Management Team
Mark Shapiro
President & CEO
Mark has been instrumental in guiding BX.COM's growth to its current position as the market leader in interactive technology. Mark started three successful ventures before founding BX.COM in 1994. At Paradigm Management Group, a management consulting firm, he was Director of Operations. Under his management, the company grew to become one of the largest management consulting firms in the North East. At Marketing Fulfillments, Inc., he founded and managed a marketing services company that provided customers with targeted marketing techniques, graphic design, custom brochures, direct mail services and coupon/rebate programs. Earlier, he co-founded and managed Paybill Services, Inc., which developed and implemented custom bill-paying software for the banking industry. Mark holds a degree in Finance and Banking from Ithaca College. With his entrepreneurial spirit, and his finance, marketing, and computer skills, Mark has quickly gained recognition as a top Internet innovator.
Ken Berquist
Director
Ken has been associated with BX.COM since its inception. His strength lies in the diversity of his experience, coupled with his knowledge of sales, marketing, finance, turn-arounds and mergers. His business experience is varied and encompasses the Internet, industrial, high tech, retail, and medical industries. From North America to Europe and the Pacific Rim, Ken's skill in organizational development, business growth strategy and creative program execution is widely regarded and forms the cornerstone of business success in our complex global economy. Ken started his career as a computer hard disk manufacturing engineer with BASF Corporation. His experience with manufacturing and engineering evolved into executive sales and marketing positions with BASF, Gould, Inc. and Analogic Corporation. Drawing from these and other experiences, Ken founded the North American operations of Wayne Kerr, Ltd. He was one of the five key members of the management team who took the company public. After six years he founded Assemtest, another successful venture which subsequently merged with JMAR following a NASDAQ initial public offering. In the mid 1990's, Ken commercialized a Swedish software prototype for an intensive high speed document imaging system over a three year period. The company, Inspectron Corporation, grew and within three years merged with Formscan, a public British imaging software company. Most recently, Ken joined TechTarget, an Internet publishing company, as a member of the start-up management team. His roles were focused in business development and operational management and included the acquisition of thirteen Internet companies, developing and launching TechTarget's email list rental business, e-commerce initiatives and face-to-face conference business. TechTarget became an Inc. 500 company in 2004 and went public in May, 2007 (TTGT – NASDAQ).
Kim Testa
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development
Prior to joining BX.COM, Kim was the founder of Thayer Markets, a regional retail chain dealing in perishable goods. Within four years, she sold her multi-million dollar retail establishment and was in search of her next conquest. In late 1998 she joined BX.COM as the Executive Vice President, Corporate Development. Kim spearheads BX.COM's business development and key client relationships. She is accountable for BX.COM's national growth, strategic execution and profitability. With a deep understanding of how the Internet can drive opportunity and efficiency to business, Kim defines BX.COM's services to achieve client business goals.
Garry Harstad
Executive Vice President Technology
Garry was imported from England as a Software Engineer (and experienced tea drinker) in 1998. His mastery of Web concepts assisted us in areas previously alien to most of our humanoid management team at the time. Garry's positive and forward looking attitude and keen insight helped him attain his senior management role at BX.COM. He has helped propel us into application development enlightenment and over time has streamlined many of our business processes and produced a spectacular and knowledgable development team of immeasurable talents (his words). Garry and his team has delivered, evolved and supported thousands of applications and integrations; including architecting our illustrious flagship solutions: pureCommerce and pureEditor.
Thomas Jefferson
Vice President
Tom, an alumnus of William and Mary College is able to read, write and speak Latin, Greek, French and Italian. His illustrious career includes founding a popular nail manufacturing company in the 90's producing nearly 10,000 nails per day. As a practicing lawyer, and two-term governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, he is most notably known for drafting the Declaration of Independence. All of these things, coupled with his astounding utilitarianism, make him incredibly qualified to craft our corporation message to all audiences.
Roger Spense
Senior Vice President Finance
Prior to joining BX.COM in 2001, Roger had over thirty years experience as a financial executive both in Fortune 50 companies and in smaller manufacturing and technology companies. With Group Controllership positions at Sears, Singer and ITT, as well as the Director of Financial Analysis and Planning for a complex multibillion ITT division, Roger made the transition into entrepreneurial companies in the 1980's, with various CFO and consulting positions in both emerging and troubled situations. Roger holds a BSBA from Bucknell University, and completed postgraduate studies at Bryant College, RI and Golden Gate University, CA.