About Us

Brad Gammons

Brad joined Irth first as a board member in 2020 and now serves as CEO. Prior to his role as CEO at Irth, Brad was Global Managing Director of IBM’s Energy, Environment and Utility Industry. Brad’s formal education includes a BA in Political Science and an MBA in Finance. Brad has testified in front of the US Congress on Energy issues and has been featured in articles in Forbes, Business Week and numerous industry and business periodicals. Brad is also considered a thought-leader on Energy and Utility issues and is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry events. Before joining IBM, Brad served as a Captain in the United States Air Force where he held positions in Strategy and Planning and as a Flight Crew member on the B-52.

Rod Ball

Chief Technology Officer

Since joining Irth in 1996, Rod Ball has been instrumental in defining best practices in development and has been a key leader in the design, development and testing of our solutions. Rod and his team are responsible for the creation of all Irth products and works closely with Irth staff and customers to ensure the products deliver required functionality. Rod holds several industry certifications and has a B.S. degree in Software Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Joe Pardi

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operations Officer

Joe Pardi joined Irth in October 2017. He is a proven, high-impact leader in the software industry with expertise in SaaS metrics and financial modeling. His passion for SaaS companies drives his focus on operational excellence, fiscal responsibility, and long-term growth. Prior to joining Irth, Joe served as the Finance Director for Astute Solutions, where he led the Finance, Legal, and Sales Operations teams by linking high-level strategy with operational execution. Joe holds an MBA from Otterbein University and a B.S. degree in Finance from The Max M. Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Matthew Abbitt

CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER

Matthew has a strong background in helping software companies grow and thrive through product management practices and strategy. Previously working in the startup world, Matthew has led product at three different companies and has helped drive them through five liquidity events, one with a strategic and four backed by private equity. With a passion for education, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a mini-MBA from Miami University, a Juris Doctor degree from William Howard Taft University, and in 2013 he authored "Start Predicting in a world of data science and predictive analysis". As the Chief Product Officer, he leads the team responsible for designing and executing Irth's vision and strategy. Aside from working on innovation for Irth's customers, you can find Matthew spending time with his family, working on building various AI models and reading books that help him and his team grow personally and professionally.

Brian Jones

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

Brian Jones has over 35 years of experience in the energy and utilities industry. He started his career holding leadership positions for an investor-owned electric and gas utility for 11 years. Brian has helped build three software and services companies serving in a CRO role at two of those companies. Brian also served nearly a decade with global software giant SAP, helping to build the SAP Utilities practice as a leading provider of industry-focused solutions. Before joining Irth, Brian was the Energy and Utilities practice head for Cognizant Technology Services leading a team of over 7,000 professionals. Brian has a B.S. in Business from Wright State University.

Jason Adams

EVP

Jason Adams has had an extensive career in Damage Prevention. With over 25 years of experience working with some of the largest stakeholders in the industry, Jason has become an expert in building and creating solutions that promote safety. Jason started his career in the Damage Prevention space by joining Irth in 1997. During his time with Irth, he worked directly with multiple clients in his role as Director of Sales. As he continued his career with Irth, he focused on working with One Call Notification centers in building some of the most advanced tools for increasing safety and reducing risk. In 2010, he was promoted from President to Chief Executive Officer. In 2012, Jason exited the company after a successful acquisition. Jason formed 4iQ Solutions in 2013 and helped create a company whose focus was leveraging data to help reduce risk and promote better education. 4iQ Solutions quickly became one of the largest providers of One Call Notification software and training and certification for the Damage Prevention Industry. With the recent acquisition of 4iQ Solutions, Jason returns to his roots and looks forward to building tools that will help in the journey of making the world a little safer.

Yogesh Khandelwal

EVP

Yogesh is the founder and inspirational leader of geoAMPS. He is an engineer with a diverse background in technology across various industries. With more than 25 years of experience in database customization and implementation, his leadership helps companies implement standardized processes, bringing efficiency and optimization to land rights and infrastructure asset management. He holds Master’s Degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Toledo and The Ohio State University. Yogesh was honored with selection to Forty Under 40 in Central Ohio for 2013. Business Journal newspapers also named him to Who’s Who in Energy for 2013.

Jeff Law

SVP

Jeff Law has more than 26 years of experience in the Damage Prevention Industry. He started his career as a software developer, creating applications for the damage prevention industry for KorTerra. He later became Vice President of KorTerra, running all company operations and building processes and procedures needed to run a software company. Jeff recently joined the 4iQ Solutions team and was named President of the organization soon after joining. Jeff has worked with numerous industry experts attending trade shows and belonging to industry organizations, helping build efficiencies with software design. Jeff chaired the Technology Committee for the CGA for two years and later helped launch the technology report the industry produces annually. Jeff has a B.S. in Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Matt Fragale

Vice President, Sales

Matt Fragale joined Irth in 2016. He brings over 11 years of experience in Customer Service, Sales and Management. Since joining Irth, Matt has held multiple sales roles including Sales Development, Customer Success, Account Executive and currently Vice President of Sales. Matt conveys exceptional leadership and industry knowledge along with a proven track record achieved by embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and growth. Prior to joining Irth, Matt served as General Manager for Verizon Wireless, where he led Operations, Customer Service and Sales. Matt earned a B.A. degree from the University of Findlay, with a double major in Liberal Arts and Business Management.

Patrick Norris

Vice President, Sales

Patrick joined Irth in 2020. As Vice President of Sales, Patrick is responsible for growing the new customer base of the company. Patrick has over a decade of experience in the utility and telecommunication space, focusing on GIS and field-enablement software. Patrick has held previous roles at Southern Company and Esri working closely with end-users. This experience has helped guide his passion for aiding organizations in reducing risk to their infrastructure.

Patrick is PMP certified and holds a Master of Science in Business Administration – Computer Information Systems from Colorado State University. His undergraduate degree is in Geography with a minor in Geographic Information Systems from Georgia Southern University. On the weekends, Patrick enjoys exploring Western Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Annji.

CJ Kowalke

Vice President, Sales

CJ Kowalke re-joined Irth in 2022 with the acquisition of 4iQ Solutions where he served as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. CJ is responsible for driving the strategy & execution of Irth's revenue growth, as well as Irth's suite of software platforms. He brings Irth two decades of experience and leadership with SaaS software organizations, including CivicPlus, eLogic Learning and 4iQ. He has a proven track record in developing and growing optimized Sales structures, processes and systems that establish a strategic alliance between his clients and their stated business needs. CJ is a proud Ohio University Bobcat, with a B.A. degree in Business & Communications.

Alex Lue

Principal, Blackstone

Alex Lue is Principal in Blackstone’s Private Equity Group where he is focused on investment activity in the energy sector. Since joining Blackstone in 2019, Mr. Lue has been involved with the firm’s investments in Lightstone Generation, Lonestar Generation, and Fisterra Energy.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Lue was an Investment Analyst at the Baupost Group where he evaluated public market opportunities in distressed credit and equities across a variety of sectors. Prior to Baupost, Mr. Lue was an analyst in the M&A group at Blackstone Advisory Partners.

Mr. Lue received a Masters of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a BS in Biological Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bilal Khan

Sr. Managing Director, Blackstone

Bilal Khan is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group. Since joining Blackstone in 2009, Mr. Khan has been involved in the execution of several Blackstone investments, including various Sithe Global investments, Fisterra Energy, Transmission Developers, Aypa Power, Onyx Renewables, Therma and Array Technologies.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Khan was an Associate at GTCR Golder Rauner, where he was involved with the analysis and execution of private equity investments in a wide range of industries. Prior to that, Mr. Khan worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions department at Lazard Frères focused on Power & Utilities clients.

Mr. Khan received a BS in Applied Economics from Cornell University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He also received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Khan serves as a Director of Fisterra Energy, Transmission Developers, Aypa Power, Therma and Array Technologies.

Bhupinder Singh

Former Chief Product Officer, Bentley Systems

Bhupinder Singh has over 35 years of experience and a track record of delivering industry-leading software solutions for the infrastructure lifecycle, from design and construction to operations. He has a broad range of expertise from organizational strategy to product execution. As a principal at InTwin Insights, he has consulted for various companies, from owner-operators to software startups.

Prior to InTwin Insights, he was the chief product officer at Bentley Systems, which had a successful IPO in September 2020. His team was responsible for product development, delivery, sales and user success. Over his 26-year tenure at Bentley, driving innovation and a growth mindset, his roles included heading sales for Bentley South Asia.

Before Bentley, Bhupinder held various software engineering positions at Montgomery Watson (now Stantec), Bell Labs and Intergraph Corporation.

Bhupinder holds a master’s degree in computer science from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in structural engineering from Vanderbilt University. He also has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, and a management certificate from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jeannie Diefenderfer

Chief Executive Officer, Center for Higher Ambition Leadership

Jeannie Diefenderfer is the chief executive officer of the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership (CHL), a non-profit community formed by and for CEOs committed to building high-performing organizations that deliver superior economic and social value. Jeannie’s experience spans corporate executive leadership, academic board service and stewardship of purpose-driven non-profits.

During her 28-year career at Verizon Communications, Jeannie led both technical and operational organizations and held a range of roles, including SVP of global engineering and planning, chief procurement officer, and SVP of enterprise customer care. She managed organizations with up to 10,000 staff, operating budgets up to $1 billion and capital programs over $10 billion. Jeannie is currently an independent director on the board of Colony Capital, Inc., an advisor to Sedona Systems, lead executive advisor of Ascend Pinnacle, a member of the NACD NJ chapter board, trustee of Olin College of Engineering and vice-chair and trustee of Tufts University.

Kenneth M. Mercado

Executive Vice President, Utility Management Services Quanta Services, Inc.

After more than thirty-six years at CenterPoint Energy and predecessor companies, Kenny is now Executive Vice President, Utility Management Services for Quanta Services Incorporated. In his past role, he led the company's electric business, responsible for electric transmission, distribution, engineering, and power delivery solutions in the greater Houston area, as well as managing electric generation in Evansville, Indiana. In addition, he led the integration and implementation of CenterPoint Energy and Vectren Corporation into one company, including process improvement, change leadership, technology integration, management office, and strategic sourcing and purchasing.

In his role at Quanta, Kenny is responsible for offering strategic best-in-class commercial excellence as the company expands and grows its utility services with key utility customers.

Kenny has served on the board of the Research Advisory Council at the Electric Power Research Institute, Engineering Leadership Board at the University of Houston, the United Way of Greater Houston, and the Center for Houston's Future. He is also the past Chairman of the Board of Directors of both Southeast Electrical Exchange and March of Dimes in Houston, and former board member of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, and the Greater Houston Chapter of the American Red Cross.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, and a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston. Kenny also received and Executive MBA from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University and is a registered engineer in the State of Texas.

Paul Hudson

President, General Infrastructure

For almost a quarter century, Paul has focused on developing robust, reliable, and resilient power sector infrastructure.

Formative experiences toward this effort include serving as Chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission, on the ERCOT Board of Directors, as a three time Secretarial appointee to the DOE's Electricity Advisory Committee, and in various policy roles including Director of Policy to former Texas Governor Rick Perry. Paul currently serves as President, General Infrastructure where he works at pace to discover energy transition focused assets, companies, and development opportunities that will thrive with appropriate investment.

He also serves as a Director for Aypa Power and Irth (Blackstone portfolio companies) and previously served as an Independent Director to CLEAResult. An abiding fascination with the extraordinary dynamism within the sector has been driven, in part, by prior service on the FERC/NARUC Collaborative on Demand Response, as State Policy Advisor to Advanced Energy Economy and the Galvin Electricity Initiative, on the Western Governors Association on Cross Border Energy, and as Board Chair for the Center for the Commercialization of Electricity Technology.

Paul’s formal education includes a BA, and MPA. Hook’em.