Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. -Vince Lombardi
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"Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change.
They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there."
- John Kotter
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Donald Culeton: President and CEO |
As founder and president of Info Directions, Donald Culeton uses his depth of experience as both
visionary and engineer to direct the development of billing, rating, customer care, workflow management
and selling solutions for the telecommunications industry. A hands-on leader, Culeton participates in the day-to-day management of the
organization's business operations and plays an integral role in the growth and evolution of its
benchmark CostGuard® product line. Under his stewardship, Info Directions has grown from start-up
to industry leader, earning recognition as one of Inc. Magazine's entrepreneurial growth leaders, a
Rochester Top 100 company and one of the fastest growing independent software vendors (ISVs) for
Windows in North America in the Microsoft "Winning on Windows®" ranking.
Before establishing Info Directions, Culeton spent more than 25 years as a software developer and
manager at some of the world's leading telecommunications and technology innovation companies. He
started his career at Bell Labs and went on to hold senior-level programming and management engineering
positions at Computer Consoles (now part of Nortel Networks), Eastman Kodak Company and Frontier
Communications.
Culeton earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer systems engineering from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute and is a Microsoft Certified Professional. He has been a speaker at a number of
industry events including the Billing & OSS World, the Association of Communications
Enterprises (ASCENT) show, and Comptel.
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Patrick Talty: Vice President, Operations |
Vice President of Operations Patrick Talty has been with Info Directions since 1997 and has managerial
responsibilities for the company's product implementation and operational needs. He oversees a number
of teams within the company including Information Technology, Project
Management, Taxation, Customer Support and Quality Assurance.
Talty spent the early part of his career at Eastman Kodak Company as a WorldWide Systems Administrator.
His technical background has proven valuable throughout his career at Info Directions. Talty has
supervised a number of major projects for the company, including the development, launch and operation
of the Info Directions' ASP and completion of the company's SAS 70 audit process.
Talty is an adjunct professor at the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at
Rochester Institute of Technology.
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Derrick Van Grol: Vice President, Marketing and Sales |
Vice President of Marketing and Sales Derrick Van Grol
joined Info Directions as its first sales team member. His 15 years of experience marketing
mission-critical software to companies throughout North America provided a foundation for the unique
commercialization and penetration strategies that led to Info Directions' early success. Today, Van
Grol manages development of Info Directions' product licensing agreements, structures its overall
marketing strategy and directs the efforts of the company's national sales team.
After earning his bachelor's degree in journalism from St. John Fisher College, Van Grol began his
career at Eastman Kodak Company where he managed a team of product marketing specialists selling
high-end digital imaging and access control systems to the Fortune 1000 marketplace.
Van Grol has been a presenter at a number of telecommunications industry events including the Phone+
Channel Partners Conference & Expo and the Association of Communications Enterprises (ASCENT) show.
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Sue Sharp: Chief Financial Officer |
As Chief Financial Officer, Sue Sharp is responsible for Info Directions' financial integrity and
stability. Guiding the company through fluctuating market situations, she balances the need to be
fiscally responsible with qualified risk-taking strategies. Sharp also defines the company's
financial practices, monitors cash flow and is responsible for overseeing a team of employees that
manage the activities associated with collections, payables and payroll.
Sharp leads ancillary financial activities including the investment of excess cash and
administration of the company's employee 401K and Flex Spending Accounts. She also manages
applications for loans and grants from local and state government offices. Her success in these
endeavors has helped fuel additional research and development efforts that have expanded Info
Directions' product offerings.
A graduate of Morehead State University,
Sharp managed the accounting operations for a private company and was co-owner of her own business
before joining Info Directions.
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Timothy Wrona: Vice President, Product Management |
Vice President of Product Marketing Timothy Wrona leads a team of product managers to
ensure Info Directions continues to develop and maintain state-of-the-art, competitively
priced products that excite service providers and offer a compelling business value
proposition. Wrona began his 20-year career with AT&T before moving on to hold
director-level positions at RCN Corporation, Frontier Cellular and Verizon Wireless. Most
recently, he was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Current Communications. At
Current, Wrona directed marketing and sales activities related to the first-ever Broadband
over Powerline (BPL) deployment in the U.S.
As Vice President, Product Management, Wrona directs the efforts of his team as they serve
as spokespersons for the CostGuard product suite. Under his leadership, the Product
Marketing Team helps define and advocate for new development initiatives and communicates
key product differentiators to employees, prospects and clients.
Wrona earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Clarkson University and his MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University.
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Steve Kosarko: Vice President, Engineering |
Beginning his career at Eastman Kodak and subsidiary Edicon, Vice President of Engineering Stephen
Kosarko joined Info Directions in 1996 as a software engineer, helping design some of the CostGuard
product's earliest versions. Promoted to Director of Engineering and subsequently to Vice President,
Kosarko now oversees management of the company's long-term technology vision, coordinates engineering
resources, and monitors quality standards for the team.
Kosarko is also responsible for mentoring the members of the team and ensuring that individuals
continue to develop their skills and experience. With his oversight, Info Directions achieved Gold
Partner status under Microsoft's Independent Software Vendor (ISV) program. Only a fraction of ISVs
developing on the Microsoft platform are able to meet the Gold Partner requirements which include
comprehensive testing of its software products and employing a certain number of developers with
Microsoft Certified Professional designations.
Kosarko earned his engineering degree from the
State University of New York at Geneseo.
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Sue Gould: Vice President of Strategic Accounts |
Susan Gould began her career in the telecommunications industry in 1984 and has developed a broad range
of experience in back office operations, business analysis and account management.
At Cincinnati Bell Information Systems, now Convergys, Gould's 14-year tenure included positions as a
developer, business analyst, information systems manager, implementation specialist and account manager.
Making the move to Metapath Corporation, Gould immersed herself in the rapidly growing wireless industry,
holding positions in sales support and account management for the provisioning and mediation provider.
Her day-to-day responsibilities included interfacing with Sprint PCS, Triton PCS and Nortel.
Continuing her career in the billing industry Gould continued her work in direct sales and account
management, working as the primary contact with Centennial Communications and EDS.
At Info Directions, Gould provides clients with a depth of knowledge that can only come from hands-on
experience and a focus on solving real-life challenges. She works closely with Info Directions account
management, sales and engineering teams to help clients and prospects refine their business model and
develop the underlying processes needed to remain competitive.
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Debbie Culeton: Vice President in Charge of Hiring Really Talented People |
As Vice President of Human Resources, Debbie Culeton is responsible for the care of Info Directions'
most valuable asset – its employees. Culeton oversees recruitment and hiring practices for a
growing team of permanent employees, as well as the company's co-op work program with Rochester
Institute of Technology. Her day-to-day responsibilities include recruiting the latest "really
talented people," leading the employee appraisal process, and managing the full complement of
benefits offered to the company's employees.
As part of the executive team, Culeton upholds and promotes the company's values, vision and philosophy
by organizing special events and recognition programs that enhance the work environment. Through the
efforts of Culeton and her staff, Info Directions enjoys a stable workforce with more than 38 percent
of the employee base celebrating at least a five-year anniversary with the company. This stability
preserves a critical base of knowledge valued by Info Directions and its clients.
Culeton's passion for workforce development led her to serve on the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment
Board (FLWIB), where she is currently the organization's Board Chair. The FLWIB is responsible for
improving the economic well being of job seekers and employers in the region by aligning human
potential with opportunities in the workplace. Her commitment to this effort also led to an
appointment on the Governance Board and its Steering Committee for the Finger Lakes Workforce
Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Partnership, a nine-county partnership funded
by the United States Department of Labor.
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