic planning and day to day operational management for Technical Support, Customer Service and Professional Services. Ms. Diamond has extensive experience in product implementation, new product introductions and the management of customer service professionals. She is leveraging this solid experience in building a top quality services team for HydroPoint. Prior to joining HydroPoint, Ms. Diamond was the Vice President of Worldwide Sales Consulting for Plumtree. Mardi has held management positions in the customer service and product development areas at Cornus, Walker Interactive Systems and Data Design Associates. Ms. Diamond holds a BS degree from Purdue University.

 

Board of Directors

Chris Spain

CEO and President, HydroPoint

Chris Spain is CEO and President of HydroPoint. Mr.Spain co-founded HydroPoint in 2002 with the vision of providing smart water management for sustained conservation and cost savings. Today HydroPoint is regarded as a proven leader in clean technology, with top-tier venture and strategic partnerships.

Mr. Spain has over 20 years of experience successfully managing cutting-edge technology, media and information services companies. Previously, he headed Shaman Corporation, which he co-founded in 1996. Shaman Corporation provided mission-critical IT data services to such leading companies as Hambrecht & Quest, DLJ, Lockheed, Department of Education and Intuit.

In early 2000, Mr.Spain successfully sold Shaman to Corporate Software and Technology, one of the country’s largest corporate software resellers. Prior to Shaman Corporation, Mr. Spain was president of Accelerated Media, a broadcast and interactive media company that produced the Discovery Channel’s science- and technology-based “Know Zone” program, for which Mr. Spain received an Emmy award. Accelerated Media created one of the first interactive TV/website systems, later adapted by the Discovery Channel for other programs. In addition, Mr.Spain led multimedia projects for NBC, Apple, Pacific Bell and Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios, among other clients. Prior to Accelerated Media, Mr.Spain won numerous awards for direction and design as a Special Projects Producer for Chronicle Broadcasting in San Francisco. His work on live, national television shows blended complex technology integration with large-scale project coordination, honing an ability that serves him well at HydroPoint, where he leads the Company in delivering enterprise-wide water management solutions for a wide variety of industries.

Mr. Spain is also on the Board of The Lexicon of Sustainability. The Lexicon project uses information rich imagery and onsite interviews with leading sustainability practitioners to illuminate the terms and real-world solutions which define sustainability today.

Lou Ryan is a renowned entrepreneur and business leader with more than twenty-five years experience with technology companies including Borland Corporation, Delrina Corporation, Entercept Technologies and Foundstone Technologies. He contributes significant expertise in the areas of strategic planning, sales and marketing, international relations, mergers and acquisition as well as venture and late-stage financing.Mr. Ryan was president, CEO and founder of Entercept Security Technology, acquired by McAfee in 2003. Mr. Ryan also played an instrumental role in negotiating McAfee’s acquisition of Foundstone, where he was an early investor and board member. Previously, Mr. Ryan served as executive vice president of worldwide sales for Delrina, a leading software supplier with over $100 million in annual sales, acquired by Symantec in 1995. Mr. Ryan also sits on the boards of Certicom Corporation and Isothermal Systems Research, Inc., and is an advisor to SandHill Capital, SandHill Security and DiamondHead Ventures.

 

 

Teymour Boutros-Ghali

Monitor Ventures

Teymour Boutros-Ghali is co-founder and managing partner of Monitor Ventures. Mr. Boutros-Ghali brings over twenty years of experience as an entrepreneur, investor and management executive. He founded and served as CEO of several technology-driven start-ups including AllBusiness, Zowie Intertainment and Thrive Online, which were sold to NBCi, LEGO and AOL, respectively.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali spent ten years as a senior executive with Time Warner both in operations, as publisher of Time International, and in investments, as vice president of Time Inc. Ventures. During his tenure, Time Inc. Ventures developed a number of successful media franchises including Martha Stewart Living and Vibe. He started his business career at the Boston Consulting Group, where he worked closely with Neal Bhadkamkar, with whom he co-founded Monitor. Mr. Boutros-Ghali holds a degree in electrical engineering from Cambridge University, and received both a Ph.D. in physics and a M.S. in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 

 

Martin Lagod

Firelake Capital Management

Martin Lagod is a managing director and co-founder of Firelake Capital Management, LLC, where he is responsible for private company investments. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Lagod worked in the energy technology sector. He was the co-founder and CEO of Solo Energy Corporation, a start-up energy technology company based in Alameda,California. Solo Energy developed microturbine and clean combustion reciprocating engines for the distributed power market. For the previous 19 years, Mr. Lagod was an intellectual property attorney based inSilicon Valley. He was a partner in the Palo Alto office of Phoenix-based Brown and Bain until 1995 and at Cooley Godward, LLP inPalo Altofrom 1995 to 2001. In his law practice, Mr. Lagod represented companies ranging in size from start ups to Fortune 500 public companies that addressed a wide variety of technologies including gas turbines, photovoltaics, semiconductors, wireless systems, telecommunications, software medical devices and new materials.

Mr. Lagod received a bachelor’s degree with honors in economics from the University of North Carolina and a law degree from Vanderbilt University. He serves on the advisory board for the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He also serves as a member of the board of other Firelake portfolio companies including Nano-Tex, Miasolé and Plextronics.

 

 

 

John Morrissey

J. F. Shea Co., Inc. and Shea Ventures

John Morrissey is executive vice president of J. F. Shea Co., Inc. and managing director of Shea Ventures. He is also a director of J. F. Shea Co. and its affiliated entities. J. F. Shea Co. is one of the nation’s largest privately held companies. The firm’s operating businesses include Shea Homes, the nation’s largest private homebuilder, and J. F. Shea Construction, a general contractor known for its work on large public works projects, particularly tunnels and water treatment facilities.

Shea Ventures has a long history of participation in venture capital, as a direct investor and active participant in venture capital funds. Prior to joining J. F. Shea Co. and Shea Ventures, Mr. Morrissey was a partner of the Bingham McCutchen law firm. He joined that firm, then McCutchen Doyle Brown & Enersen in 1986 inSan Francisco. In 1990, he opened its Los Angeles office, serving as managing partner and as a member of the firm’s executive committee. Mr. Morrissey has earned degrees with honors from Yale College, Oxford University and the University of Chicago Law School.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Wal van Lierop

Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital

Dr. Wal van Lierop, as co-founder, President & CEO of the Fund, oversees the firm’s operations and investments. In addition to HydroPoint, he currently works with Angstrom Power, H2Gen Innovations, Day 4 Energy and a number of other early stage companies.

Dr. van Lierop is a member of the Cleantech Venture Network Advisory Board and holds a part time adjunct professorship in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of British Columbia. He is also the initiator of New Ventures BC the successful new ventures and business plan competition in the province of British Columbia. Dr. van Lierop is a frequently invited speaker on topics related to new energy, venture financing and global business and provides ongoing industry support to organizations such as Fuel Cells Canada. He is heavily involved in the community and is a proud supporter of the arts. He is an avid jogger and likes to enjoy the outdoors of British Columbia.

Prior to joining Chrysalix, Dr. van Lierop was Vice President of Strategic Planning at West coast Energy, Inc. headquartered in Vancouver,Canada. Dr. van Lierop was with McKinsey & Co for 7 years, prior to which he worked for almost 10 years in various positions at the Vrije University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. From that base he consulted to business, government, and major international institutions such as the European Community and the World Bank.

Dr. van Lierop holds a Ph.D. in Economics.

 

 

 

Stoddard M. “Todd” Wilson

Rockport Capital Partners

Todd Wilson is a General Partner of RockPort Capital Partners. Mr. Wilson began his career at AT&T, where he held technical, sales and marketing positions. In 1990 he joined Wilbraham & Monson Academy, a 200-year old private secondary school located in central Massachusetts, where he was Director of External Affairs and held positions in Admissions, Development and Financial Assistance. He later joined Montague Corporation, a manufacturing business where he was a general manager involved in all aspects of the business. In 1998 Mr. Wilson joined RockPort Partners, a merchant bank specializing in the energy and environmental sectors and helped form the venture fund in 2001.

He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Davidson Instruments, EcoSMART Technologies, HydroPoint Data Systems, MicroSeismic, Inc. and Pionetics Corporation, and is an observer to the Boards of Directors of NeoPhotonics Corporation and NanoGram Corporation.

Mr. Wilson received a BA in History and Economics from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.