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Amy Babinchak

Managing Partner

ThirdTier

Amy owns Harbor Computer Services, a consulting firm specializing in providing IT services to small businesses. She is also Managing Partner of Third Tier, which provides advanced support services to other consultants and vendors. She has written articles, contributed to the SBS Unleashed books, is the technical editor for others, has been a speaker to many user groups, and conferences. Amy recently founded the EBS virtual user group. She can be founded on her blogs at http://securesmb.harborcomputerservices.net and http://www.thirdtier.net/blog as well as SBS and EBS newsgroups and mailing lists.

Tim Carney

President

SFBay-Link Network Services, Inc.

Tim Carney - MCP, Small Business Specialist is President of EBT Solutions / SFBay-Link Network Services, Inc.  Since 2002, Tim has been providing technology consulting services to emerging San Francisco Bay Area businesses and assisting other IT Professionals in designing Secure Infrastructure.  Involved with Microsoftís Small Business Specialist Community for several years, Tim co-founded BASBiTS.org a San Francisco Bay Area usersí group for Small Business Information Technology Specialists.  During the 15 years prior to establishing his consulting business, he was the CFO and CTO for a 45 person Copier Sales and Services Business in Silicon Valley.  Tim was the technical force in changing its sales focus from Telex to Facsimile, Fax to Copiers, Analog to Digital, and Stand-Alone to Connected.  Timís areas of expertise include Small Business Server, Secure Infrastructure, Virtualization and Mobility Enablement.  Tim is an Eagle Scout and has a B.S. degree in Business Management.  Tim was the lead presenter for two recent SBS 2008 Training Days which reached over 200 IT Professionals.  Tim blogs on http://sbs-mobility.blogspot.com and co-presented with Eric Ligman on Licensing for the Small Business Specialist for the 5W/50 Webcast Core Business Series http://www.mssmallbiz.com/training.

Stuart R. Crawford

Vice President

Bulletproof InfoTech

Stuart Crawford works as the Vice President for Southern Alberta's leading Managed Services Provider, Bulletproof InfoTech. Stuart practices web marketing daily using technologies such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and other social media strategies to increase awareness, attract business opportunities and convert visitors to clients using the Internet and other marketing techniques. Stuart is an avid blogger and welcomes new visitor's everyday at www.stuartcrawford.com.

Chad A. Gross

President

Layton Flower Technologies, LLC.

Chad owns Layton Flower Technologies, an organization providing Managed Services to small businesses, as well as consulting and support to other IT Service Providers.  Chad is also a staff consultant for ThirdTier.net, which provides advanced support services for vendors and IT Service Providers.  Before starting Layton Flower Technologies, Chad was partner and CTO with MSPSN where he managed NOC operations and consulted other providers on how to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their service delivery.
 
A long-time Small Business Server advocate, Chad also focuses on Windows SharePoint Services, database solutions including Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access, as well as scripting and automation technologies.  Chad was a contributing author to Small Business Server 2003 Unleashed, and has presented at multiple events including SMB Summit, SMB Nation, SBS Migration’s IT Pro Conference, and MSPSN Revolution.  He can be followed on his blog at www.msmvps.com/blogs/cgross.

Matt Makowicz

VP of Sales, Ambition Consulting

Ambition Consulting

Matt Makowicz’s successful Managed Services Practice created millions of dollars in recurring revenue. Matt sold managed services since before the industry had a name for it! Now he is sharing all his secrets to selling managed services! As an MCSE and sales professional Matt unveils his tools, tips, and strategies for sales success.

Matt coaches and trains on sales and selling managed services as well as continuing to speak about sales, selling service agreements, and various topics for IT providers to grow their businesses.

Here’s what people are saying…
Matt has the unique ability to share his expert knowledge on running a successful Managed Services practice.
– Josie Kocsis, President, Working World, Ontario, Canada

Jeff Middleton

President

SBSMigration.com

Jeff Middleton is recognized worldwide by SBS consumers and resellers as a trusted authority on SBS, and by Microsoft as a Small Business Server - Most Valuable Professional since 1999. He lives in New Orleans, La. (USA) where his small-scale, local IT customer VAR firm founded in 1990 evolved as the template for best practices he now shares with consultants worldwide as unique project solutions.

Jeff has worked as a business/ technology consultant, reseller, system/network integrator continuously for 20 yrs., known also as a writer and internationally acclaimed speaker. His presentations are top rated by attendees including Microsoft Partner tours in US, Canada and Australia, MS Tech Ed US, as well as conferences by SMBTN and SMB Nation.

Jeff is a contributing author to Advanced Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices and featured as one of the top 15 SMB consultants in the Making it Big in Small Business. His unique project support, documentation and tools for Swing Migration of Windows Domains and SBS Servers are widely endorsed by consultants and word of mouth testimonials on the web.

Eriq Oliver Neale

Partner

Third Tier

Eriq Oliver Neale is the owner of EON Consulting (http://www.eonconsulting.net), a small business technology consulting practice in Denton, Texas, and a partner in Third Tier (http://www.thirdtier.net), an organization that provides escalation support for IT organizations around the globe. He is an internationally-recognized Small Business Server expert, and has been awarded the Most Valuable Professional designation for Small Business Server since 2005. Eriq was the lead author for Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Unleashed, and his other writing credits include contributions to The Internet Unleashed 1997, Windows 2000 Server System Administrator's Handbook, E-mail Virus Protection Handbook, and several books in both the 2000 and 2003 series MCSE exam preparation series. Eriq is a 20+-year veteran in the IT industry, getting his start with DOS 2.1 and Novell 1.1. Over the course of his career, he has worked with various operating platforms (Microsoft, Apple, Novell, UNIX, Linux, VAX, AS/400), and he has focused on providing integration solutions for differing platforms. He has worked for small organizations, as well as Fortune 500 companies. Eriq's introduction to the Small Business Server product line came in a one-year stint supporting the product for Microsoft Product Support and Services in Las Colinas, Texas. Since then, he has been focusing on providing solutions to make running and supporting SBS easier. In addition to writing, Eriq maintains two blogs, one technical (http://simultaneouspancakes.com/Lessons) and one business-focused (http://msmvps.com/blogs/onq), and hosts a technology-focused weekly Internet radio program for small business owners (http://www.eoncall.com). He speaks regularly at industry conferences and user groups on a variety of SBS-related topics. Eriq is a native Texan and makes his permanent residence in Denton. He is married, and he and his wife have a menagerie of animals for children. When not writing, blogging, or speaking about technology, he can be found attending baseball and women's college basketball games, writing and recording music, or reading mysteries.

Karl W. Palachuk

President

Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc.

Karl owns KPEnterprises, an SMB consulting firm in Sacramento, California. He is a Microsoft Hands-On Lab instructor, and a popular speaker at technical events. He is the president of the Sacramento Small Business Server Users Group and author of The Network Documentation Workbook, The SAN Primer for SMB, and Service Agreements for SMB Consultants. In the last year Karl has appeared in more than a dozen cities across the United States, plus another five cities in Europe. He was a speaker at the 2006 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference as well as SMB Nation and other venues.

Outside the world of technology, Karl is also the author of Relax Focus Succeed®, a guide to balancing your personal and professional lives and being more successful in both. His next book is simply called Relax Focus Succeed and will be released in May.

More information online at www.greatlittlebook.com or www.relaxfocussucceed.com.

Kevin Royalty

Managing Partner

Total Care Computer Consulting

Since 1986, Kevin has been satisfying the needs of clients as an IT professional. As a highly successful author and consultant, with both a programming and network engineering background, he is a frequent public speaker at industry conferences and public computer shows.

Kevin serves as President of the Cincinnati Network Professional Association, President of the Cincinnati Small Business Server Users Group, Member-at-large of the IAMCP Cincinnati chapter, and sits on the board of the Information Technology Advisory Team for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and CincyTechUSA.

Kevin has been recognized by Microsoft as a leading expert on their Small Business Server product line for the 4th time. The "Most Valuable Professional" (MVP) designation is a rare honor that is bestowed on a small number of people each year. It recognizes product expertise, community leadership, and willingness to help others. Kevin is a nationally known Small Business Server expert, author, and regular speaker at industry conferences.

Kevin is a Computer Science graduate, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and is certified by Microsoft for support of their Small Business Server products.

Rafael Sanguily

Director of Business Development

MSP University

Director of Business Development for MSP University, Rafael’s career of over 8 years in the Financial Services industry led him to a position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a large Executive Mortgage Planning Firm. He has built sales teams that managed  portfolios in excess of $20MM,  and utilizes this experience to help MSP University members increase their sales closing effectiveness through deliberate focus on the 7 step sales process and MSP University’s unique 3 appointment Managed Services Agreement closing technique.

Erick Simpson

Vice President

MSP University

Vice President and CIO of Intelligent Enterprise, a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner, and MSP University (www.mspu.us), Erick is a recognized industry expert and IT and Managed Services author, speaker and trainer, and contributor to numerous industry publications and events. Author of "The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice - What Every SMB IT Service Provider Should Know...", the definitive book on Managed Services, and the follow-ups in MSP University’s Managed Services Series “The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!” and “The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER!”, Erick has also co-authored the HTG publication “Peer Power – Powerful Ideas for Partners from Peers”.

Please visit Erick’s blog at www.mspu.us/Blog.htm.

Wayne Small

Founder

SBSfaq.com Pty Ltd

Wayne Small has been involved in the IT Industry for over 30 years, starting with Computer hardware design at the age of 9 and then progressing to running his own computer repair business at the age of 12.  He has held various roles over that time from Technical Support through to Account Management and Marketing Support.  His focus is traditionally on the Small to Medium Business sector with some exposure to the corporate world as well. 

In 1997 Wayne started Sydney based SMB IT Consulting Company called Correct Solutions.  He grew the company over 9 years to an 8 strong team with multi-million dollar revenues.  In 2005, Wayne merged Correct Solutions with two other companies to bring greater strength to the organisation.  The combined organisation grew to 12 staff with two offices in Sydney and is one of the most respected SMB IT Resellers in Australia.  In late 2006, Wayne stepped back in Correct Solutions and handed over the reins to Ryan Spillane.  Wayne’s focus now is on training, presenting and writing on both technical and business topics for the SMB IT Professional and Reseller. He also provides consulting services to distributors and vendors to help them better understand the needs of the SMB IT Professional / Reseller.

Wayne is a highly acclaimed international speaker and has presented at numerous events since 2000, including TechEd Australia, Microsoft Partner events both in Australia and in the USA and SMBNation.  He has been involved in the SMB IT Pro community since 1998 and has been awarded a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for Small Business Server since 2002.  In 2007, CRN Australia Magazine inducted Wayne into the CRN Hall of Fame for his community efforts, joining the likes of Bill Gates and other leading IT Industry personnel.  Wayne is also involved in a number of advisory groups helping vendors and distributors better understand the needs of the SMB IT reseller.

Dave Sobel

CEO

Evolve Technologies

Dave Sobel is the founder and CEO of Evolve Technologies, a consulting firm that provides information technology (IT) and computer networking services to the small business, faith-based and nonprofit communities in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Evolve Technologies provides a wide array of services including server installation, virus protection, network security, backup services, and complete information technology outsourcing. The first Microsoft Small Business Specialist located in the Washington, D.C. area, Evolve Technologies is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.

In 1996, Sobel founded Evolve Technologies, established a successful Web hosting facility and won a USA Today award for his reality-based Web site. The business expanded into consulting in 1997, and has grown to include a number of clients in the Washington D.C. Metro area.

In his role as CEO, Sobel continues to hold overall management responsibilities for the company. With over ten years of experience in Internet services and consulting, Evolve Technologies is a flourishing IT management firm under Sobel’s experienced watch. As such, the business has earned several industry awards including the Microsoft Mid-Atlantic Region Partner Excellence Award for Customer Satisfaction for Second Quarter 2007, the MSPmentor 100 and 250, as well as the ConnectWise Best New Idea Award for 2008.

Sobel’s consulting clients have spanned from Fortune 500 companies to local and regional operations, including such technologies as Web server management, database servers, security and software development.

Sobel has spoken at a wide variety of industry events including the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, SMB Summit and SMB Nation, and is an active peer group member and faciliatator for Heartland Technology Groups. He is often quoted in many technology-driven publications and maintains his own, popular blogs on business, Evolutionary Business Thoughts (www.evolvetech.com) and virtualization (www.smbvirtualization.net). In addition, Sobel published his first book, Virtualization. Defined: A Primer for the SMB Consultant, in 2008.

Prior to founding Evolve Technologies, Sobel worked as a Web architect for a consulting company doing security, network and infrastructure design for Fortune 1000 companies. Sobel holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary.

David West

Founding Partner

eKzact Solutions

David West is the founding partner of eKzact Solutions, a progressive website development and internet consultancy. David's team has developed well over 200 websites in the past 4 years. David has been working with Internet technologies since 1996. David employs Internet Marketers, designers, programmers and project managers that provide a one-stop-shop for his clients. David firmly believes that quality traffic to a website is better than quantity and using a "coaching" approach to collaborative development of a website. David positions his clients for success online. To read more about David, visit www.ekzact.com.