Randy Ammon: Chief Executive Officer
Randy Ammon is a senior business executive with a broad management background within highly competitive, rapidly changing businesses. Ammon was part of the pre-startup team at Nextel Partners. As the Director of Business Operations, he helped the business grow from ground floor to $1.6 billion in revenues and over 3,000 employees in six years. He remained with the business until the acquisition by Sprint in 2005. Ammon also held executives roles with AT&T Wireless and Telecom USA. He obtained his BA in Finance and Economics from Gustavus Adolphus College.
Lief C. Larson: Managing Director, Founder, Director of Board
Mr. Larson acquired his education in Business Administration and Media Communications from the University of Wisconsin and the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Minnesota. Besides acting as an advertising and media consultant to numerous companies, including IBM, Hilton, Target, and Daimler Chrysler, Mr. Larson has been a career entrepreneur, technologist, and futurist. He has founded and grown eight companies. His last, VOYAGI, Inc., was successfully sold in September 2004. Also that same year, Larson was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Self-Service industry association and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. Mr. Larson was named #8 on Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 10 Entrepreneurs Under 30" list and in 2005 Larson was selected as a finalist for the Minnesota Cup. Larson was the original inventor of the intellectual property and founded the company.
Scott Litman: Advisory Team, Strategic Planning
Mr. Litman is an entrepreneur and visionary leader who has spent his past 15 years growing fledgling businesses into industry powerhouses. Prior to launching SDWA Ventures, Mr. Litman served as President of connect@jwt, the digital solutions business of J. Walter Thompson. His foresight and leadership helped catapult the business to become one of the ten largest providers of integrated marketing communications in the United States. Mr. Litman is a well known and respected leader and has advised such companies as Ford, United Healthcare, Express-Scripts, Xerox, Cargill and Medtronic, RBC Dain Rauscher and Thomson West. Mr. Litman is a 2 time finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has been recognized by the Business Journal as a "40 Under 40". Mr. Litman received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota and continues to support the University as the founder and Co-Chairman of the Minnesota Cup.
Dan Mallin: Advisory Team, Strategic Planning
Mr. Mallin has established a solid track record in creating, growing and transforming businesses through his roles at both large and small businesses, ranging from technology services, operations and business strategy. He is known for his ability to quickly understand any business problem and offer a solution. Prior to forming SDWA Ventures, Mr. Mallin served as the Chief Operating Officer for connect@jwt, the digital solutions business of J. Walter Thompson where he directed the agency's services that are provided to companies, including 3M, Ford, United States Marines, FEMA, Nestle, HSBC, Cargill, Unilever and United Healthcare. Mr. Mallin is a 10 year veteran of 3M where he was awarded the Pyramid of Excellence Award, Circle of Technical Excellence and Alpha Grants. In 1996, he was nominated to participate in Vice President Al Gore's business, education and government partnership, InfoTEST International. He also has been honored as a 2 time finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and he has received recognition as a "40 Under 40" by the Business Journal. Mr. Mallin received his Bachelor of Arts from Drake University and he has an MBA from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.
Sean Kearney: Professional Team (outside), Legal Counsel - Business Law
Sean works in Fredrikson & Byron's Tax Planning & Business Organization Group. Sean is also a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions, Emerging Business and Corporate Groups. Sean works primarily with publicly and private held businesses on their formation, operation, growth, acquisition, sale and succession. Sean's practice focuses on merger and acquisition transactions involving privately held entities. Sean's practice also focuses on private placements of equity securities and venture capital investments. Prior to practicing law, Sean's professional background included working as a tax attorney at Deloitte & Touche. He is a cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and holds a business degree in finance, investments & banking from the University of Wisconsin. Sean has represented Consumable Media since its founding.
Matthew J.S. Graham: Professional Team (outside), Legal Counsel - Intellectual Property Law
Matt is an associate in Fredrikson & Byron's Intellectual Property and Patents groups where he assists with the prosecution of U.S. and international patents primarily in the areas of chemical and mechanical technology, including work in the biological and industrial coating. Matt is a cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. Matt has been overseen the intellectual property filings of Consumable Media since inception.
Jonathan Handel: Professional Team (outside), Legal Counsel - Media & Licensing Law
Jonathan Handel practices entertainment and digital media law. He was previously Associate Counsel of the Writers Guild of America, and has taught film appreciation classes and seminars on entertainment law, business and technology. Jonathan is a graduate of Harvard Law School, and is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Prior to law school, Mr. Handel worked as a computer scientist, and has an undergraduate degree in applied math and computer science from Harvard College. Jonathan oversees the licensing and contract negotiations with movie studios on behalf of Consumable Media.
Dr. Michael Cunningham: Professional Team (outside), Optical Research
Dr. Cunningham has been involved for more than two decades with the invention, design, formulation, commercialization and world-wide production of optical storage media. He holds two advanced degrees in Chemistry from McGill University and has partially completed a third advanced degree in Optics at the University of Rochester Institute of Optics. During a lengthy career at Eastman Kodak Company, he developed an intellectual property portfolio (18 current U.S. patents) focused on CD and DVD media. An expert in several optical storage areas, Dr. Cunningham lectures on optical recording materials, media design and optical media production methods. Currently consulting for Consumable Media, his efforts these past five years were focused on the invention and commercialization of CD and DVD anti-copy and anti-piracy solutions.
Dr. J. Bradford Merry: Professional Team (outside), Optical Research
Dr. J. Bradford Merry, a physicist, specializes in industrial laser applications and electro optics and has written a dozen patents in the field. He received a PhD in solid-state physics from Washington University, St. Louis, and in the 1970's did research at Kodak Research Labs, in the formative years of digital photography. He then formed a company based on innovative laser applications and created a successful laser metrology product line. In the 90's, he sold the company and continued as a consultant and an inventor with notable successes in CD and DVD design.