Mark Wesley, CEO
Mark Wesley, CEO
As CEO, Mark is responsible for the planning, development, and execution of the company’s strategic vision. During his tenure, AMAROK has changed its name, expanded its product portfolio, grown rapidly via investments in sales and marketing, strengthened operational capability, improved customer service, and maintained a culture of highly engaged team members.
Prior to joining AMAROK in 2018, Mark was President of Recall Corporation, North and South America, which provides outsourced information management services to companies worldwide. While at Recall, Mark also served as President of Australia and New Zealand, Vice President of North America Operations, and General Manager of Document Management Services.
Mark has acted as a supply chain consultant with A.T. Kearney, worked in senior account management positions with The Coca-Cola Company, and held senior management roles with ICE Commerce. He also served for five years as a Logistics Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Mark is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Michael Dorrington, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Michael Dorrington, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Michael joined AMAROK in 2016 to transform a fledgling team into a high-powered sales and marketing machine. During his tenure, he has introduced a high-energy culture mixed with a strong data discipline to achieve record-setting performances. In 2020 and 2021, Selling Power Magazine named AMAROK, the “#1 Organization to Sell For” in the United States.
Thanks to his overwhelming success, Michael became Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2021.
Michael came to AMAROK with 20+ years of experience in leading sales teams to success. While at Valassis, a leader in intelligent media delivery, he served as Vice President of Sales, taking his product development and sales teams from $0 to $92MM in annual sales. He managed a diverse project portfolio, including new product development, CRM implementation, data and analytics programs, as well as sales leadership training.
In a prior role as Director of Sales for Cintas Corporation, Michael led the hiring, training and development of sales teams charged with growing the company’s key business units for the top sales region.
Michael holds a BA in Communications/Public Relations from Michigan State University with formal sales training in both the Challenger and Requirements Based Selling methods. He is a native Midwesterner and avid runner, and recently relocated to the Columbia, SC area with his wife, son and daughter.
Nathan Leaphart, CPA/Chief Financial Officer
Nathan Leaphart, CPA/Chief Financial Officer
Nathan joined AMAROK as Chief Financial Officer in June 2007 following its initial private equity recapitalization. In his role at AMAROK, Nathan is responsible for overseeing overall financial strategy, human resources, compliance & government relations, and legal. Within his finance role, he oversees accounting, tax, treasury, and financial analysis and planning. Within compliance and government relations, he oversees AMAROK’s permitting and licensing activities as well as its legislative strategy.
Prior to joining AMAROK, Nathan was the Chief Financial Officer of publicly-held manufacturer Glassmaster Company and held various roles in public accounting. He is a certified public accountant and was recognized as one of The State Newspaper’s 20 Under 40 in 2007.
Nathan graduated from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina where he currently serves on the Business Partnership Foundation’s Board of Advisors. He lives in Chapin, SC with his wife and two daughters.
Mark Madej, Senior Vice President of Operations
Mark Madej, Senior Vice President of Operations
As Senior Vice President of Operations, Mark oversees field and warehouse processes, installations, and service and support functions. His priorities include consolidating and improving supply-chain logistics and procedures, which is indicative of our rapidly growing enterprise. By focusing on increasing customer satisfaction, improving cross-functional communication and collaboration, and evaluating and implementing new efficiencies to drive improvements and cost savings, Mark will help AMAROK continue to grow, both as an industry leader and career builder.
Mark has prior logistics experience on the global stage with nThrive, where he served as Vice President of Global Enablement, expanding nThrive’s operational footprint in Asia. He also worked for Iron Mountain and Recall, where he held a variety of operational roles, including Vice President of Integrations and Divestures.
Mark served as an Army officer, graduated from the University of North Carolina, and lives in Charlotte, NC, with his wife and four children.
Joseph “J” Bury, Vice President of Technology
Joseph “J” Bury, Vice President of Technology
J joined AMAROK in 2008 and now serves as Vice President of Technology. J oversees AMAROK's efforts in providing greater integration of security technologies that include access control, video, and intrusion detection for AMAROK's premier electric fence system. J also manages the company's ERP system and other initiatives aimed to enhance customer fulfillment, including "machine to machine" communication.
After receiving a degree in Political Science from Syracuse University, J worked in a variety of high-tech positions, including ADP's Brokerage Industry Services Group, based in Mount Laurel, NJ, where he rolled out new CRM/trading software for top U.S. brokerage firms. After that, J worked for Prophet 21, implementing a start-up, state-of-the-art Windows, and SQL-based application for the distribution industry.
In 2001, J joined CC Dickson as director of IT, where he transformed the company's handwritten invoice, no-inventory tracking system to a leading, technology-based HVAC/R distribution organization. Having successfully modernized their technology, J became the new director of materials. J lives in Rock Hill, SC.
Kerry Gibson, Vice President of Marketing
Kerry Gibson, Vice President of Marketing
Kerry joined AMAROK in 2019 as Director of Marketing. Kerry leads all marketing strategy and initiatives for AMAROK and maintains relationships with major industry organizations to ensure that AMAROK shares the perimeter security expertise it has developed.
Kerry’s immediate and sustained positive impact with AMAROK earned her a promotion to Vice President of Marketing in 2021.
Kerry has had extensive leadership experience in B2B marketing with highly technical organizations. She was the Strategic Marketing Manager for Spirax Sarco, a steam system solution organization based out of the UK, where she focused on driving thought leadership and building a revenue marketing model. She also was a leader of marketing department at Avtec, now a Motorola Solutions company, and helped build infrastructure and process to develop a best practice lead generation organization. Prior to that, Kerry was a member of the marketing and business development team at Sensor Electronic Technology, a semiconductor company.
Kerry graduated from The University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business with a degree in Marketing and HR Management. She lives in Lexington, SC, with her husband and enjoys spending free time on Lake Murray with her friends and family.
Sean Moening, Vice President of Product Management
Sean Moening, Vice President of Product Management
As Vice President of Product Management, Sean drives the development, validation, and launch of AMAROK's complete product portfolio.
Sean has extensive product management experience within the security industry from his time at Allegion and InVue. At Allegion, Sean was the Global Locks Portfolio Manager for the Kryptonite, Trelock, and AXA brands. In that role, Sean led a diverse and global team of product managers, engineers, and procurement professionals for the three brands. After Allegion, Sean joined InVue as a Senior Product Manager, where he continued to develop security products for the retail and consumer electronics industry.
Sean lives in Charlotte, NC and he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Michigan State University.
Melody Moss, Director of Human Resources
Melody Moss, Director of Human Resources
Melody joined AMAROK in 2011 and now serves as Director of Human Resources. Prior to her role as Director, Melody was a Senior Accountant with responsibilities in general accounting, payroll, and human resources. As AMAROK's growth dictated the need for a full-time Human Resources Department, Melody was chosen to lead the initiative.
Melody provides guidance and leadership to senior managers in all areas of Human Resources , including benefits, employee relations, talent acquisition and management, compensation, and regulatory compliance. As a Human Resources professional, Melody implements HR policies and strategies, delivers HR services, and serves as the primary point of contact for employees.
Melody is a proud graduate of University of South Carolina where she served on the cheer team. She currently lives in Prosperity, SC with her husband and two daughters. In their spare time, they enjoy camping and hiking.
Drew Leppert, Vice President of Enterprise Accounts
Drew Leppert, Vice President of Enterprise Accounts
As Vice President of Enterprise Accounts, Drew is responsible for developing strategic plans, maximizing sales opportunities, and sustaining loyalty for AMAROK's key customers. During his tenure over the past 4 years, the Enterprise Sales business has grown 250%.
Prior to joining AMAROK in 2017 as National Account Director, Drew held Regional Manager and Director of Sales level roles for Honeywell's Automation & Control Solutions. He also served in global sales leadership roles within the Business Information (SaaS), Industrial Automation, and Plastic Industries.
Drew is a merit graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Following graduation, he served as Captain in the United States Marine Corps for five years prior to transitioning to Corporate America. Drew earned his Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He currently resides outside of Atlanta on Lake Oconee with his wife and four daughters.
Shara Turley, National Account Director
Shara Turley, National Account Director
Shara joined AMAROK in 2014 as an Outside Sales Representative for the Dallas market. Her role quickly expanded due to her passion for the business and tenacity to grow her territory and responsibilities, including establishing solid relationships with several key national accounts, and taking on the role of National Trade Show Coordinator.
Shara’s natural ability to nurture relationships with many of AMAROK's top industry contacts led her to a National Account Director role in 2018, the culmination of a personal vision, focus and determination to exceed company expectations and sales goals.
Shara takes pride in her ability to be a team player and in building close business relationships to increase sales. Shara holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wesleyan College and resides in Dallas with her husband and daughter.
Eric Lipson, National Account Director
Eric Lipson, National Account Director
Eric joined AMAROK in late 2017 as a Regional Account Executive for the Carolinas. Previously, Eric worked with a regional security integrator as a sales representative, working his way up to the National Director of Sales for the entire wholesale division. In his first two years at AMAROK, Eric sustained the largest year-over-year growth in consecutive years in the company’s most mature market. He now works for AMAROK’s National Account team.
Eric has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, NC. He is an avid golfer and lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and daughter.
Josh Ott, Director of Strategic Accounts
Josh Ott, Director of Strategic Accounts
Josh joined AMAROK in 2012 as an Inside Sales Executive. Since Joining AMAROK, Josh has sold more AMAROK systems than anyone in the history of the company. After years of being a top sales performer, Josh transitioned to Director of the Inside Sales department in 2015 where he oversaw the growth of the department by 175% in his 4 years as Director. In addition to working with and driving relationships with AMAROK’s top National Accounts, Josh spent many of his years as a member of the Inside Sales Department, engaging with and growing multiple new National Accounts for AMAROK. Because of his ability to succeed in this measure, Josh was tabbed to head the newly formed Strategic Accounts Division for AMAROK in late 2019.
Josh has an extensive sales and marketing background, including prior experience at ADT and Bell Aviation where he was awarded “Rookie of the Year” in 2005.
Josh is a graduate of Midlands Technical College and currently lives in his beloved small hometown of Batesburg-Leesville with his wife Melissa and their 4 children (Noah, Nathan, Nichols & Nina Ray)
PeggySue Harper, Director of Strategic Accounts
PeggySue Harper, Director of Strategic Accounts
PeggySue joined AMAROK in 2011 as the first outside salesperson for the company. She helped build and develop the outside sales process. Pioneering this role, the team has now grown to over 25 regional reps nationwide. PeggySue has led the sales team as the top seller in the organization for 8 years. Given her success and relationships she developed over the years it was a natural step for her to move to the Director of Strategic Accounts position.
Prior to her time at AMAROK she spent 30 years in the Security industry in a number of different roles designing fire alarm systems for commercial businesses. She displays a high aptitude for technology and has the NICET I Certification. PeggySue studied Marketing at FIDM Los Angeles.
Liz Coffey, Director of Strategic Accounts
Liz Coffey, Director of Strategic Accounts
Liz joined AMAROK in January of 2017 as an Inside Sales Representative (ISR) and quickly established herself as a top-notch performer. Liz expanded her responsibility after her outstanding performance as the #1 ISR and was promoted to Inside Sales Manager in 2020. She has held honors such as Rookie of the Year, Top Owner/Partner, and MVP (just to name a few). Liz takes pride in her ability to work as part of a team and build relationships to increase sales.
In 2021, Due to her consistent stellar performance, Liz took on a new role, Strategic Account Director, that allows her to continue to develop meaningful partnerships with our customers and be a trusted security advisor.
Prior to AMAROK, Liz worked in fundraising for non-profits for 10 years. She and her husband, Darrell, and dogs, Rosie and Elvis reside in Columbia, SC, and love to travel and eat their way to every city they visit!
Cara Laymon, Director of Inside Sales
Cara Laymon, Director of Inside Sales
Cara joined the Service and Support team at AMAROK in 2014 before moving up to Product Specialist. She then became the top-producing Inside Account Executive. Cara is a proven natural leader and a driving force in growing National Accounts, partnering with some of AMAROK’s biggest customers.
Cara was promoted to Director of Inside Sales at the start of 2020, where she continues to mentor and develop the Inside Sales team as AMAROK becomes the ULTIMATE perimeter security provider in North America.
Katie Stevens, Director of Sales Operations & Enablement
Katie Stevens, Director of Sales Operations & Enablement
Katie joined AMAROK in early 2018 as a Sales Operations Specialist. Previously, Katie worked in data and process management in both medical and higher education fundraising organizations. During her first two and a half years at AMAROK, Katie spearheaded the implementation of numerous sales enablement platforms to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the sales team. She made impactful changes in the sales process to aid in decreased sales cycles and increased win rates.
In late 2020, Sales Operations and Enablement was developed into a stand-alone department and Katie was the natural choice to lead this group.
Katie has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire. She enjoys spending time outside with her family or at their home in Chapin, SC.
Michael Pate, Director of Government Relations
Michael Pate, Director of Government Relations
Michael joined us in 2008 and is responsible for all code compliance west of the Mississippi.
Michael has a rich and varied sales, marketing and entrepreneurial background. In 2006, Michael formed "The Preserve at 5 and 20", an environmentally sensitive residential development and acted as developing partner.
Prior to that Michael served for four years as vice president of marketing and sales for Supply Chain Solutions, a provider of contracted third party labor services. He has held several other positions in sales, management and marketing in the entertainment, communications and medical fields.
Cindy Williams, Director of Government Relations
Cindy Williams, Director of Government Relations
Cindy has been a part of the company since 2008 and is responsible for code compliance east of the Mississippi.
Prior to joining, she had a 25-year career with GTE/Verizon Communications, where she held various positions in Computer Operations, Wholesale Ordering/Billing Operations and IT Requirements before retiring in 2007.
Cindy is a graduate of the University of North Carolina with a bachelor’s in Business Administration, and currently lives in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Keith Kaneko, Director of Government Relations
Keith Kaneko, Director of Government Relations
Keith joined AMAROK in 2018 and is responsible for all code compliance in California.
Keith has an extensive and varied consulting, managerial, and entrepreneurial background. Early in his career, he was principal consultant for the National Safety Council providing regulatory compliance consulting and training for numerous Fortune 50 companies. An opportune career change then led to a successful 15-year entrepreneurial venture leading fly fishing expeditions to some of the most remote wilderness areas around the world. He then began a family and transitioned back to the corporate world, serving as senior manager for numerous site acquisition projects for both Verizon Wireless and AT&T.
Keith is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles with bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Geography/Environmental Studies. Keith lives in Sacramento, CA with his wife and daughter.
Joseph Quesenberry, Director of Sales—East, Southeast
Joseph Quesenberry, Director of Sales—East, Southeast
Joe came to us with a proven track record of high-level performance in the financial, industrial and medical industries. He has won numerous leadership awards throughout his career and most recently served as a district sales manager for G&K Services in West Central Florida.
Joe’s team-first approach coupled with his sales acumen and strong coaching methodology are instrumental in his role as regional director of sales at AMAROK, covering the Atlanta, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida markets.
Joe holds a political science degree from Lee University and an MBA from the University of South Florida. He recently relocated to Atlanta with his wife and two daughters, Sophie and Ellie.
Austin Rappe, Director of Sales—Midwest, Central
Austin Rappe, Director of Sales—Midwest, Central
Austin came to AMAROK with over 18 years of experience as a B2B sales manager with proven history of revenue and profit growth. Most well-known for his amazing returns as a sales director at NuCO2, a beverage gas and equipment solutions company, Rappe spearheaded a team of outside sales representatives that covered 14 states. During his five-year tenure, he was named to the company's Presidents Club three times.
Austin’s ability to create innovative new services, products and customer solutions is complemented by consistently building, managing and motivating high-performance teams. His high-performance track record and commitment to the team are career signatures and the right fit for a home-run in his role with AMAROK.
Austin is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where he was a four-year varsity baseball player.
Mike Thompson, Director of Sales—West
Mike Thompson, Director of Sales—West
Mike joined the team in 2014 as an Outside Sales Representative for Washington and Oregon, and he demonstrated an immediate desire and aptitude to learn the outdoor security industry. He achieved year-over-year sales growth from day one and was instrumental in AMAROK gaining ground among exploratory market segments. Mike earned the distinction of our Top-Producing Outside Sales Representative in 2017, when he also assumed sales responsibility over Northern California.
As Regional Director of Sales—West, Mike typifies our company culture of advancing high-performing employees to new heights. He attributes much of his success to others who have helped him along the way.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and resides in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife and two children.
LaDonna Edwards, Director of Install Controls, Training and Support
LaDonna Edwards, Director of Install Controls, Training and Support
Ladonna joined the AMAROK team in 2017 as a Project Manager and quickly advanced to Senior Project Manager in 2018. As a result of LaDonna’s unrelenting customer commitment and her expertise in product deployments, she was promoted to the Director of Install Controls, Training and Support in late 2020 where LaDonna will be keenly focused on the team’s capacity and capability expansion.
Prior to joining the AMAROK Team, LaDonna lived in St Petersburg, FL where she worked for Aveda as a New Business and Sales Manager for a territory spanning 8 states.
LaDonna graduated from the University of South Florida with a BS in Marketing. LaDonna lives in Lexington, SC near her two daughters.
Nikki Huggins, Director of Compliance
Nikki Huggins, Director of Compliance
Nikki joined AMAROK in 2016 as a Compliance Manager. She proved to be a major asset to her team and was promoted to Lead Compliance Manager in 2020. During this time Nikki displayed tenacity and dedication to obtaining permits, changing local and state codes, and anything else required to gain government approval for AMAROK.
Nikki’s commitment to streamlining compliance processes, cross-functional development, and success in gaining government approval resulted in her promotion to Director of Compliance in 2021. Nikki’s primary focus is on capturing compliance quickly, process improvement, and capacity expansion.
Before joining AMAROK, Nikki spent 15 years at AT&T in Sales and Service in the Customer Escalations & Retention area, with six of those years managing a Sales and Retention team of 27 representatives. The four years prior, Nikki served as Team Lead to a Center of 200 representatives.
A South Carolina Native, Nikki currently resides in Lexington, SC, with her fiancé and son.
Crystal Gurtisen, Director of Capacity and Vendor Management
Crystal Gurtisen, Director of Capacity and Vendor Management
Crystal joined AMAROK in 2012 as a Project Manager and quickly advanced to Senior Project Manager in 2014 and Installation Manager in 2016. Based on Crystal’s ability to rapidly expand AMAROK’s installation capabilities and growth capacity, she was promoted to Director of Installation in 2019. Crystal brings extensive background in installations, operations, sales and project management — not to mention an entrepreneurial spirit and ability to build rapport, as a previous business owner.
In 2020, Crystal was named AMAROK’s Director of Vendor Management, focused on further expanding the organization’s installation footprint and capabilities to continue to align with the rapidly expanding product portfolio.
Crystal is a graduate of Southern Wesleyan University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management as well as a degree in Accounting and Marketing. Crystal lives in Lexington, SC, with her two daughters and son.
Jennifer Dorward, Director of Service and Support
Jennifer Dorward, Director of Service and Support
Jennifer joined AMAROK in 2014 as a customer service representative, was promoted to technical support analyst soon after, and then to management of the company’s growing Service and Support department. She was promoted to Director in 2019.
At AMAROK, customer service encompasses a wide array of skills ranging from account management to technical support and system programming, all of which are strengths that Jennifer brings to the team. She has over 20 years in customer service and has spent the past 10 years serving in a technical environment. In her prior role with a global software sales firm, she achieved the Quarterly Top Performer accolade on four occasions.
A native from Allentown, PA, Jennifer earned her A+ certification and Server Administration degree from Midlands Technical College and currently lives in Lexington, SC, with her husband and three children.
Tim Luporini, Regional Director of Field Operations
Tim Luporini, Regional Director of Field Operations
Tim joined the Field Operations team at Amarok as a technician covering the mid-west territory in 2006. He worked diligently with customers to keep them secure and helped establish standards with our fastest growing client. He was promoted to Operations Manager, drawing on 10+ years of management experience, he drove his team to improve efficiency and effectiveness while keeping customer service our top priority.
Tim was promoted to Regional Director of Field Operations at the start of 2020. He continues to drive, develop, and promote his team through his leadership and commitment to AMAROK—the ULTIMATE perimeter security provider in North America.
Bryon Candiano, Regional Director of Field Operations
Bryon Candiano, Regional Director of Field Operations
Bryon Candiano joined AMAROK in 2003 as a Field Technician, covering the Northeast. Bryon’s expertise and passion for training resulted in him becoming a Lead Technician in 2010, supporting Customers and Technicians nationally. In 2018 Bryon took the role of Regional Field Manager East, where he drove key initiatives focused on driving improved response times and quality as well as serving our rapidly expanding Field Installation Team. Bryon was promoted to Regional Director of Field Operations in 2020.
Bryon continues to drive, develop and promote his team through his leadership and commitment to AMAROK—the ULTIMATE perimeter security provider in North America. Prior to his time with AMAROK, Bryon proudly served in the US Air Force and in law enforcement. Bryon resides in New England with his family.
