Meet our Blog Authors

Meet the team!

We are so excited to have such a wide range of expertise among our group of blog authors. They will share their insights and experiences on business management-related topics, including technology trends, ERP software and implementation, industry news, best practices, project management, marketing, and so much more!

Introducing …

Michele Ballinger

Michele Ballinger is the Product Marketing Manager (PMM) for Sage 300 ERP. In her 16 years with Sage and a Sage business partner, she has worked as a customer support manager, product implementation consultant, QA analyst, automated test script writer, product specialist/solution consultant (sales), and product manager. She is passionate sharing the vast benefit of automated IT solutions, including ERP end-to-end business management, Business Intelligence (BI), Manufacturing, and Supply Chain Management. She currently lives in the U.S., but works in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

David Beck

David Beck has over 25 years experience of applying technology to accounting and business operations. He is a co-founder SystemLink North America and co-owner of Beck & Company, CPA’s. David has been an invited speaker on accounting technology topics for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Institute of Management Accountants and the Information Technology Alliance. As a co-founder and President of SystemLink North America Inc, David has led the company to become an industry leader providing business management software and technology solutions worldwide. As co-owner of Beck & Company, CPA’s, David has contributed to building an accounting and consulting firm committed to contributing to the success of clients’ personal and business financial ventures by delivering specialized expertise, creative thinking, and unsurpassed service. Connect with David on LinkedIn or on Twitter @jdavidbeck

Linda Cade

Linda Cade has been at Sage for over 10 years and has held various roles in both product management and customer support. Currently, Linda is a Product Manager for the Sage ERP MAS 500 product. She has over 30 years of experience in multiple business environments including retail, distribution, manufacturing, banking and financial management, real estate development, tax preparation and bookkeeping, restaurant management, mental health services and law practice. Linda is a certified in bookkeeping, support management and pragmatic marketing.

Peter Conway

Peter Conway is considered an expert in business computer technology with an emphasis on accounting and business management systems for small and mid-sized companies. He has over 20 years of experience in the field and has designed and implemented systems for 100′s of companies in a wide range of industries. He has a particular interest in the utilization of new technologies such as Software as a Service (SaaS) and Business Social Media applications. Peter currently works with the Net@Work Accpac client base to design solutions to enhance business results by lowering costs and improving productivity. Connect with Peter on LinkedIn.

Danny Estrada

Danny Estrada is the CRM Practice Director at Net@Work and founder of the Practical CRM Blog and a recognized thought leader in the field of Customer Relationship Management. With 20 years of helping sales and service teams excel Mr. Estrada understands the right mix of people, process and technology in order to maximize an organization.

Sonia Gray

Sonia Gray is Manager of Professional Services with Net@Work. Founded in 1996, Net@Work is a full service business consultancy and technology solutions provider. The company’s expertise extends across all areas of business, including accounting, CRM, manufacturing/distribution, e commerce, document management and HR/payroll software. Sonia specializes in the design and implementation of automated accounting systems, and has performed or managed over 100 implementations from single user systems to multi-user networks. With over 15 years of experience, she has worked with firms across several industry sectors, including manufacturing, retail, agriculture, medical, non profit, and professional services. Her unique combination of technology, consulting, accounting, and business skills have resulted in significant contributions to the firms she has worked with. Connect with Sonia on LinkedIn

Erik Kaas

Erik Kaas is Vice President of Product Management for Sage’s global ERP and CRM products, responsible for product strategy and managing the product life cycle. Erik is a dynamic leader with a successful record of transforming technology/development-led organizations into high performing market-driven organizations.

Prior to Sage, Erik was responsible for product management at Pivotal Corporation, a provider of CRM solutions for mid market enterprises, and worked at a variety of technology start ups. He holds a Master in Computer Science degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands) and a Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University (Canada). Connect with Erik on LinkedIn

Ed Kless

Ed Kless joined Sage North America in July of 2003 and is the senior director of partner development and strategy. He developed and delivers the curriculum for the Sage Consulting Academy, a 5-day course designed to educate Sage partners on the art and practice of small business consulting. He also facilitates the Sage Leadership Academy, a year-long program designed to assist Sage partners develop a continuous process of improvement in their organizations and serves as liaison to the Sage Leadership Academy Alumni Association.

Ed is a frequent contributor to industry publications, including Bob Scott’s Consulting Insights and has spoken at many conferences worldwide on project management, pricing, and knowledge workers. He is also active in the Information Technology Alliance (ITA), Toastmasters, and is a senior fellow at the VeraSage Institute. Connect with Ed on LinkedIn or on Twitter@edkless

Chuck Langenhop

Langenhop is Director of Information Technology Strategy with CFO Advisory Services, LP where he works with small and mid-sized companies in a variety of industries.  He has served as fractional Chief Financial Officer of Dallas-based Rudy’s Food Products, Inc. for four and a half years.  In that capacity he led the selection and implementation of Sage ERP X3 between 2008 and 2009 and continues to coordinate X3 administration and enhancement projects.  In addition, he has worked with another X3 food industry customer, Hirzel Canning Company in Toledo, Ohio.

Prior to joining CFO Advisory Services in 2000, he held nine years of progressive assignments in finance and accounting management for Frito-Lay, Inc., an operating unit of PepsiCo. His roles included Internal Control Analyst, Sales Accounting Productivity Analyst, Accounts Receivable Manager, Southern California Area Performance Analyst, Sara Lee Bakery Joint Venture Planning Manager, Group Manager – Vending and Food Service Finance, and Senior Group Manager – Accounts Payable and Cost Accounting. 

Chuck holds an MBA from Rice University and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Delaware.  He is a Certified Management Accountant with the Institute of Management Accountants. 

Stuart Langer

Stuart M. Langer, CPA is the Vice-President of Sales at Blytheco and an Adjunct Instructor of Accounting at Oglethorpe University. While keenly interested in finance and operations, he understands that ERP and financial systems are a means to an end, and not the end themselves. He has focused on helping organizations achieve their business objectives by better leveraging their people, process and technology to gain competitive advantages.

He has strong background in business process analysis, system selection and deployment, and change management. In the past he has been an IT architect for Real Estate acquisitions of a large private Equity firm, run a services business unit for an international ERP vendor, and been a Partner in a regional CPA firm. He has authored and delivered many CPE classes and lectures ranging from “How Star Trek is Source of Today’s Technology Breakthroughs” to “Data Extraction: A Statistical Primer for Auditors.” Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn.

Glen Mund

Glen is an accountant and Sage Accpac ERP and CRM expert. He has worked in the accounting industry as a public practice auditor, tax specialist, and controller. In the mid 1990s he moved his focus to technology and became an ERP consultant for Deloitte and Touche. He moved to Plus Computer Solutions in the late 90′s and purchased the company in 2003. Plus Computer Solutions is an award winning Sage value added reseller and is proud to have received a bronze medal from CRN magazine for best small business technology solution and to be recognized by Sage as a Top 10 North American solution provider based on customer satisfaction.Connect with Glen on LinkedIn.

Karen Hyman

Karen Hyman has over 20 years of experience in domestic and international technology markets for B2B, commercial, consumer and service products. With Sage for 6 years, she is currently Senior Product Marketing Manager for Sage ERP MAS 90, 200, and 200 SQL, and Sage ERP MAS 90 Online. Her expertise includes creating strategic go-to-market plans, product positioning and messaging, development of effective marketing assets, and customer engagement and loyalty. Prior to Sage, she held various product marketing, product management and brand management roles at a financial and e-payments software, hardware and supplies manufacturer; a specialty benefits software company; and a printer and supplies manufacturer. Karen holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque.

Amanda O’Brien

Originally from Peaks Island, Maine, Amanda headed to the University of New Hampshire to complete a BA in Communications before returning to Maine. Prior to Hall Web Services, she maintained the websites of local radio stations and managed e-newsletters for Citadel Broadcasting. Today she manages Hall’s marketing team and is responsible for social network marketing strategy, implementation, fulfillment, training and validation for corporate clients. When she is not speaking at conferences and to business groups about social networking and conversation marketing, she contributes to the company blog, SEO Vision. She is also the “corporate Twitterer.” Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn

Jenika Scott

After completing a BA in Communications from the University of Maine in 2006, Jenika headed to Walt Disney World Resorts for a seven-month internship. Living and working at Disney provided her with the opportunity to interact with people from around the world, take classes from Disney University, and learn world-class business practices. She has spent the last three years working in the customer service and marketing fields. Jenika manages the parent channel relationships for Hall Web Services, and assists with inbound marketing efforts. In her free time she enjoys watching the Sea Dogs, playing with her two Golden Retrievers, and discovering her new found love of sushi. Connect with Jenika on LinkedIn

Mark Severance

Mark Severance is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Arxis Technology, Inc., in Simi Valley, CA.. His responsibilities at Arxis include overseeing lead generation, corporate communication, new client sales, and client satisfaction.

Mark has been recognized as one of the “Top 40 Under 40″ by the CPATechnology Advisor and the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Mark has presented workshops for the Information Technology Alliance, the California Business and Accounting Show, and the Los Angeles Westside Technology User Group. He received his Master’s degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management in 2003.

Mark’s hobbies include running, reading and spending time with his wife and three children. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

John Shaver

John founded Aries Technology Group in 1996 and is President of the company. He is the recipient of the Trailblazer Award from the Verasage Institute for his pioneering efforts towards providing value and minimizing risk for his customers. The Trailblazer Award is given to firms who have abandoned billable time and abolished time sheets and who have, instead, moved to a fixed price model with a 100% money-back guarantee and implemented professional project management processes on every project. In other words, a trailblazer firm has evolved from a service firm to a professional knowledge firm.

His job is to maintain the sole mission of Aries: creating value for you, their customer. By leveraging over 20 years of knowledge gained in public accounting, business management in a wide array of industries and technology, John and Aries create a strategic, collaborative partnership with you to increase your company’s profitability, efficiency and competitiveness. Connect with John on LinkedIn.

Paul Sita

Paul Sita, Ph.D has spent the past 20 + years helping companies use technology to enhance their businesses, first as a VAR, then as a leading systems integrator with Hewlett Packard, and most recently as the founder and principal of Innovative IT Consulting, LLC, an independent ERP Consulting and IT Strategy firm.

Paul and his team share a passion for technology with a focus on business, and a single-minded commitment to client satisfaction. As “business technologists” they are widely recognized for their ability to bridge the gap between business and technology. Paul works closely with companies in Manufacturing and Distribution, with particular expertise in the process sector – Food, Chemical, Cosmetics, Consumer Products and Life Sciences.

Recognized for his thought leadership and ability to see the big picture, Paul has been a featured writer and speaker at industry conferences and trade associations, serving on HP’s Reseller Advisory Council, and is an active member in AITP, the Association of Information Technology Professionals. Paul frequently speaks and writes on a variety of topics related to getting increased value from ERP implementations and best practices for business success through IT. Connect with Paul on LinkedIn

Imran Syed

Imran brings a wealth of experience to business management and marketing. His focus combines strategic and tactical experience. Currently he is a marketing manager for one of the largest software companies in North America within the Sage Channel. Previous positions include working directly for the senior vice president of Ontario Power Generation, Darlington Nuclear as an internal communication specialist. At OPG Imran’s key focus was on improving employee engagement and communication within the organization.

Imran’s specialties include: marketing automation, customer relationship management (CRM), lead generation, social media, search engine optimization, new business development, non-profit marketing, vertical marketing, strategic marketing, sales management, marketing plan development and execution, budgeting & forecasting. Connect with Imran on Linkedin

Interested in being a contributor? Contact Rita Chen at blog@sageeerpsolutions.com for information on joining our list of experts.