Leadership Team
Phillip Spencer, Chief Executive Officer
Joining Aplus.net as the company's Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors in September 2008, Phillip Spencer brings to Aplus.net two decades' worth of experience as a high–profile leader in the technology and telecommunications industries.
Mr. Spencer comes to Aplus.net directly from a successful tenure as President and CEO of Everest Connections, Inc., a cable, telephone and Internet service provider that was named as the Kansas City area's second fastest growing company in 2005 by Ernst and Young and Ingram's Magazine.
Prior to his tenure at Everest, Mr. Spencer's experience encompassed senior sales, marketing and business development positions with AT&T, Advantech, Global Crossings and GE Capital Communications Services. Mr. Spencer also holds a Bachelor's degree from Marquette University and has served on the board of several Kansas City area organizations, including the Enterprise Center of Johnson County, Broadband Service Providers Association (BSPA), and Midwest Angel Investors.
Gabriel Murphy, President and Chief Strategy Officer
Gabriel Murphy became Aplus.net's President and CEO in July, 2006, bringing to the company almost a decade of leadership experience in the tech and hosting industries. In 2008, Mr. Murphy transitioned from CEO into a tactical oversight role as Chief Strategy Officer. He also holds a position on the company's board of directors.
Before joining Aplus.net, Mr. Murphy enjoyed success as co–founder of several SME start–up firms. He was a co–founder of Kansas City–based web hosting firm CommuniTech.Net, leading that company's growth from a $1,800 investment to more than $8 million in revenues. At the time of its acquisition in 2002, CommuniTech.Net was regarded as one of the nation's most profitable hosting firms with 16 consecutive quarters of revenue growth and profitability, as well as $1.8 million in EBITDA (exceeding 35 percent in margins).
CommuniTech.Net was selected by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce as the 2001 Small Business of the Year and “Mr. K” award winner. That same year, Mr. Murphy was named one of the "40 Under 40" Business Leaders of Kansas City and Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. Mr. Murphy has also served as Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions of Interland. He graduated with honors from Cornell University in 1999, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and Marketing.
Ryan Elledge, Chief Operations Officer
Ryan Elledge joined Aplus.net as Chief Operating Officer in July 2006, bringing more than eight years of experience in web hosting and related industries. Prior to joining Aplus.net, Mr. Elledge served as Director of Operations of CommuniTech.net from July 1999 through January 2003, where he had direct oversight of the company's management and day-to-day operations. Following the acquisition of CommuniTech.net by Web.com (formerly Interland), Mr. Elledge coordinated and directed the successful technology migrations of multiple acquired web hosting firms into the CommuniTech.net facilities in Kansas City, Missouri.
Following his tenure with CommuniTech.net, Mr. Elledge was appointed the President and CEO of iNET Interactive in May 2003. iNET Interactive owned and maintained industry-leading web portals in technology-related verticals including hosting, software development, and computer hardware. Under his leadership, iNET Interactive grew from its status as a start-up to more than $2 million in annualized revenue in less than two years, before being acquired by a private equity firm in November of 2005.
Rod Siemers, Chief Financial Officer
Rod Siemers joined Aplus.net as the company's Chief Financial Officer in September, 2008, bringing to the company two decades of high-level international financial leadership experience.
Before joining Aplus.net, Mr. Siemers served as CFO for Everest Connections, Inc., a leading communications technology firm. Here, he helped to lead a dramatic business turnaround, improving the value of the business by $125 million. Prior to joining Everest, Mr. Siemers spent a decade working in multiple high-level positions for Aquila, Inc., most recently as Vice President of International Finance Management, where he directed corporate financial activities for $1 billion in international gas and electric investments in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. His roles at Aquila also included seats on various board of directors and directorships that involved the oversight of high-level corporate due diligence, cost effectiveness, business opportunity identification, and contract negotiations, as well as the company's multimillion-dollar corporate acquisition and merger strategy.
Prior to his time at Aquila, Mr. Siemers was also employed by the Kansas City offices of Arthur Andersen & Co. He holds a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Kansas, where he graduated with top honors. He also holds a variety of other high-level certifications from the states of Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado.
Alexander Yevelev, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Alexander Yevelev joined Aplus.net in early 2008 as Senior Vice President of Marketing. An accomplished sales and marketing expert specializing at maximizing revenue and productivity while also reducing internal costs, Mr. Yevelev brings to Aplus.net two decades of high–level experience. He has held prominent positions with industry leaders in managed hosting, exchange hosting, eCommerce, international trading, and more.
Mr. Yevelev has served as Director of Sales and Director of Marketing Programs at San Antonio–based Rackspace Managed Hosting and Director of Operations at Concentric (XO Communications). Most recently, Mr. Yevelev had spent the last several years as Director of Direct Sales and Marketing for Intermedia.net and Vice President of Sales and Web Marketing for Apptix, helping to lead those companies to the top of the exchange hosting industry.
Russell Gilman, Senior Vice President, Customer Care
Russell Gilman, previously general manager of Aplus.net's support department, has been named the Senior Vice President of Customer Care. As Senior Vice President of Customer Care, Russell Gilman is responsible for a large portion of Aplus.net's day–to–day operations.
Mr. Gilman brings to Aplus.net more than 20 years of experience in the IT and computer industries, as well as an extensive background in Customer Support, Operations, Manufacturing, and Engineering. Mr. Gilman previously spent more than 15 years at NCR Corporation, serving most recently as Director of Applications and Network Services for NCR's Global Support Center. His previous positions include Regional Manager Technical Services, Group Manager System Services, Controlled Deployment Manager, and District Manager Technical Services. Mr. Gilman holds a degree in Electronics Engineering from American Technical University, Los Angeles. Mr. Gilman joined Aplus.net in April 2005.
Eli Bowman, Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis
Eli Bowman joined Aplus.Net as Director of Business Analysis in October 2006, bringing more than eight years of financial analysis experience to the company. He was promoted to Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis in October of 2007.
Prior to joining Aplus.Net, Mr. Bowman served as Financial Planning & Analysis Manager with Swiss Re/GE Insurance Solutions from September 2002 to September 2006, where he coordinated the forecasting of revenues and expenses for a $400 million-dollar business unit. Mr. Bowman has also served as Information Analytics Manager for Swiss Re and Senior Product Analyst for Aquila Energy.
Mr. Bowman graduated with honors from the University of Central Missouri in 1998, with a B.S. in Actuarial Science and Mathematics.
Nicholas Gaugler, Vice President, Development
As Vice President of Development, Nicholas Gaugler brings a comprehensive level of expertise to his role as leader of Aplus.net's efforts in programming, systems administration, database design, hardware testing, virtual web hosting, and much more. Having begun his career with Pennsylvania's Vanguard Group in 1999, Mr. Gaugler joined Gabriel Murphy's CommuniTech.net that same year and has been a key component of Mr. Murphy's business enterprises ever since, helping shepherd CommuniTech in its evolution from a start–up to a company of $8 million in revenues as well as heading up Aplus.net's current technological initiatives.
Ralph Munyan, Vice President and General Counsel
Ralph F. Munyan joined Aplus.net in early 2007, bringing with him several decades of legal and business experience in a variety of settings. A member of the Kansas Bar Association, Mr. Munyan holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law, as well as an MBA and a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas, Lawrence. He has significant experience as corporate counsel, and in merger and acquisition transactions, internet law, corporate formations and dissolutions, and contract law.
Mr. Munyan's previous employers include Spherion Corporation, PharmaPayments, Inc., Nations Media Partners, and Commerce Bank of Kansas City; he has also headed his own independent law office. In addition, he currently serves as Vice Chairman of the board of directors for Heartland Financial Concepts, Inc., a not–for–profit ministry specializing in providing personal financial management education.