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2009 Speaker Biographies

Ernie Betancourt

President
Innovative Computing Corporation

Ernie has been involved in the transportation industry for many years. His experience includes co-founding a company that became the largest provider of point-of-sale systems to truck stops. In 2001, Ernie led the management buyout of PBB TransIT and Innovative Computing Corporation by BetaZone, Inc. Ernie holds an MBA and is a Certified Public Accountant (TN, Inactive).

Mike Bodden

Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
ALK Technologies

Currently Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Mike’s primary expertise since joining the company in August 1983 has been software design and architecture, and applications programming particularly associated with transportation issues.

Mike directed the development of the Door-to-Door product line from ALK’s former TravRoute division: the first computer-based mapping product to provide street-level driving directions for the entire United States. Door-to-Door was the flagship product in, and serves as the backbone for, the award-winning CoPilot® in-vehicle route guidance product line.

Serving as the Lead Programmer and Project Manager, his team developed a motive power system for Canadian National Railways. CN's operations control center uses the network of high-resolution color graphic user and projector workstations, 24 hours per day, to manage the daily operations of their entire fleet of locomotives.

Mike was the original developer of ALK's PC*MILER® computer-based highway routing and mileage guide. He also served as the lead designer and developer of a fuel tax reporting system. Together, these two products are used extensively by state fuel tax auditors and throughout the trucking industry.

A member of Sigma Xi, he graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree and a concentration on the fields of transportation and computer graphics.

Randy Boyles

Vice President of Integration Services
PeopleNet

Randy is a technology professional with more than 25 years of management and innovation experience in the airline & transportation industry. Before joining PeopleNet, he held a number of executive positions for MTI, a fleet management software provider, including vice president of development, general manager and president. He orchestrated the integration of PeopleNet, Terion, Geologics and ALK’s Copilot to the company’s flagship dispatch product, and bolstered customer loyalty through product stabilization, service delivery, improved customer relations, and new-product introductions. As an entrepreneur, Randy’s company RBSI provided systems integration solutions for navigation, mobile computing and communication. He created the integration enabler now known as PeopleNet Link™ before selling it to PeopleNet and joining the company. During his tenure at PeopleNet Randy has continued to introduce innovative technologies that have helped shape the industry. Randy’s contributions have included the g3Link which enables handheld & laptop integration in the cab, BLULink, an enabling technology for rapid development of custom applications on PeopleNet’s flagship BLU platform, and the WiVAN Gateway, a hardware enabler allowing integration to a variety of truck mounted devices such as tire pressure monitoring, reefer and temperature monitoring and fuel meter integration. Since 2004, Randy has grown PeopleNet’s Integration Services to 13 managers, developers and contractors, enabling one-stop shopping for customized products and services that combine PeopleNet’s systems and its vendor partners. He also architects PeopleNet solutions for the FMCSA Wireless Roadside Inspection program.

Education: BS in Zoology from Duke University; MS in communication from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

Leadership: Member of the NPTC Safety Committee, and NPTC Safety Committee Technology Subcommittee.

Bernie Cassetori

Vice President of Fleet Management
U.S. Foodservice Inc.

U.S. Foodservice is one of the country’s premier foodservice distributors, serving more than 250,000 customers nationwide. U.S. Foodservice provides the finest quality food and related products to neighborhood restaurants, hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, hotels, government entities and other eating establishments. The company employs more than 26,000 associates in over 70 locations and operates more than 5200 vehicles with XATANET for real-time access to vehicle data. Bernie has extensive operations experience from multiple positions in both field and support operations at U.S. Foodservice during his 37 years with the company.

Thorny Embly

Vice President
Central Pennsylvania Transportation, Inc.

Thorny Embly has worked in the short haul regional transportation industry for 24 years at Central Pennsylvania Transportation Inc based in Lancaster, PA. He has watched the industry grow out of deregulation, through driver shortages as well as the technology booms during that time period. He has a working knowledge of Activity Based Costing incorporating all aspects of actual costs as a factor of lane pricing from a single load up to high volume dedicated business.

Tom Flies

Senior Vice President, Product Strategy
Xata Corporation

Mr. Flies is responsible for the company’s product management efforts. Mr. Flies joined XATA in 1990 and has served in various roles in sales, marketing, and product development, including Sr. Vice President of Product Development, where he led the development and introduction of XATA’s OpCenter product line. In his current role, Mr. Flies is responsible for developing effective strategies by developing and building market-driven products. Mr. Flies holds degrees in Business and Computer Science from the University of St. Thomas. Mr. Flies is a member of the National Private Truck Council (NPTC), American Trucking Association (ATA), Truck Rental and Leasing Association (TRALA) and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSMP).

Brad Gregory

Director, Software Alliances
SMC3

Brad Gregory has more than 25 years of experience in LTL transportation, logistics and technology. Brad joined SMC³ in September of 2000 and is responsible for developing software alliances with supply chain technology providers. He also serves on the SMC³ Executive Committee. Mr. Gregory is a graduate of The University of Tennessee and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Transportation and Logistics. He is also a certified instructor in the Phillip Crosby Associates (PCA), Quality Improvement Process and has been involved with the implementation of the PCA principles at SMC³ and a major LTL carrier. His professional experience includes carrier, 3PL and technology companies from both sales and operational management perspectives. Mr. Gregory regularly speaks at software alliance user group meetings educating the participants in LTL pricing and rating technology.

John Hazenfield

Senior Vice President/Chief Information Officer
DistTech, Inc.

John currently holds the position of SR.VP/CIO for DistTech, Inc. DistTech offers liquid bulk services which include dedicated contract carriage, common carriage, and logistics services. DistTech’s goal is for customers to outsource their business of transportation and logistics management, allowing them to focus on their core business.

John is a 29 year employee of DistTech and has managed a wide range of departments throughout his tenure. He has managed central dispatch, terminal operations, tank wash facilities and held the position of vice president of operations and safety prior to his current position. DistTech is proud to be a six time winner of the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) “Heil Trophy”. The trophy is presented to the tank carrier who has the best overall safety rating and performance.

John is a graduate of The Ohio State University, prior to DistTech was employed by Perdue Farms in Ocean City Md. and is currently holds a board position with the ATA ITLC , a member NTTC, and Ohio Trucking Association.

Hans Kamutzki

CEO
MicroDoc

Hans Kamutzki is co-founder and CEO of MicroDoc, Munich, an independent software vendor specialized on embedded and self service application. Hans studied Physics and Computer Science in Bonn and Munich, Germany and focussed on realtime processing and process control in the early days of his professional work. He holds a German and European patent for an image processing device. After many years of development and project management practice in Smalltalk and Java, Hans now runs the Embedded Java operations in MicroDoc. He was elected sustaining member representative in the Eclipse Foundation’s Board of Directors in March 2009.

Alain Kornhauser

Founder and Chairman
ALK Technologies

Dr. Kornhauser is the Founder of ALK Technologies, Inc. His full-time occupation is Professor of Operations Research and Financial Engineering at Princeton University, where he is also Director of the Interdepartmental Transportation Research Program, Co-Director of the Center for Transportation Information and Decision Engineering and an affiliated faculty member of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Alain's recent research includes the application of large-scale network models, stochastic optimization techniques, and computer graphics to transportation problems. He is also studying fundamental aspects of human information processing, which he is applying to the design of neural networks, expert systems, robotics and automated highway systems.

Another important area of Alain's research focuses on the formulation, development and enhancement of planning, analysis and real-time management models for freight transportation systems, worldwide. These efforts have produced a broad range of analytical tools and software systems that are widely used throughout the transportation and logistics industry. ALK Technologies’ PC*MILER product line is the industry standard for mileage and routing in North America.

Alain has also led the development of the CoPilot suite of portable in-vehicle navigation systems for consumers and business professionals. Recognized by numerous awards, CoPilot is setting the world standard for real-time, GPS based, turn-by-turn directions. CoPilot products that route door-to-door and dock-to-dock throughout the United States, Western Europe, and Australia are widely available for mobile devices, notebook, and Tablet PC hardware platforms.

Alain received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1971. He is a member of many professional societies, has been published extensively in scholarly journals and has made numerous presentations at professional conferences around the world. He has also completed 12 New York City marathons.

Michael Kornhauser

Vice President, Managing Director - CoPilot Solutions
ALK Technologies

Michael is Vice President, Managing Director - CoPilot Solutions. Michael joined ALK in 2003 with the task of establishing the company’s European operations and to lead development of CoPilot Live products tailored to the European market place. Since then he has overseen the opening of offices in UK, France and Germany; been the driving force behind strategic relationships with partners across Europe and built a team of marketing, business development and support professionals to support the company’s rapid growth.

Prior to ALK, Michael worked at Compaq Computer Corporation as a Hardware Design Engineer, designing system boards for the company’s renowned Alpha Server Division.

Michael studied at Trinity College, where he received a research grant from NASA and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Gregg Lanyard

Principal Product Strategy Manager
Oracle

Gregg Lanyard is a Principal Product Strategy Manager at Oracle. He is responsible for defining and managing the product strategy for several components of Oracle's transportation solutions, including operational planning, business intelligence, sourcing, integration, sustainable logistics, and fleet mobile communications. A graduate of Penn State University, Mr. Lanyard has over 15 years of experience working with clients in the retail and consumer goods space, both implementing and improving transportation management systems. Prior to joining Oracle, he served in senior product management roles at both Manugistics and CombineNet.

Benjamin Murphy

Vice President, Optimization Software
TMW Systems

Benjamin Murphy Vice President, TMW Systems Inc., TMW Optimization Software Charged with growing opportunities for TMW Optimization Software, Murphy is responsible for the business and key account development process. Most recently he led the Optimization entry into the 3PL market. In his career at IDSC and TMW, Murphy has served in multiple leadership roles and as a consultant to scores of truckload carriers. He is often an invited speaker at industry functions. Murphy is a co-author of patent application 10/904,868 "Automatic Batch Data Processing System with Enhanced Interoperability."

Cindy Nelson

Vice President, Marketing & Business Development
EBE Technologies

As VP of Marketing and Business Development, Cindy Nelson provides the strategic sales and marketing direction for the company managing all marketing, communications and industry and public relations activities for EBE. Additionally, she serves as the Division Manager for all of EBE’s Driver Management Solutions overseeing the product management, sales and marketing of the recruiting, safety and driver performance applications.

Cindy has 20 years of senior-level management experience in sales and marketing for Fortune 500 and mid-size technology companies bringing a strong expertise in brand management. Prior to EBE, Cindy spent three years at TMW Systems as Director of Marketing. She also served as Director of Sales, Marketing and Communications for various technology, web-development and IT consulting firms. Cindy spent much of her early career in sales and product management for major computer hardware and software vendors. Cindy is a graduate of Miami University with B.S degrees in Marketing and Management.

Dan Popkin

Vice President, CoPilot Sales
ALK Technologies

Dan is Vice President, CoPilot Sales. Dan co-heads ALK’s European mobile navigation business leading sales operations and business development with oversight of direct and indirect sales channels for CoPilot® and FleetCenter solutions as well as development and management of key accounts.

Dan co-established ALK’s European business operations in 2003 and has built a team of sales, marketing, and business development professionals in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Taiwan to support the company’s expansion into the consumer, OEM, and business markets globally. Additionally Dan has developed and oversees a number of ALK’s strategic global accounts including O2, Acer, and BT Global Services.

Since joining ALK in 2000, Dan has held several executive positions within ALK’s Sales and Marketing divisions during which time he has been responsible for developing key corporate accounts and establishing OEM relationships with global manufacturers.

Dan graduated cum laude from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics.

Jeff Sibio

Strategic Vertical Marketing Director
Transportation & Logistics Intermec

Jeff Sibio is the Strategic Vertical Marketing Director for the Transportation & Logistics vertical at Intermec Inc. He is responsible for defining and leading the company’s Transportation and Logistics strategy to ensure Intermec’s products and services meet the needs of the market today and into the future.

Jeff brings to Intermec extensive Transportation and Logistics knowledge that spans over 20 years. Prior to joining Intermec, Jeff worked with leading companies such as Ryder Truck Rental, Transcontinental Refrigerated Lines, HighwayMaster Mobile Communications and USF Glen Moore. At USF Glen Moore, Jeff was the Vice President of Strategic Development responsible for management of the company’s IT and pricing departments, as well as project management of company acquisitions. Additionally, Jeff was responsible for restructuring the company’s maintenance operations, allowing the company to recognize significant profits through more efficient use of maintenance assets and resources.

Desmond Smith

Director Network Services
GeopostUK

With 34 years experience in the transport industry Des’s current diverse role includes responsibility for Franchising, Security, Quality & Programme Management and implementation of Strategic Projects. Des has been instrumental in developing a leading edge solution aimed at optimising network Collection and delivery performance coupled with a driver support solution serving the 3,500 workforce.

Chris Stephens

CFO
Titan Transfer, Inc.

Mr. Stephens joined Titan Transfer, Inc. in June of 2005. At that time, Mr. Stephens brought a wealth of knowledge and experience through his work history, which includes public accounting, the automotive industry, governmental accounting and transportation consulting on M&A Projects. Since his commencement with Titan Transfer, the company has grown nearly 200% through acquisitions and organic growth. Mr. Stephens has been married to Pam for 16 years and they have two children, Zach (10), and Carly (6). Mr. Stephens is an active member of the North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN.

Dave Ward

Partner
ThoughtDrivers

With over thirty years of experience in the motor-carrier business, Dave brings ThoughtDrivers a unique combination of experience and innovation. With a firm commitment to improving the industry, Dave enriches ThoughtDrivers with ideas and insight culled from a lifetime in trucking. As CEO of Ward Trucking for seventeen years, Dave adeptly met the challenges of a market characterized by excess capacity and high-performing competition(1990-2006). By focusing on quality, communication with the market and leveraging business intelligence to coalesce sometimes isolated departments, Dave led Ward Trucking to win numerous honors. These included the prestigious Mastio-Gale LTL survey in 2006. At ThoughtDrivers, Dave has focused on cultivating the creative, future-based, risk-tolerant environment necessary for a company dedicated to innovation. With thirty years of experience behind him, he brings to ThoughtDrivers a drive to push forward into methods sometimes unfamiliar in the traditional trucking industry. For example, he has pioneered a method of engineering business development across "silos," or departments, allowing companies to leverage all of their talent in a collaborative way. He is also dedicated to improving the trucking industry by evolving unique quality-assessment tools, allowing clients to determine what they need in order to excel. Through hands-on executive problem-solving services, Dave is working to bring these ideas to fruition throughout the industry. Dave's experience has given him a clarity of focus, the skill to filter out the superfluous and laser in on what's important. At ThoughtDrivers, he's bringing that clarity to creating solutions that propel the trucking industry toward new horizons.

John White

President
U.S. Xpress, Inc.

John White currently serves as the President of U.S. Xpress, Inc. With more than 20 years of experience in the transportation industry, Mr. White joined U.S. Xpress in 2005 as Vice President of Operations. Mr. White’s oversight of the Company’s truckload operations has greatly assisted in the further development of the variety of service offerings at U.S. Xpress.

A graduate of the John Wiley Jones School of Business at the State University of New York, Mr. White has worked in a variety of capacities within the transportation industry. Before joining U.S. Xpress, Mr. White served as the Vice President of Marketing Services and Pricing at Swift Transportation. He was the Director of Pricing at M.S. Carriers, where he also worked as a Regional Sales Manager and a Divisional Sales Manager. Prior to his stint with M.S. Carriers, Mr. White served as a Regional Sales Manager at J.B. Hunt.