In the mid 1980s, Boland Jones started his first company — American Network Exchange (AMNEX) — which provided the first alternatives to the AT&T operator service. Jones foresaw a future in business communications applications and founded PGi (Premiere Global Services) in 1991. After 28 years in business, PGi now serves 75% of the Fortune 500. With customers around the globe in nearly every industry, PGi has been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of America’s 200 Best Small Companies and received the Growth Excellence of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan in 2008. Jones has also been included in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for excellence in Web Conferencing Solutions.

Named Georgia’s #5 Top Performing CEO in 2008 by the Atlanta Business Journal, and identified as Entrepreneur of the Year of the Southwest Region by Ernst & Young, Jones supports a different kind of leadership approach. Believing in the power of innovation to make life easier, more efficient and more cost-effective, Jones stands by the value of dreaming big ideas into realities that shape the future and help companies do better business.

Mr. Jones previously served as a director and member of the nominating and governance committee of HSW International, Inc. until June 2010. He received his BS from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children and is an avid supporter of a variety of charitable efforts.

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Articles by Boland T. Jones:

Boland Jones' iMeet^® Blog
How to Make Virtual Meetings Better (Forbes 2010)

Theodore P. Schrafft has served as President since July 2006 and oversees the entire operations of PGi. He has more than 25 years experience in the technology and business communications industries.

With extensive expertise in operations management, sales and marketing, Mr. Schrafft previously served in various capacities with the company, most recently as President of the company’s former Conferencing & Collaboration solution from January 2000 to July 2006, as well as Senior Vice President and General Manager from March 1999 to January 2000. He also served as President of our former Voice and Data Messaging business unit and as Vice President of Corporate Messaging.

Before joining PGi, Mr. Schrafft served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Voicecom Systems, Inc. from June 1996 until October 1997. He spent 14 years at Digital Equipment Corporation serving in various senior level sales and marketing positions. In 1992, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of EA Systems, a global engineering software company and a subsidiary of Digital Equipment Corporation.

Mr. Schrafft serves as a member of the board of Junior Achievement of Georgia, Inc.

David E. Trine brings almost 27 years of finance and accounting experience to his position as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Mr. Trine served most recently as CFO of LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group, a Reed Elsevier company, from September 2008 to February 2009, and as CFO and Senior Vice President of ChoicePoint, Inc., which is now part of LexisNexis, from October 2005 to September 2008. Prior to that, he was Treasurer of ChoicePoint from February 2000 to October 2005 and Vice President, Finance and Accounting and Corporate Controller of ChoicePoint from August 1987 to February 2000. A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Trine began his career in audit at Arthur Andersen LLP.

Mr. Trine is a graduate of Bob Jones University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

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David M. Guthrie has served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) since 2004 and is responsible for global technology initiatives, including product management, research and development, strategic partnerships, web development and operations. He was our Chief Strategy Officer from February 2003 to February 2004.

Prior to joining PGi, Mr. Guthrie served as a Partner with Fuqua Ventures, LLC where he made investments in portfolio companies; led technology-based investments; and served as a strategic consultant to key portfolio companies within the fund from February 2000 to February 2003. He was Senior Vice President, Technology and Content of WebMD where he was responsible for the technology development and deployment for all content across WebMD's properties from January 1996 to February 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Guthrie was CTO of ISSI, Inc., a software technology consulting company that creates software applications and systems for healthcare, communications and media-based companies, which is now known as DevGuru, from September 1990 to January 1996.

He brings a keen interest and deep understanding of converging internet, communications, web and software technologies and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and information systems with high honors from the University of Tennessee.

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Articles by David M. Guthrie:

Boland Jones' iMeet^® Blog
How to Make Virtual Meetings Better (Forbes 2010)

Scott is responsible for building long-term customer and partner relationships and marketing and selling PGi’s leading portfolio of collaboration technologies including iMeet^®, GlobalMeet and ReadyConference.

With more than 20 years experience in technology, management, operations, venture capital and investment banking, Tapp launched PGi’s Global Collaboration Services, and is also responsible for PGi’s Government and education businesses. He is credited with leveraging PGi’s technologies to architect innovative, ground-breaking deals with partners like SAP, Microsoft, Adobe, Tata Communications, Sprint/Nextel, Rogers Wireless and other leading technology companies.

Scott spent time in the Navy, enlisting at 17 years old and travelling the world working on networks and computer equipment for an aircraft squadron. He graduated from the University of Georgia, where he studied while running a small business. A travel addict, Scott is based in Georgia, where he and his wife are very active in their kids’ school and sports, as well as local charitable organizations.

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Articles by J. Scott Tapp:

Consumerization of IT
Return on Collaboration
What to Expect
Who Should be Your Chief Collaboration Officer? (with Morten T. Hansen, Harvard Business Review, 2010)

John D. Stone brings to his role a great depth of both sales and general management experience, drawn from 18 years in the telecommunications industry. His 16 years with PGi has spanned three continents — North America, Asia and now Europe. In each he has used his ability, determination and expertise to help the company reach worldwide success.

Based in London since 2000, Mr. Stone previously worked from Hong Kong where he showed a talent for building business — by growing PGi’s operations into a multi-million dollar business in just 4 years. Prior to that, he worked for Xpedite in San Francisco and also held various sales and marketing positions for ViTel International, both in London and the U.S.

Mr. Stone was born in Ireland where he studied business studies and marketing.

Dennis Choo is responsible for management, sales, support and growth within the Asia Pacific region and brings more than 15 years of telecommunications and IT experience to PGi.

Mr. Choo has played an integral role in the strategic expansion of the business ― introducing new service offerings and opening new country offices to better serve the company’s global customer base.

Mr. Choo joined the company in 1993 when it was operating as Xpedite. He was instrumental in the development and rollout of the company’s teleconferencing service and was responsible for managing the company’s business activities in Australia, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Mr. Choo received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of Alberta in Canada.  

As leader of PGi’s creative team, Erik Petrik establishes the company’s creative direction and is responsible for refining product concepts and leads the various phases of the creative, design and user experience processes.

With more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. and abroad, Erik has written, taught and provided direction to help people evaluate and improve their leadership and creativity in the marketplace, communities and personal relationships. Erik uses this experience to lead his team in creating distinctive, imaginative and effective  products and solutions including iMeet^®, PGi’s internal social network, various commercials, websites and entertaining assets that support PGi’s products and company vision.  Erik is best known for his eye for beauty and his ability to assemble talented and effective teams.  Boland Jones, CEO says “People, creativity and asthetics are Erik’s consistent contribution to PGi’s success.”

Born into a Colorado ski-crazed family by winter and fly fishing by summer, Erik currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Kelli and their five children.

Articles by Erik Petrik:

Erik Petrik's iMeet^® Blog