FOUNX - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Co - Founders
• Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Brian K. Cain is one of the founders and managing partners of founX®. founX® provides a solution for any organization seeking a foundational management system that increases individual and organizational execution. Brian is also a Senior Partner with Zero Degree Consulting and manages the Fairhope, AL offices. Zero Degree is a business management consulting organization that specializes in strategic direction setting, building, and maintaining Operating Excellence Management Systems. Their Firm works with organizations that are at all levels of their operating excellence journey to increase the flow of cash, products, services, and information. Zero Degree is a licensed distributor of founX®. Brian is a continuing education discussion leader for certified public accountants and works with The Center for Supply Chain Management Studies, John Cook School of Business, Saint Louis University in Supply Chain and Project Management. Before starting Zero Degree and founX®, Brian held various senior positions (VP of Supply Chain & Operations, Corporate Controller, & Lean Deployment Executive) with Standard Furniture Manufacturing Company, Inc. "Standard" (an international importer of furniture and a domestic producer of bedroom furniture). He also held various roles in Standard's accounting department and assumed other operational responsibilities as Standard's revenues grew. During the first 8 years of his tenure at Standard the company's revenues increased from 4 times to almost $300 million. Brian was responsible for setting up a Wholly-Owned Foreign Entity, for production of leather furniture in Hangzhou, China. Brian also managed the import administrative offices in Dongguan, China, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Brian was the leader of a team of supply chain professionals that increased cash availability by more than $12 million dollars in six months and reduced the staff responsible for the administrative supply chain from 18 to 6 during a nine month period. Brian was responsible for all construction and delivery of all expansion projects including new office space & over 1.3 million square feet of owned and leased warehouse space. Prior to working at Standard, Brian worked with Ernst & Young, LLP as a senior auditor. Brian is a CPA licensed in the States of Alabama and Georgia. Brian is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has been guest speaker for various organizations. Brian compliments his years of experience with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Mathematics with a Minor in Physics from Troy University. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, salt water fishing, and golfing. He resides in Fairhope, AL with his wife and children.

Job Titles:

• CEO and Co - Founder of Hedgehog Development, LLC
• Co - Founder and Managing Partner / Hedgehog Development, LLC

Dan Galvez is the CEO and co-founder of Hedgehog Development, LLC. , a Long Island, NY based technology consultancy. Dan began his professional career in the 1990s, at the time when web-based technology was still in its infancy. In an industry known for specialization, Dan brings a unique perspective to the state of application development practices, web technologies and content management solutions. Dan started his first company that built web applications and sites for local businesses. With impeccable timing Dan co-founded his second technology consultancy at the peak of the Dotcom collapse. Despite the economic complexities of the time, Dan was able to grow the company. Focusing on the Wealth Management industry, the company became a recognized technology leader, and worked with some of the biggest financial firms in the world. In 2004, Dan decided to centralize the firm's technology offerings on a single platform; the team became entrenched in Microsoft based technologies, and the company quickly achieved Microsoft Gold Partner status. In 2007 Dan co-founded Hedgehog Development. Hedgehog's achieved goal was to focus on technologies, rather than a particular industry. The company focused in on two major platforms - Sitecore and Microsoft. With Hedgehog, Dan is able to bring together the technologies and ideals that he is passionate about: Content Management, Microsoft Technologies, Custom Application Development, and most importantly, helping customers achieve their goals. Dan has been married for over 15 years, has three beautiful children, and when he is not running the company, snowboarding with the family, or participating in the dozen different sports and activities his children are involved with he is out rescuing and finding good homes for Pot Bellied pigs. Dan holds a Bachelor's in Computer Science with a minor in Business from Dowling College in Oakdale, New York.

Job Titles:

• Senior Partner
• Project Coach and Instructor for the Masters in Operating Excellence
• Senior Partner With 0° Degree Consulting

Steve Gran is a Senior Partner with 0° Degree Consulting and manages the Dublin, Ohio office. 0° Degree is a business management consulting organization that specializes in strategic direction setting, building, and maintaining Operating Excellence (Lean) Management Systems. 0° Degree works with organizations that are at all levels of their operating excellence journey to increase the flow of cash, products, services, and information while reducing total cost of operations. Steve is also one of the founders and managing partners of founX®. founX® provides a meeting and execution management solution for any organization seeking a foundational management system that increases individual and organizational performance. Steve started his Operating Excellence (Lean & Six Sigma) development with Pilkington Glass and along the journey he achieved Master Black Belt Certification, has held senior operations positions, and also managed organizational deployment of Operating Excellence in manufacturing, supply chain and transactional environments. Steve has traveled the world as a speaker, consultant, coach, author and educator. In his consulting and coaching role Steve has led several organizational implementations and transformations utilizing the Operating Excellence Methodology, coached and managed multiple improvement projects, and created and conducted organizational development initiatives teaching Operating Excellence principles, systems, and tools to organizations in multiple industries. As an educator Steve works with The Ohio State University as a project coach and instructor for The Masters in Operating Excellence (MBOE) and Executive Six Sigma Black Belt Programs. Steve has also taught at St. Louis University, Texas Christian University, and Georgia Tech University. Steve co-authored the book entitled, People: A leader's day-to-day guide to building, managing, and sustaining lean organizations. The People book was awarded the 2014 Shingo Prize. Steve compliments his years of experience with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University majoring in Transportation and Logistics. Steve lives in Dublin, Ohio with his wife Laura and their four children.