What we do, and how we do it, all comes down to who we are. Inergex is built upon
a solid foundation constructed by a visionary leadership team that is not afraid
of rolling up their sleeves to get a job done. Our leadership is supported by seasoned
business and IT professionals that see possibilities and solutions to simple and
highly complex business challenges where others do not. Those who lead Inergex's
diverse and knowledgeable staff are:
A co-founder of Inergex, Bob leads our direct sales force, marketing team, business partners, and channels for all Inergex products and services nationwide. His responsibilities include revenue, profit, and customer satisfaction. His purpose is to continually improve the experience our clients have with Inergex—to ultimately build long-term, results-driven relationships.
Bob is recognized as one of the leaders in the Information Technology industry in Upstate New York. Prior to joining Inergex, he worked in the Information Technology industry for more than 15 years, including technical and consulting positions. Bob is a cum laude graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo and received a Master of Engineering degree in Industrial Engineering.
In Bob's own words:
I come from a background where I was stuck in a cubicle from 9 to 5 every day. So our environment here at Inergex is exciting for me—I get to determine what my day will be like and it’s different every single hour of every single day.
I pop out of bed in the morning because I can’t wait to find out what the day will bring and what new challenge awaits me. One of the challenges of being a leader is that I can’t really have a bad day or make bad decisions. I’m always on stage and always have to have a strong game face on. The entire company, plus our clients, depends on me (and others) to make the right strategic decisions to grow Inergex and our clients’ businesses. The key is not to just be ready to react to situations calmly and strategically, but to be ready to proactively plan for future opportunities. This is what really makes my day exciting!
Did you know?A few years ago I won a kitchen makeover from a local TV show. What seemed like a great thing at the time unfortunately quickly turned into one big nightmare. It sounds great to have a TV crew at your house, get a new kitchen for free, and eventually see yourself on television. Well, be careful what you wish for! There are many scary things that occur, some in your control and some not. For example, the crew takes over your house, the people doing the work are more TV personalities than home improvement experts, and when the dust clears all you are left with is a room that looks great on TV but in reality is a façade.
I learned from this bad experience to always be careful when someone tells you it is “Free”. The saying, “You get what you pay for” makes more sense to me today due to this experience. Like anything else, there is a reason people charge for their services—it is the quality and value behind the work that justifies the price tag. And, the ultimate experience the customer feels before, during, and after the work is done is what truly defines an “expert” in my mind.
Mark Brownschidle
Director, Inergex Competency Center
A co-founder of Inergex, Mark leads our project based professional services delivery organization across our client base. His purpose is to continually improve the experience our clients have with Inergex—to ultimately build long-term professional service relationships where Inergex becomes a seemless extension of our customer’s information technology department.
Mark gives us strong, diversified experience in application development, system architecture and administration, project management, and professional services delivery.
Mark has overseen the successful completion of numerous consulting engagements for many prominent organizations in the area, including Praxair, Rich Products, HSBC, Independent Health, HealthNow, Excellus, and Delaware North Companies.
Before entering the WNY Information Technology landscape, Mark graduated cum laude from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering.
In Mark’s own words:
You know what gets my juices flowing? Taking a process that once took numerous manual steps and developing ways to reduce the steps, eliminate tasks, and shorten the cycle time to complete the process with the same, if not better, quality end result.
My biggest challenge is actually describing to clients what we’re going to do for them—because to experience the real business impact, you almost have to live it and breathe it. However, once the project is completed, clients quickly realize the value and short- and long-term benefits. This makes them instant believers in our abilities and approach to solution delivery.
Did you know? In my former life I was a minor league professional hockey player? After brief stints in Rochester and Fort Wayne I played defense for the Muskegon Fury in Michigan. And, I was the 64th overall pick in the NHL draft in 1989. So why am I in corporate America today? Because after a couple years of not making the NHL I figured I better get a real job to support my wife and kids!
Tim Frank
Vice President of Offering Development
Tim is a co-founder of Inergex and wears several important hats including being an integral member of the IT team for one of Inergex’s enterprise clients. In this critical role, he artfully applies his skills in thought leadership, technical knowledge, and team management. Another “hat” includes providing insight and ideas for building new and innovative services and solutions for Inergex to offer to clients. In addition, he assists the Inergex Sales and Marketing teams to help position and market services and products to existing and potential clients.
Tim has spent over 21 years in the information technology industry. Prior to joining Inergex, Tim gained technology experience in leadership and consulting roles, including his previous position as a national Managing Consultant for Inacom.
In Tim's own words:
Helping clients define and apply the value of IT to their overall organization is what really gets me going. I love getting in front of clients to better understand the issues they face, figure out what needs to be done to resolve them, and how we can help them get to the next level and closer to their IT and overall corporate objectives. I also spend a lot of time studying market research and reports to determine current “hot button” issues in today’s marketplace—both on the IT and business sides of the camp. I have spent the past year working closely with one of our largest clients to provide strategic planning and management in several critical areas of their IT organization. It continues to be an excellent experience working with the business and leadership teams to help fuel the overall strategy of the organization—via the use of technology and IT best practices.
Did you know?
I played in a rock band for years—bass and guitar—playing 70s and 80s music. We played in local bars and even made some recordings. It was a lot of fun, but I didn’t want to be a starving artist all my life, so I got into the technology industry. I also find time to exercise and have fun. I am in my 3rd year of Tae Kwon Do and continue to work at it three to four hours a week and really like the discipline, focus, and exercise. It also gives me an additional opportunity to spend some quality time with my son who is also very active in Tae Kwon Do.
Marty Ezzo
Vice President of IT Managed Services Operations
Marty Ezzo leads the IT Operations division of Inergex. His 25+ years in the Information Technology industry provides Inergex with great value and perspective on what businesses need to better their IT operations on a daily basis. His team of seasoned IT operations professionals are armed with not only the expertise to get the job done and done right, but also a “can do” attitude and unwavering passion for what they do each and every day for Inergex clients. Marty is responsible for ensuring Inergex IT Operations clients have a sustainable, reliable, and knowledge team to assist in troubleshooting and resolving everyday IT issues.
Marty’s exposure to all sorts of challenges and situations over the last 25+ years has allowed him to fine-tune his expertise in the IT operations arena. He came from Unisys but also has been an entrepreneur—Co-founder and Vice President of Services for Gizmo Auctions, a marketplace, exchange, and auction for technology asset management. Before Gizmo Auctions, he worked at Inacom for nine years as Director of Technology Solutions. Part of the nine years also consisted of a role at VanStar, where he was a Senior Service Account Executive selling IT outsourcing services.
In Marty’s own words:
Like anyone, I have specific things in my life that drive me to excel. The top four things are:
- The Business Aspect: Understanding how clients use IT and the process and tools they require to operate their business better.
- Client Interaction: Clearly understanding not only the “what” but more importantly the “why”: why a particular client feels they need technology, why the client will be more productive and able to achieve their goals using the technology, etc. The business user fuels a business. I really believe in the people-first, technology-second concept!
- People: Building meaningful, long-term, trusted relationships with both the client and my team.
- Problem Solving: Solving problems creatively. I like to understand the client’s challenges and daily business struggles, as well as how to help the client resolve and overcome them logically, economically, and productively.
Bottom line: Every day is different, which makes my job fun, challenging, exciting, and meaningful!
One of my main goals of my plan is to create amongst my team a mindset that focuses on developing a strong conviction in personal ownership, accountability, self-worth, and work pride. Everyone can achieve great things for him- or herself and for others. However, before the team can unleash this ability, they need to know they possess it. My goal is to help them unleash their potential so they can achieve great things.
The ultimate goal from a client perspective is to create a client experience that is so positive and unique that our clients don’t look elsewhere for IT Operations help. They see Inergex as the trusted, reliable partner ready to enthusiastically tackle their challenges and find solid, meaningful solutions.
Did you know? I have horses, dogs, chickens, roosters, and even a Vietnamese pig. You visit us and get a full view of an animal lover’s paradise. I volunteer with my wife at a local animal shelter as well. The entire family loves animals. Another “Did you know?” is that I am a big fan of the Ford Mustang. I currently have a 1969 Mustang. I greatly enjoy restoring old cars for my personal riding pleasure. It is something I have been doing for quite some time now.
John Rozsa
Program Executive
John has more than 27 years of experience in the IT industry. He’s worked in help desk support, application development, and ERP implementations. Prior to joining Inergex, John held various IT positions including; CIO and Director of Applications for several prominent corporations.
With his background, John understands and can articulate the diverse needs of both IT and business. This unique ability helps Inergex clients align their corporate objectives and user needs strategically with the right technology and IT resources. John was chosen by his peers to receive the Individual IT Achievement Award at the InfoTech Niagara Association's Beta 2003 Awards. This award is given to the person in Western New York who has achieved the most in his or her career with Information Technology. John holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Industrial Technology.
In John’s own words:
I truly enjoy my role—it fits my abilities and personality perfectly. Working with the client to ensure they have an exceptional experience with Inergex every step of the way is energizing to me. Seeing the expressions on clients’ faces when I bring them new ideas that will positively impact their IT team and initiatives really makes my day. My job is simple on the surface…do whatever I can to provide my clients an unparalleled experience. On the surface it seems simple enough; however, when you dig below the surface and realize all the integral pieces to actually delivering such an exceptional experience reality hits you—and the fun begins! Being an expert on delivering successful projects is a given. Providing an experience that truly makes the client grateful and wanting more is rare—that is what I feel makes me and Inergex as a whole different from anyone else.
Did you know? I have five children; two in college. They are all into sports and music. It’s a lot to juggle. But I still get out on my bike on weekends. Last summer I logged more than 1,700 miles. I’m competitive with myself. Always trying to go further or faster. I also do some fundraising bike-a-thons.
Terry Courtney
Principal Consultant--Application Dev., Competency Center
Terry manages a team of application developers at Inergex, currently assigned to working within Inergex’s Competency Center as a Principal Consultant. His role consists of overseeing the individual and team activities relating to the application developers working at Inergex. He also deals directly with the clients handling tasks relating to client relations, project management, thought leadership, technical sales, and information and project requirements gathering (both from the IT and business side).
Prior to Inergex, Terry worked at Inacom for about a year. After Inacom’s unfortunate “close of business”, Terry was approached by Mark Brownschidle (Co-founder of Inergex and Vice President of the Inergex Competency Center) to join a consulting company he and three others were starting. Terry joined Mark in his efforts and became Inergex’s first true “employee”. Terry’s professional background also includes working for an IT services consulting company in Michigan. His role there was application developer helping on key accounts such as IBM, General Motors, and Mercedes Benz.
In Terry’s own words:
For anyone having a position and role like myself, they would have to enjoy technology in general, that is a given. What I find even more enjoyable though are the steps taken prior to deciding the technology used for a project. I like to do the upfront research and then the strategic planning for the design of the software.
Another great thing about my position is the daily challenges I face, I love a good challenge! I am challenged by new stuff, understanding how it works, why it would be a good solution, and how it will provide lasting value to our clients. Finding new technological opportunities helps me to be better not only as a leader and manager, but also as a sales and client relations professional. I also enjoy being the project lead and managing the team from start to implementation on a project. Working with passionate, motivated, talented individuals is a bonus! At Inergex, the team is what helps to keep me jazzed about my role at Inergex and my commitment to our clients.
Paul DeSarra
Principal Consultant—Business Intelligence (BI), Competency Center
His role has several facets—He actively assists sales with BI opportunities as the Subject Matter Expert, provides technical support and guidance to the BI team, manages BI resources and project assignments, works on various BI projects and oversees delivery excellence, and works with the Competency Center leadership to determine the growth and direction of the BI component of the Inergex Competency Center.
In Paul’s own words:
I really enjoy working with my team and the client—being part of both sides of the equation if you will. Helping my team better their skills and overall careers is very rewarding for me—watching (and helping) them grow as individuals and a collaborative team is exciting. I truly believe that the key to our success is our people, and I pride myself in trying to create an environment that brings each individual of our team closer together, both professionally and personally.
Consulting is a very challenging and competitive business. Every day we are tested by our clients, and we have to deliver exceptional service 100% of the time. We always need to be the expert and guide the client down a path we truly believe is the right one. We can only do that if people firmly believe in what they are doing, the abilities and direction of the leadership, and are given the right opportunities to grow. A close team, a valued team, and a driven team will lead to great things.
When I get to put my “sales support” hat on as the Subject Matter Expert in BI, I get to experience a different type of excitement—the thrill of finding and closing new opportunities; really the thrill of the chase and the capture of a new project or account! I love to see us grow and stretch to find new opportunities. I also get to go beyond the technical world. Working closely with business users helps me to not only define the ”what” but more important the “why” of what a BI solution’s purpose is for a client—being there to see them reach the “ah ha” moment is really great. Being an integral part of helping a client harness the value and benefits of BI in their organization, both short and long term, is a fun element to my job.”
Did you know? I am an avid downhill skier. I frequent Colorado and Vancouver, Canada to hit the slopes and really enjoy what winter is all about—lots of good white stuff! Here’s a little story...awhile back some friends and I were skiing in Portland, Oregon. We all took this trail, or at least we thought it was an approved trail. Before we knew it, we realized it actually was an out of bounds trail. Unfortunately, we realized this a little too late! A few of us went over a small hill and ended up in a very cold and deep creek. A friend of mine found this very entertaining—but as he continued to laugh, he ran into a small (but hard) pine tree. We ended up with a good laugh and no major injuries at the end of the day!
Karin K. Schaff Glazier
Director of Marketing
Karin brings over 15 years of diverse marketing and communications experience to Inergex. She is responsible for the overall marketing activities for the company, including strategy development, program/materials creation, implementation, results tracking and measurement, and internal communications. Karin also works closely with sales to support key needs related to the selling process.
With corporate marketing and agency experience, Karin offers a unique perspective to applying marketing best practices to the needs of Inergex and its clients—including helping clients develop strategic communications plans to ensure user adoption of new IT initiatives and creating communication programs to inform employees of IT happenings and successes. She has focused much of her marketing career in the information technology industry—including professional services, hardware, software, Web development, and distribution (channel) marketing. Karin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
In Karin’s own words:
Few people truly understand how Marketing impacts every facet of an organization. Most people think Marketing people sit in a corner somewhere and create fun pictures and captions for brochures, advertisements, Web sites, etc. Sure, that happens but there is real strategy behind that. In addition, along with the materials comes the process by which they are used.
I enjoy helping people understand the importance of Marketing as a whole and especially the meaning of “brand”. You can’t build a brand and have your customers, employees, business constituents, etc. believe what you claim if the essence of your brand isn’t properly infused into every crevice throughout the organization. If you don’t live it, breathe it, and more importantly believe in it, a brand is only a word with no emotion or meaning behind it.
Did you know? I am an art collector. I have hundreds of oil paintings as well as sculptures and other types of art. When it comes to art, I get weak in the knees! It is impossible for me to walk by an art gallery and not at least take a peek inside—and most of the time I end up leaving with a painting or some other type of artwork.