Lyle Ball
Chief Executive Officer
Lyle envisioned Avii based on the collective contributions made by the amazing executive assistants, personal assistants and corporate office managers he’s worked with during the past 25 years. He knows how valuable these team members are to the culture, operations and progress of every successful company.
He spends his day listening to customers, reading the market, and steering Avii on paths that solve real world problems for consultants in all scenarios--from Global 1000 consultants who serve the most complex clients in the world...to the vast majority of consultants who work in offices of 20 or fewer employees yet serve almost all organizations on Earth.
He is a creative and driven software executive, with a productive history and disciplined approach for leading data-driven changes through strategic market analysis, rapid-growth organizational uplifts, metered international expansion, and value-based human capital development.
Lyle gained his 20+ years of leadership experience in high technology, clean energy and professional services companies with extensive reach in Cloud, SaaS, Open Source and legal service markets. The majority of his career is anchored to venture capital organizations, including Venrock, Northbridge, Canopy Group and Amp Resources; and as a partner to Apple, Google, Amazon, PayPal, Microsoft, Salesforce and other leading software mega-giants.
He speaks several languages and has enjoyed overseeing companies and teams in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Lyle graduated from Brigham Young University.
He is a creative and driven software executive, with a productive history and disciplined approach for leading data-driven changes through strategic market analysis, rapid-growth organizational uplifts, metered international expansion, and value-based human capital development.
Lyle gained his 20+ years of leadership experience in high technology, clean energy and professional services companies with extensive reach in Cloud, SaaS, Open Source and legal service markets. The majority of his career is anchored to venture capital organizations, including Venrock, Northbridge, Canopy Group and Amp Resources; and as a partner to Apple, Google, Amazon, PayPal, Microsoft, Salesforce and other leading software mega-giants.
He speaks several languages and has enjoyed overseeing companies and teams in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Lyle graduated from Brigham Young University.
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Jason Caldwell
Chief Technology Officer
Jason is Avii's designer and chief architect. He spends his days solving problems with technology to improve the lives of the industry-leading consultants. He enjoys the challenge of helping clients organize deep analysis of the most complex organizational processes, workflows and systems in world.
Jason loves to explore how advancements in the technology landscape can be adapted to help people streamline, manage, and advance their daily workload.
Jason began his software development career at WordPerfect Corporation. For 20+ years, he has designed and built rich-client and internet-based applications for major corporations, including Corel, Altiris and Symantec.
In addition to his role as CTO, he continues to code every day to stay fresh on today's most relevant software technologies. Jason is specialized in network and Internet security.
Jason graduated from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University.
Jason began his software development career at WordPerfect Corporation. For 20+ years, he has designed and built rich-client and internet-based applications for major corporations, including Corel, Altiris and Symantec.
In addition to his role as CTO, he continues to code every day to stay fresh on today's most relevant software technologies. Jason is specialized in network and Internet security.
Jason graduated from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University.
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Rod Sturgis
Chief Information Officer
Rod is Avii's handler. He ensures Avii’s security and availability. Fundamentally, his daily work makes the Avii platform possible.
Staying a step ahead of technical and business requirements and service needs of our clients is no easy task, as they pass down the highly-demanding specifications and goals of the Global 1000 clients they serve.
At Avii, being COO requires that Rod tap into both his inner-geek and his business suit on a daily basis. Rod splits his days between architecting impactful technology solutions and managing the business systems that maximize the company and Avii’s platform.
For 25+ years, Rod has held management, architect, development and information systems security roles for enterprise class web applications at numerous Fortune 500 companies, including engineering a significant web interface for Intel's LanDesk product, home automation solutions at Merasoft, pioneering desktop applications at WordPerfect, and professional service management systems at Digital Gateway.
Rod graduated from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University.
For 25+ years, Rod has held management, architect, development and information systems security roles for enterprise class web applications at numerous Fortune 500 companies, including engineering a significant web interface for Intel's LanDesk product, home automation solutions at Merasoft, pioneering desktop applications at WordPerfect, and professional service management systems at Digital Gateway.
Rod graduated from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University.
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Stuart Dean
VP Sales
Stuart is Avii’s revenue owner. He brings 20+ years of sales leadership to Avii, where he is building a dynamic sales team
from the ground up. His experience and expertise in business development and strategic
partnerships make him eminently qualified for the challenge.
After more than two decades of success opening new offices, entering new markets and
steering fast-growing companies in new directions, Stuart believes Avii is perfectly positioned
and prepared to succeed.
“Avii is an organization with a powerful product that has been painstakingly developed,” he says. “Lyle and his team have exercised tremendous discipline as they’ve developed the product and grown the company over the past 19 years and is now poised for explosive growth.”
Stuart’s experience leading business development and sales for both global and also small and rapidly scaling SaaS companies (including NUVI, PR Newswire and Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company) make him eminently qualified for the challenge ahead. Stuart earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Brigham Young University.
“Avii is an organization with a powerful product that has been painstakingly developed,” he says. “Lyle and his team have exercised tremendous discipline as they’ve developed the product and grown the company over the past 19 years and is now poised for explosive growth.”
Stuart’s experience leading business development and sales for both global and also small and rapidly scaling SaaS companies (including NUVI, PR Newswire and Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company) make him eminently qualified for the challenge ahead. Stuart earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Brigham Young University.
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Allan Smart
Finance
Allan is Avii’s CFO and investor relations strategist. He is an innovative and skilled executive with more than 25+ years experience in the management and growth of technology ventures. He has extensive experience in strategic planning, financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting, market analysis, data analytics, and day-to-day business operations.
He has served as the CFO and COO of several companies and guided their growth from the start-up phase to a successful business transition. He has wide-ranging expertise with entrepreneurial ventures from conception to first revenues, navigation of the growth phase of expanding companies, and the culmination of successful mergers and acquisitions.
As an executive of a private equity firm and a company incubator during the last 15 years, Allan has helped guide business owners in strategic and tactical matters and has also served in the capacity of a board member and interim company officer through rapid growth stages of portfolio companies. He has both domestic and international experience in financial operations and mergers and acquisitions.
Allan earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science from Utah State University with a minor in Accounting and a minor in Korean language. He also earned a Masters of Business Administration from Brigham Young University with focus on Finance and Entrepreneurship.
Allan and his wife Denise are the proud parents of five children. They thoroughly enjoy being involved with family activities and love the active outdoor life of the intermountain area.
As an executive of a private equity firm and a company incubator during the last 15 years, Allan has helped guide business owners in strategic and tactical matters and has also served in the capacity of a board member and interim company officer through rapid growth stages of portfolio companies. He has both domestic and international experience in financial operations and mergers and acquisitions.
Allan earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science from Utah State University with a minor in Accounting and a minor in Korean language. He also earned a Masters of Business Administration from Brigham Young University with focus on Finance and Entrepreneurship.
Allan and his wife Denise are the proud parents of five children. They thoroughly enjoy being involved with family activities and love the active outdoor life of the intermountain area.
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Cheryl Conner
Communications
Founder and CEO of SnappConner PR. Cheryl is an expert in high-impact communications and thought leadership who has provided strategy counsel and led communications programs for a myriad of executives and companies that include many of the technology industry’s best-known executive leaders and leading technology companies, including Novell, Altiris, Lexmark, Nearmap, Veriato and InsideSales.com.
She is widely respected as a maven of social and business networking. Her clients benefit from her hard-earned, positive reputation among global business and industry outlets including Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Inc. and Entrepreneur.
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Eric Eaton
Client Services
Eric is the champion for all Avii clients. He has spent his career building and managing all aspects of client relationships, and leading cross-functional teams to ensure clients’ expectations, desired goals, and outcomes are exceeded. With over 20 years in client relationship management and technical engagement management roles, in both agency and corporate environments, Eric is passionate about all aspects of customer success.
Eric leads Avii’s post-sales functions, including customer success management, professional services, and support. He is the single point of accountability for client success at Avii. He charts the roadmap to success for individual clients, across their journey with Avii. He engages with clients during sales cycles and leads post-sales engagements and onboarding with clients, and maintains a deep understanding of the use cases for Avii in key verticals.
Mostly, though, Eric qualifies success not as an individual pursuit, but rather in balancing success for Avii’s customers, teammates, families, investors, and community.
Away from the office, Eric is a bit of an introvert who is content to pass the time with family and friends. He is quite happy in front of a grill, the more guests in the backyard, the better. But, being married to an adventure buff, a rolling stone, the yin to his yang, their paths together have usually been those less-traveled, filled with the unexpected and the magical. While living and raising their family in Utah has been extremely rewarding, Eric wishes they could spend a lot more time at Lake Tahoe, their second home.
Mostly, though, Eric qualifies success not as an individual pursuit, but rather in balancing success for Avii’s customers, teammates, families, investors, and community.
Away from the office, Eric is a bit of an introvert who is content to pass the time with family and friends. He is quite happy in front of a grill, the more guests in the backyard, the better. But, being married to an adventure buff, a rolling stone, the yin to his yang, their paths together have usually been those less-traveled, filled with the unexpected and the magical. While living and raising their family in Utah has been extremely rewarding, Eric wishes they could spend a lot more time at Lake Tahoe, their second home.
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Mart Withers
Marketing
Mart helps the world know Avii’s joy. With over 25 years of professional experience, Mart specializes in data-driven marketing, revenue-aligned sales enablement and interdepartmental collaboration. Over the last decade, Mart has introduced organizations to emerging SaaS business-to-business markets, uncovered automation trends to maximize organizational performance, and tapped data to discover ideal audience segments.
He particularly enjoys uncovering why people do what they do, especially when it comes to the products they love. He's worked in large multinational companies, in startups, and everything in between. He thoroughly enjoys product storytelling and messaging, uncovering buyers’ journeys, driving go-to-market strategy, and empowering salespeople.
He graduated from Brigham Young University in Marketing. He has a master’s certificate in Project Management from George Washington University and a Pragmatic Marketing Institute level III certification. With two and a half decades of experience, he specializes in helping organizations drive their product, marketing, and sales results.
On a personal note, he also enjoys playing tennis, wakeboarding with his family—trying to land wake-to-wake jumps (so far unsuccessfully)—and beautifying his landscaping.
He graduated from Brigham Young University in Marketing. He has a master’s certificate in Project Management from George Washington University and a Pragmatic Marketing Institute level III certification. With two and a half decades of experience, he specializes in helping organizations drive their product, marketing, and sales results.
On a personal note, he also enjoys playing tennis, wakeboarding with his family—trying to land wake-to-wake jumps (so far unsuccessfully)—and beautifying his landscaping.
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Advisory Board
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." - Jim Rohn
Kent Thomas
Retired; Board member; Advisor; Former CPA and President of the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants (UACPA); Founder and former CEO of Advanced CFO, a leading outsourced financial and accounting provider for small to medium businesses that has served more than 900 businesses and participated in raising more than $1.5B in equity, debt and lease financing; Notable clients included Ancestry.com, SkullCandy, SimplyMac, Stance, Control4.
Jan Newman
Partner of SageCreek Partners, consulting solar, software and technology firms with expertise in all aspects of starting and directing high-growth businesses including strategic direction, fund raising, mergers and acquisitions. Jan’s executive career began with his role of Executive Vice President for Novell during the company’s highest years of growth from 1990-1994. Since Novell, Jan has been founder or a significant contributor to multiple high-tech companies, including KeyLabs, Altiris, Vivint Solar, AviaCode, CentralLogic, AboutTime Technologies, IMSAR and Workfront.
Greg Butterfield
Founder and Managing Partner of SageCreek Partners, a consulting organization that helps amazing companies reach their potential. Greg is a renowned serial entrepreneur with a direct role in Vinca, Altiris, Symantec, Omniture, Domo, Vivint Solar, Workfront, Venafi, Cybage and LGCY Power. He was invited to the 2006 World Economic Forum as an industry pioneer and named winner of the 2002 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Jeff Bickel
CPA; Managing Partner of Tanner LLC, a top 150 public accounting firm that specializes in audit, tax and other consulting services including transaction advisory, leadership consulting, and cybersecurity services. Jeff specializes in tax advisory services to public and private companies in industries including technology, hospitality, manufacturing, medical device, pharmaceutical, and services. Jeff was named one of Accounting Today’s Managing Partner Elite in 2017.
Ken Knapton
Senior Vice President and CIO at Merrick Bank; Founder and Principal of Rocky Mountain CIO advisory. Ken is recognized for evangelizing the strategic alignment between an organization’s long-term business goals and their Information Systems and Technology implementations. He has significant expertise and federal government level experience in data security, transfer, storage and forensics. Ken holds dual degrees including an MBA from BYU and a Masters of Information Technology from Walden University, where he is currently a doctoral candidate. Ken hold three U.S. patents for his early work on enterprise security applications. He brings more than 20 years of experience consulting with companies of all sizes as either a fulltime or outsourced CIO.
Galen Murdock
Founder and Chairman of Veracity Solutions, a software development consulting company for clients including Ancestry, Microsoft, Logitech, GE Healthcare and Lumeris. Galen significantly contributed to the evolution of the Agile development process, and to the growth of the software industry in Silicon Valley and Silicon Slopes. With more than 25 years of experience building world-class teams, innovative products and profitable companies across healthcare, finance and education, Galen has helped create more than 500 products for more than 200 companies. He also holds a personal vision of making radical improvements to healthcare within the U.S.