Meet the Team
Our leadership team and account management team share one primary goal: your success. Meet some of the people responsible for finding right-fit technology and solutions that work for your organization—and your budget.
Leadership Team
Account Team
Support Team
Aaron Jacobs
FSO Consultant
Aaron has 10+ years in FSO/APM management, leading projects across diverse industries, notably driving instrumentation for multi-million dollar trading platforms. Now at Xigent, Aaron's belief in “observability as the cornerstone of modern software” sets the stage for excellence in application monitoring.
Adam Blackwelder
Inside Sales Associate
Adam enjoys building trustful relationships with his customers, helping them solve problems. His approach is focused on integrity and honesty.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, including hiking, traveling and sports of all types.
Amos Aesoph
Chief Information Security Officer, CISSP, GSEC
Amos has 18+ years of broad-based IT leadership experience, including the creation of new departments, technologies, and systems.
He leads Xigent's Security Services and advises clients on security trends and best practices enabling policies, procedures, and technologies to minimize vulnerabilities and business risk.
Andrew Schmelzle
Senior Account Executive
Andrew enjoys working with a variety of companies and helping them to identify areas for improvement. He has had many successes that have truly impacted his client’s environment and making a positive difference.
Outside of work, Andrew enjoys spending time with his family, playing hockey, and being at his cabin in northern Minnesota.
Andrew Schwarz
Client Success Associate
Andrew brings his experience from the cellular industry to his role at Xigent. He is passionate about identifying the best solutions for his clients and fostering long-term, meaningful relationships. Outside of work, Andrew is an avid sports fan, particularly of all things Minnesota, and enjoys spending his free time playing video games and socializing with friends on the weekends.
Aric Blom
VP of Business Development
Aric joined the organization in 2001 and started the Sioux Falls branch. Subscribing to the IT-as-a-team philosophy, he believes that trust is the cornerstone of any positive relationship, whether in business or in life. Outside of work, Aric enjoys making memories with his wife and three children.
Ben Andress
Infrastructure Analyst
With experience in DevOps and IT Analysis, Ben Andress joins Xigent to lead documentation efforts and expand our asset inventory, driving improvements in our Service Desk and Delivery services. Ben is a devoted Packers fan who loves sports, especially football, and basketball and enjoys building tech projects like arcade machines. When he’s not working on tech, he’s likely catching up on his favorite movies and TV shows.
Blake Abdella
Chief Strategist
With over 30 years in information technology, operations management, supply chain management, and strategic planning, Blake is responsible for all aspects of Xigent’s IT strategy services.
Bob Krocak
Director of Partner Alliances
Bob has spent more than 25 years in IT sales and leadership roles in the Twin Cities. Helping organizations sort through the ever-changing technology landscape to construct IT platforms that successfully support business initiatives is his true passion. Outside work, you’ll find Bob spending time with family and friends, especially in the great outdoors fishing, hunting, and golfing.
Brian Gilbertson
Senior Account Executive
Brian has an impressive 35-year IT career, starting in the U.S. Air Force and transitioning into engineering consulting roles. For the past 12 years, he has excelled as a sales professional focusing on security and networking. Brian enjoys using technology to solve complex business problems in collaboration with clients. Outside of work, he cherishes spending time outdoors with his family and two Golden Retrievers, tending to their hobby farm, traveling, and fishing at their cabin.
Calvin Kedik
Inside Sales Associate
Calvin takes a client-focused approach to his work, taking time to ask questions and get to know your business and your challenges, so he can understand your needs. Before joining Xigent, he developed his customer service skills as an assistant manager with a Verizon authorized retailer. When he’s not in the office, Calvin enjoys fishing and playing golf.
Chad Schwinghammer
Senior Security Consultant, CISSP, CISM
Chad Schwinghammer is a seasoned IT professional with over 30 years of experience in cybersecurity and security technologies. He holds CISSP and CISM certifications, along with an MSST from the University of Minnesota. Chad is known for his expertise in strategic planning, execution, and cross-functional collaboration across industries. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, traveling, and playing tennis.
Chris Voigt
Director of Infrastructure Solutions
Chris has been with the Xigent team since 2011 in Engineering, Architect, Practice Director, and Infrastructure Director roles. He and his team are focused on designing and delivering business solutions that provide optimal client outcomes. Outside of work, Chris and his family spend their time playing, coaching, and competing in Ninja Warrior events.
Dale Buehler
Client Success Manager
Dale is an experienced Client Success Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. He is skilled in Unified Communications and Contact Center Products, Data Center, Business Development, Wide Area Network (WAN), and Wireless Technologies.
Dalena Wheeler
Client Success Manager
Dalena has over 15 years of Enterprise technology sales, managed services, consulting, and management in the Midwest and North Central regions, including Canada.
Dan Brzoska
FSO Consultant
With over 20 years in FSO/APM, Dan has empowered Fortune 500 companies across various sectors. Known for his problem-solving in application performance, from oil rigs to logistics portals, he now brings his expertise to Xigent, championing FSO as a core business monitoring tool.
Edward Ferron
Director, Application Services
Ed has decades of cloud consulting services experience: developing, deploying, and ensuring cloud environments perform to expectations. He founded JMFerron, which was acquired by Xigent in 2021. He is an expert practitioner of leading applications performance monitoring (APM) tools and development, helping his clients drive value from their APM investments.
Fred Thomson
Senior Account Executive
With over 25 years of experience in the network/compute/storage areas of Information Technology, Fred is in his element when the Xigent team is engaged in helping clients solve complex problems and improve business outcomes. Managed services, professional services, and product sales are leveraged utilizing a hybrid approach across the client base.
Hayden Thompson
Business Development & Marketing Specialist
With a diverse background in marketing, Hayden utilizes data-driven tactics to cultivate a brand's story. Specializing in marketing and psychology, he understands that, to reach an audience, one needs a deep understanding of the audience. In his free time, Hayden enjoys time with his family and friends, staying active, music, hunting, and fishing.
Hugh Voigt
Chief Executive Officer
Hugh started his IT career in 1980 writing mainframe software applications to pay for college. Following college Hugh spent 15 yrs with IBM in a variety of leadership roles. After IBM he was CEO of Espiria through its acquisition by Solutionary and went on to form Upward Revisions, a growth strategy and M&A consulting firm.
Jamey Anderson
President
Jamey is an accomplished operations executive with a proven track record of building scalable IT services businesses and fostering a positive and inclusive environment for talent development. He has served in various global leadership roles in the telecommunications, training, and IT services industries.
Janet Eckman
Chief Financial Officer
Janet has over 25 years of experience in finance, helping organizations formulate and implement financial, business, and operational strategies. As an executive leader, she believes in building a company with a strong culture of respect, collaboration, and integrity. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, doing outside activities, traveling, genealogy, and following college sports.
Jeramy Mercil
Sr. Infrastructure Consultant
Serving the IT industry for 20+ years, Jeramy is a Sr. Infrastructure Consultant at Xigent. Jeramy specializes in cloud solutions, virtualization, and security. He holds certifications in MCITP, MCSE, MCTS, CCNA, CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, and Security+, highlighting his commitment to continuous learning. Outside of work, Jeramy enjoys fishing, hiking, and billiards, and he has been honored with two Master Angler awards for walleye and crappie.
John Kutz
Client Success Team Lead
John has 25+ years of experience working in the IT industry. He's worked in financial and agricultural verticals primarily along with a stint in the pre-employment screening industry. He's held many titles from PC support to Director of IT Infrastructure during the course of his career. John joined Xigent in September of 2013 as a Service Delivery Manager. His favorite part of his job is peeling back the layers of the onion to solve complex IT problems.
Jon Prindiville
Solutions Architect
Jon Prindiville brings 14 years of industry experience as a Technical Consultant specializing in storage and data protection. With a focus on designing and engineering systems to meet customer needs, Jon excels in implementing solutions that drive business growth. As a devoted family man, he spends his free time traveling with his wife and supporting his two sons in their various activities, making cherished memories together.
Josh Dudgeon
Senior Account Executive
Josh works closely with IT leaders and business executives. He loves helping people: working alongside customers, building trusted relationships/friendships, solving problems, and taking proactive steps to improve their environments for the future. When Josh is not at work, he spends time with his family, volunteering at church, playing the drums, and most sports.
Josh Winters
Solutions Architect
Josh is an experienced Solutions Architect with over 15 years of IT industry experience. He specializes in designing secure storage and data protection solutions, collaborating with the service delivery team on Disaster Recovery efforts. Josh is certified in technologies like NetApp, Pure, Cohesity, Veeam, and Cisco, Josh ensures cutting-edge solutions for clients. Outside work, he enjoys running, climbing 14ers in Colorado, and playing pickleball.
Julie Brue
Director of Marketing
Julie has over 20 years of marketing experience and is passionate about helping businesses thrive. As a Certified Financial Marketing Professional (CFMP) Julie specializes in matching complex customer business needs with appropriate products via marketing and education efforts. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 kids, working on home improvement projects, and attending soccer games, Nordic ski and track meets.
Kerri Barrington
Director of Managed Service Offerings
With over 20 years of experience in project management, Kerri is known for her concentrated, down-to-earth approach when it comes to IT, security, and risk management. If she isn’t too busy crossing off goals, you can find her trying new restaurants, nose deep in a novel, or soaking up the sunshine.
Liz Schmidt
Regional Office Manager
Liz is a veteran of relationship building, problem solving, communication, and organizational skills. She works closely with sales, marketing, and service areas.
She has worked in the industry for the last 15 years and truly enjoys the changing landscape of technology that we get to bring to our clients.
Liz is a huge Minnesota Vikings football fan and in the summer switches over to the Minnesota Twins.
Mark Hoober
Director of Service Delivery
With an extensive background in client relations and development, Mark utilizes his 12+ years of experience within the IT industry to progress his clients toward their virtualized storage and server deployment goals. Mark has achieved various certifications, including Netapp NCDA, NCIE, and VMware VCP-DCV5. In his free time, you can find Mark enjoying the great outdoors or woodworking.
Michael Kedik
VP Offering Management
Michael brings to Xigent his strong business development acumen, most notably in relation to data center, software as a service (SaaS), network design, and IT infrastructure. Michael enjoys working with both internal and external customers to bring high-quality results. He has been an IT professional for nearly 30 years across many areas of information technology and telecommunication—striving for all clients to achieve result-driven IT.
Mike Olsen
Vice President of Sales
Mike Olsen brings 30 years of sales expertise to his role as Vice President of Sales at Xigent, where he drives revenue growth and business development through effective go-to-market strategies. A sports enthusiast, Mike enjoys golfing, cheering on MSU Mankato hockey and Iowa Hawkeyes football, and spending time with family at the lake.
Rachel Lambert
Business Development Manager
Rachel brings her well-rounded IT expertise to the Xigent table. Her passion stems from building the customer connection from the ground up, brick by brick. Rachel has a global background living across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United States. Staying active, traveling, and skiing are just a few passions that fuel Rachel outside of work.
Rebecca Miller
Human Resources Manager
Rebecca has over 14 years of Human Resources experience and her expertise runs the gamut of anything HR-related. She is passionate about building relationships and helping companies become more efficient with the processes and policies she develops. Rebecca enjoys spending time with her significant other and his two daughters at the lake, traveling, or cheering on any one of her 23 nieces or nephews at their sporting events.
Rich Hagel
Senior Solutions Advisor
For almost 25 years, Rich has been helping businesses find ways to become more efficient, secure, and agile through information technology and services. His mission is to serve as a trusted advisor to his clients, aligning their IT strategy to their business goals. In his spare time, Rich enjoys time with family and friends at his cabin, traveling, hunting, and fly fishing.
Rod Lucero
Chief Technology Officer
Prior to joining Xigent, Rod was the Founder and CTO for VMPowered LLC. Recognized as an industry expert in virtualization, disaster recovery and business continuity, Rod has worked with businesses of all sizes aiding in the architecture and implementation of IT solutions to meet or exceed their business needs.
Ryan Danforth
VP of Sales - Services
Ryan is an experienced and accomplished Sales Executive with knowledge across various sales processes, and a firm analytical and technical background. He has an extensive track-record of generating business through strategic negotiation while building new relationships with key decision makers.
Teresa Schroeder
Inside Sales Associate
Teresa works in conjunction with the Account Executives partnering with regional businesses. With over 21 years experience, Teresa works with healthcare organizations, financial institutions, small to medium business as well as enterprise companies to assist them in safely navigating through the constantly shifting technology landscape. She likes to stay active with family or can be found on the water kayaking with her Schnauzer.
Theresa Ferron
APM Consultant
Theresa is an expert developer, with experience writing code in Python, Powershell and .NET technologies to monitor applications. She’s skilled in Selenium technologies, Web API, and SQL development, allowing her to provide customized solutions to her clients designed to analyze, confront, and solve their business needs.
Wayne Surat
Inside Sales Manager
Wayne believes in working towards the end goal of helping his customers be successful. It's truly rewarding to him when his clients look at Xigent as being truly committed to providing value versus being just another reseller.
Wayne enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and her children, playing the guitar and golfing (neither of which he is very good at!).