Big Cat Cafe & The 406 Saloon — Darby, Montana

2019 – Present

I founded Big Cat Cafe and the 406 Saloon through the acquisition and redevelopment of three adjoining properties in downtown Darby, Montana. I combined the properties, did some demolition, re-designed the physical space, rebuilt the businesses from the ground up, and repositioned the location as a destination for both locals and visitors.

The result was the revitalization of the town center, the creation of dozens of jobs, and a catalyst for additional private investment in surrounding properties. Today, Big Cat Cafe and the 406 Saloon are the leading dining and entertainment venues in the Bitterroot Valley, reflecting and preserving the culture, independence, and heritage of Montana and the American West.

Starlight Software Solutions — Denver, Colorado

I founded Starlight Software Solutions based on firsthand experience owning and operating a waste and recycling business. Seeing inefficiencies that software vendors failed to understand, I designed the product myself, funded the company, built the team, and took it to market.

Starlight is now the industry-leading cloud and mobile ERP platform for waste hauling, recycling, and transfer station operators across North America. Customers routinely achieve 15–20% improvements in operational efficiency, driving higher profitability and enabling scale that was previously impossible.

The company has created millions of dollars in enterprise value, supports dozens of jobs, and runs mission-critical operations for customers across sales, dispatch, billing, inventory, operations, compliance, reporting, and customer communication.

5280 Waste Solutions — Denver, Colorado

I founded 5280 Waste by structuring a lease-purchase agreement with a bank to acquire distressed assets from a mismanaged predecessor company. I secured new permanent financing, stabilized operations, and rebuilt the business from a small fleet into one of the top 50 private roll-off hauling companies in the United States.

Over several years, I grew revenue more than eightfold and profits more than twelvefold. During that period, I completed two acquisitions and one divestiture. In 2025, I sold the business to private equity investors.

Today, 5280 Waste remains a leading provider of roll-off, commercial, residential, and composting services in the Rocky Mountain West, with a strong emphasis on customer service, routing efficiency, and environmental responsibility.

MX Logic — Englewood, Colorado

As a mergers and acquisitions consultant to the Board of Directors, I led acquisition strategy and execution for multiple SaaS competitors. Working closely with corporate counsel and internal teams, I identified targets, negotiated terms, structured transactions, and supervised closing.

These acquisitions complemented organic growth and helped drive performance significantly above industry averages, culminating in the sale of MX Logic to McAfee for $170 million.

Enlighten Software Solutions — San Mateo, California

Enlighten was a NASDAQ publicly traded systems software company serving global enterprise customers. As CEO, I led a transformation that included structuring strategic partnerships and distribution agreements with Intel, IBM, Silicon Graphics, and others.

These initiatives increased shareholder value by more than 60% and positioned the company for acquisition. I identified and negotiated with potential buyers and led the successful sale of the company to a private defense contractor based in Washington, DC. During this period, I appeared on CNBC to discuss the company’s growth and strategy.

Fortex, Inc. — Boulder, Colorado

I co-founded and funded Fortex based on proprietary PET plastics forming technology. Over several years, we secured 17 patents, licensed the technology to DuPont, and then partnered with DuPont to commercialized applications across medical, manufacturing, and food packaging industries.

In the course of development I secured additional investment from 3M, Becton Dickinson, and others.

IBM Corporation — Portland, Oregon

I began my career in enterprise systems sales and marketing at IBM. I was named to IBM’s executive resource list, elected president of IBM Marketing School, and participated in IBM’s executive MBA program associated with the Wharton School of Business.