about

COO & Founder of Speak Easy Software and Focus Upward with 20+ years of experience in business strategy, operations, and execution. Inventive leader with a proven track record of success in senior leadership roles over a 20-year career with Verizon – directing global and culturally diverse teams to execute operational imperatives including growing market share, business transformation, customer experience, and revenue growth / retention.

GALLUP CliftonStrengths top themes:  futuristic, strategic, influencer, communicator, activator.

Growth & Scalability

Revenue Retention

P&L Management

Customer Experience

Business Transformation

BPO Strategy & Operations

Growth & Scalability Revenue Retention P&L Management Customer Experience Business Transformation BPO Strategy & Operations

achievements

Led multi-tier global customer support and operations business unit (100+ employees / $80M OPEX budget, $200M+ annual client revenue) at Verizon – serving enterprise, public sector, and small / medium business clients. 

Championed the acquisition and integration of XO Communications customers and employees into Verizon’s ecosystem retaining $640 Million in revenue and repurposing 85% of the acquired staff.

Developed and delivered an enterprise VoIP product to a previously untapped market for Verizon – driving $50  Million in annual product revenue by year two.

experience

Speak Easy Software

Managing Partner / Founder

Developed and launched a successful all-in-one marketing, communications & loyalty software platform for Businesses. We offer a fast & simple customer engagement platform with the highest industry adoption rates. Helping businesses increase revenue, drive-back lapsed customers, & build a large database of loyal customers to communicate with via text.

5/23 - Present

Focus Upward

Managing Partner / Founder

Successfully launched a consulting firm that specializes in business transformation, product management strategy, P&L management, and customer experience consulting services.

9/22 - Present

Verizon

  • Managing Director – Global Customer Support:  Led the strategy, operational excellence, leadership development and culture of the global customer support organization to deliver best-in-class service to a portfolio of large enterprise and public sector customers with over $40M in annual revenue.

  • Managing Director -  Client Services & Operations:  Nationally led the wireline enterprise and public sector service management and operations team of 115 employees ($80M OPEX budget, P&L, & $200M in annual client revenue).

  • Associate Director – Product Management & Marketing:  Headed product management & marketing for Verizon’s Unified Communications & Collaboration SaaS portfolio.  Drove $50M in annual product sales through sales enablement, marketing & advertisement, and establishing a partner sales program.

  • Associate Director – Marketing & Operations:  Led National teams in customer service operations organization responsible for channel go-to-market, knowledge management and business transformation.  Leveraging business intelligence, market trends, and voice of customer to drive strategy and transformational changes in the wireless Business & Government segment.

  • Various Roles:  Associate Director of Knowledge Management, Senior Manager of Go To Market, Manager of Sales Enablement, etc.

10/03 - 03/23

recommendations

  • Alex Doyle Vice President – Product, Verizon

    "We brought Aaron into the team because we wanted a 360-degree product manager. His experience on the front lines with our broad and diverse customer base made our product team better -his insights improved our customer experience, and how we thought about the end-to-end customer journey when we designed products. He can see things from the perspective of the engineer, the salesperson, the customer, and the customer support rep, which makes him incredibly valuable."

  • Brian Stacy Director, Juniper Networks (former Verizon VP)

    “I have worked with Aaron for many years at Verizon both as a cross-functional partner in the business and also as a direct report. I also had the privilege of promoting Aaron to a director role where he exceeded all the expectations and goals we outlined together. Aaron is a dynamic leader, highly strategic and innovative. He has a can-do attitude and is great at driving day-to-day execution, inspiring others and delivering results that matter. Aaron understands what’s required to define sales and service strategy, target and segment customers, and provide his teams with tools they need to be successful.”

  • Craig Prouty Managing Director, Verizon

    "Aaron is dedicated to continuous improvement in every aspect of leadership. He cares about his people first and leverages that trust to drive results."

  • Daniel Barsoum Executive Vice President, B2B Soft

    “Aaron is a results-driven and accomplished leader with a proven track record of bringing organizational goals and strategies to life. He thrives in a culture-rich organization with a team that values contribution and integrity. He has a unique ability to repeatedly formulate clear plans that drive timely delivery of strategic initiatives.”

  • Kurtis Archer, Project Manager (former employee)

    “I reported directly to Aaron for over a year and I have nothing but fantastic things to say about him as a manager and a person. He trusted the members of our team to handle our responsibilities without riding our backs, but stayed in constant touch with regular check-ins and was always able to provide support whenever we needed him. It is clear to all that Aaron truly cares about people as much as he does business, and I am confident this will allow him to be wildly successful with any opportunities he chooses to take. I highly recommend Aaron for any roles he may be interested in, you will never regret working with him.”

  • Corey Czmiel, Managing Director, Verizon

    “I had the opportunity to work with Aaron for two years and found him to be professional, with outstanding work ethic. He led a strong team of remote employees with varying levels of tenure. In that time, Aaron was challenged with multiple project activities in parallel with his day to day operations, running a $30M annual customer portfolio. He created meaningful relationships, solved underlying issues, and was in constant communication to bring the best of our brand. I would recommend Aaron, you can push him hard and he won't let you down.”