About Us

PhindMe is a mobile marketing company with a focus on bringing local businesses to mobile quickly through easy to use content management, customer relationship management and social networking tools.

History

PhindMe formed in 2006, as a Drexel MBA project focused on exploring wireless technology and its potentials. The team consisted of four passionate individuals that began to review what the true potential of a mobile device could become and how it could benefit both businesses and consumers. After brainstorming for a few days, the team clicked on an idea that they believed could revolutionize the way consumers and restaurants interact. The end result was an application that allowed restaurants to market more effectively through the use of mobile marketing,

PhindMe LLC was then formed from the initial project, and after some deep research and soul searching, it was determined that not only restaurants, but all types of local businesses need a better way to reach out to mobile consumers.

Management Team

CEO - Chuck Sacco (Co-Founder)

Chuck leads PhindMe, having previously held operational and executive leadership roles in the fields of enterprise software, business process management, and mobile application development. Most recently he was a General Manager at SoftBrands, an international ERP, CRM, and BPM company in the manufacturing, distribution, and hospitality industries.

PhindMe is Chuck's second startup, previously helping launch a technology consulting business. He led the consulting and development operations of this self-funded startup before the business was successfully sold to a public software company.

Chuck has specific expertise in selling and implementing technology platforms with small and mid-sized companies, helping them improve their bottom line through the effective use of technology. He has also led the setup of national and international partner programs, helping local companies leverage local market expertise.

With an MBA in technology management from Drexel University and a Beta Gamma Sigma honoree, Chuck has authored articles and speeches on mobile marketing and business process management. He recently spoke at Search Marketing Expo Local/Mobile, discussing how consumers will use mobile technologies in varied ways to interact with local business communities.

COO - Doug Bellenger (Co-Founder)

Doug leads PhindMe's product development and is the company's visionary. He's an engineer by trade with an MBA in technology management from Drexel University. He's trained in process and design excellence, design control, project management, and he's a natural team leader.
 
Doug came out of the biologics and pharmaceutical world, in which he worked at a Fortune 500 company supporting medical device and package development. He has years of experience working with both domestic and international teams focused in operations, design and consulting. His efforts have earned him leadership awards and executive recognition for efforts in communication and collaboration.

Doug's start up background and focus on local comes from a production company he co-founded called Envision Promotion and Productions. This company worked with small businesses, local bands and regional bands to organize concerts, design and source merchandise, and to develop websites. In this position and others Doug obtained proficient experience in both web design and graphic design, as well as a deep understanding of local business operations and marketing.

CTO - Mike Krauklis

Mike leads PhindMe's development team and also acts as Lead Architect and Developer. After attending the Rochester Institute of Technology for Computer Science, Mike has accrued years of experience developing and managing enterprise solutions projects. He’s also gained significant experience within PhindMe in mobile web development and usability, which are critical to our core products.
 
Mike is strongly focused on the strategic vision of the company, as well as ensuring scalability and adaptability for the future of all of PhindMe’s Technology. Having been part of the company for over a year, Mike is dedicated to using his skills to ensure PhindMe creates products that are second to none for our customers.

CMO - Jon Cooper

Cooper is Chief Marketing Officer of PhindMe. Prior to this Cooper was Vice President of Marketing Systems and Product Development at Unreal Marketing, a Full-Service Interactive Marketing Company. Prior to Unreal, Cooper was Director of Distribution Programs at HighBeam, Inc., publisher of HighBeam, eLibrary, and Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam highlights included regularly providing tens of millions of URLs directly into the major search indexes and dealing with information services like Forbes.com, NYTimes Digital, and more. At the venerable Internet institution, Tucows, Cooper ran the online music distribution initiative which was among the first to launch 99 cent pay-per-song downloads of established artists - well before you-know-who. Prior to that, Cooper directed sales operations for Disc Makers, the U.S's largest independent CD replicator. Cooper completed his B.B.A. at the University of Wisconsin School of Business and also has a degree in Music Composition from Boston's Berklee College of Music.

Advisors

Sales Advisor - Todd Cohen

Todd supports PhindMe's sales and marketing efforts. Todd is skilled at building high performance sales teams and has made significant contributions in environments ranging from small, rapidly growing start-up companies to well-established, large corporations.

Through out his career, Todd and his sales teams have delivered more than $200 million in revenue for leading equipment, education, e-learning and information companies, including Xerox, Gartner Group, Pensare, Thomson, and LexisNexis. Todd's successful career has progressed from proven individual contributor and repeat President's Club winner, to innovative sales manager, to accomplished sales executive. Most recently he was Vice President of Sales for Lexis Nexis.

Todd holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from Temple University. He is a member of the American Society for Traing and Development and is active in the American Cancer Society as well as several other charitable organization. More information about Todd and his latest thinking on sales can be found at www.toddcohen.com.

Marketing Advisor - Joe Barone

Barone has a long distinguished career in advertising and interactive working for major advertising agencies on such Blue Chip clients as Marriott Hotels, Wendy's, Deloitte, Cigna and Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Barone, with Marian Marchese, owned Marchese and Barone an advertising agency that morphed into an interactive company called VIRTU.

After selling the interactive company, Barone and Marchese started a mobile marketing company VIRTU Mobile which initiated mobile marketing initiatives with American Express and Campbell's Soup. He also introduced an innovative text messaging program Allergan Pharmaceuticals' PediaMed. The PediaMed program used text messaging to encourage teens to regularly use its Acne drug, Tazorac.

Barone also served on the board of the Mobile Marketing Association in 2005 and 2006.

Development Team

The team also has a number of developers in the Northeast supporting design, development, usability and database management. These developers are the backbone of PhindMe and evangelists in the mobile space.