Management
FRANCIS D. JOHNPresident & Chief Executive Officer
Francis D. John is President & Chief Executive Officer of United Network Services, Inc. (UNSi) with over 30 years of senior management experience. Fran served on the Board of Directors of UNSi since 2006 and is an active investor in the company. In April of 2011 Fran was asked to lead the company based on his highly diversified and accomplished track record. Fran specializes in corporate turnaround, consolidation and company growth in both domestic and international markets. Fran's executive management experience as Chairman, CEO and President of both public and private companies spans across the energy, healthcare, hospitality and telecommunications industries.
Fran successfully completed reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions and turnarounds for a variety of companies from the public, private and non-profit sectors. His experience includes leading over 100 acquisitions, raising over $3 billion in all forms of debt and equity. As Chairman and CEO of Key Energy Services over a 16 year period, Fran reorganized this small West Texas oilfield services company and grew it from $15 million in revenues to over $1 billion annually, creating a worldwide leader in its field. Furthermore, Fran was a leader in establishing training, education safety and environmental programs for the United States Energy Industry, including his active involvement on Capitol Hill and as a member of the National Petroleum Council.
Fran also was the Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for Delmed, a pharmaceutical and dialysis company, where he successfully led and completed financial and operational turnaround of this publicly traded company.
Fran has made multiple appearances throughout his career on CNBC, CNN FN and Bloomberg, has been a keynote speaker at various worldwide industry conferences and has spoken on Capitol Hill numerous times. Fran graduated Magna Cum Laude from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Fairleigh Dickenson University with a Master of Business Administration.
TIMOTHY KINNEARExecutive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Tim Kinnear has over 25 years of experience in technology and emerging businesses. Prior to the merger of Airband and UNSi, Tim served as the CFO of Airband, responsible for Airband’s corporate strategy and operational finances, including relationships with investors, merger-and-acquisition activities, and banking relationships. Before joining Airband, Tim was the CFO at WiQuest Communications, where he raised $23 million from venture capital, negotiated agreements with strategic customers and partners, and led annual strategic planning and corporate development activities. Earlier in his career, Tim held executive and senior management positions at InnerWireless, Intrusion, Inc., and Cyrix Corporation, where he provided financial leadership for Cyrix’s IPO. Tim received his Bachelor of Business Administration and Accounting at Texas Tech University.
ADAM C. KASSABGeneral Counsel
Mr. Kassab joined UNSi in early 2006 bringing nearly 20 years of extensive financial management experience. Adam came to UNSi from the PNC Financial Services Group where he was a Vice President and held the positions of Functional Controller of the Private Bank and Controller of the Branch Network. There he was responsible for the valuation, assessment, and financial management of a $137 billion portfolio of assets under management/administration comprised of bonds, stocks, real estate holdings and other assets held in trust; He also played an advisory role in evaluating, structuring and financing complex individual business transactions for institutional and high net-worth personal clients. He was also responsible for the accounting, analysis, budgeting, forecasting and regulatory reporting related to a $630 million annual revenue stream. Adam also managed the expense base for the branch network comprised of 700+ locations.
Prior to PNC, Adam was with Mellon Financial Corporation for eight years as Vice President and Controller in the Cash Management and Technology Support Services Division. There he was responsible for $150 million of operating cash and the determination of adequate cash levels for business sustenance as mandated by the Fed while optimizing the cost of funds for the corporation. He also was responsible for control, analysis and management of the technology procurement and maintenance expenses for a delivery network comprised of 300+ branch locations and 600+ ATM machines. Adam was involved in all aspects of financial management including development of policies and procedures, annual budgeting, monthly forecasting, modeling and analysis, financial reporting and audits. Adam also worked at Textron Financial Corporation as a Financial Analyst supporting the CFO and subsequently as a Portfolio Manager within their Real Estate Finance Division.
Adam is an Attorney at Law and a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and also a member of the Bar of the Federal District Court of Western PA. Adam is also a Certified Management Accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants. He graduated from Bryant University in Rhode Island with a BS in Business Administration majoring in Information Systems. He also has a PBC in Accountancy from Robert Morris University and has been awarded a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Duquesne University where he was a member of Law Review.
RICHARD ELLSWORTHSenior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Prior to joining UNSi, Rich Ellsworth most recently served as the president of Stahls. Hotronix, a manufacturer of equipment and garment decorator for the imprinted sportswear industry (ISI) and Imprintables Warehouse, a value added reseller of products and equipment unique to the (ISI). During his 16 year tenure, Rich had full P&L responsibility and managed all aspects of the company's multi-million dollar businesses including: sales, marketing, finance, IT, product design, engineering, manufacturing and customer service. Under his leadership the company grew from a 7 person operation to a 200 person workforce and serviced the highest profile customers in its industry including, Nike, Reebok, USA Networks, The Home Shopping Network, Global Sports, the NBA, NHL, NFL and Major league Baseball. Additionally, the divisions under his stay were awarded numerous design achievement awards, became the leading manufacturer of heat seal equipment in the world and achieved the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the company's history. He was also instrumental in the creation of two new divisions within the Stahls. group of companies that grew to hold dominant positions within the ISI market.
Rich obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA and has also graduated from the Industrial Administration and Entrepreneurial Management programs of Carnegie Mellon University. He is a current member of the Executive Board of Directors for the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council of Pennsylvania.
JAMES KARIMISenior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer
James Karimi joined UNSi as Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer and oversees the network engineering team at UNSi. James and his team are responsible for the continued design and expansion of the UNSi nationwide facilities based network, including both the MPLS/VPLS and Carrier Ethernet sectors. Additionally, James is tasked with growing the managed service and solutions based technology portfolios.
James is one of the founders of IPNetZone Communications and served as their Chief Technology Officer for five years. James was responsible for the architecture, design and implementation of IPNetZone‘s nationwide MPLS Exchange Platform and Carrier Ethernet Network. James was also the senior architect behind the development and integration of all of the IPNetZone backend systems, including their automated network management and monitoring suites. Prior to serving at IPNetZone, James served as Chief Technology Officer of Amp Networks, one of the earliest adaptors of Hosted VOIP. While at Amp Networks, James oversaw the technical implementation of a nationwide QOS based network.
Over the course of his career, James held numerous Network Engineering positions for various large enterprises including Seagram’s Wines and Spirits, Universal Music Group and Orange Business Services. He brings a unique perspective to the UNSi management team in his ability to provide carrier grade solutions in the enterprise space.
James has been in the Information Technology sector for over 15 years seasoned in both enterprise systems and carrier telecommunications. James has achieved several certifications from Cisco, ITT and Red Hat® over the years, in addition to being fluent in several Internetworking and software languages.
STEPHEN JOHNSenior Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer
Stephen John is the Senior Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer of UNSi. Stephen was the original founder of UNSi in 2001 and led its growth from a start-up to $20M in revenue before leaving to start Cheetah technologies in 2008. During his previous tenure at UNSi, then named ABi, the company grew into one of the industry leaders in Broadband Aggregation (actually creating the Broadband Cable Aggregation model) and Cell Tower Backhaul services. Under his leadership, the company was consistently named to the list of fastest growing companies in the industry by many national and regional publications. Stephen recently returned to UNSi to head up sales, M&A strategy, channel partnerships and strategic relationships to help lead the company into their next growth stage.
Prior to his return to UNSi, Stephen led a group of investors to purchase nonstrategic assets from two Public Companies in the Test and Measurement Industry creating Cheetah Technologies. He raised $15M in capital to complete the acquisitions and fund R&D and company growth. The company was successful in becoming a leader in the emerging market for IP Video Quality Measurement and Analysis solutions. Stephen was instrumental in gaining product acceptance and implementation at Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision, DirecTV, ESPN and many other recognized industry leaders. He successfully led the integration of two diverse company cultures to create an environment for innovation and growth.
Stephen also worked at Charter Communications where he helped start Charter Business. Leading a group of industry pioneers that built one of the company’s most profitable divisions, Stephen is a recognized industry leader with a passion for entrepreneurship and growth strategies. In his career he has raised over $100M in growth and acquisition capital. Stephen received his education in Economics and Mathematics at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He has completed courses in Executive Leadership at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri.
ALLAN SCHWARTZSenior Vice President of Strategic Planning & Business Development
Allan Schwartz is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning & Business Development. A seasoned telecom professional, Allan is responsible for positioning UNSi in the marketplace, product development, product training, strategic vendor assessment and management.
Allan previously served as CEO at IPNetZone Communications, a nationwide MPLS network provider, where he spearheaded optimization in several areas, from sales engineering to service delivery -- ensuring a personal touch atmosphere permeated all aspects of the business. Overseeing 800%+ growth for almost three years, Allan was instrumental in seeking out and joining forces with UNSi.
Allan’s background in telecom began as a cable puller in a traditional PBX interconnect, AMP Telephone Systems, and grew over twenty years to include positions throughout the ranks from installations and field operations, to technical support and eventually into sales and management. He earned certifications from Telrad, Cisco, Nortel, Carrier Access and Avaya. Initially a self-taught VoIP expert, Allan was building voice over IP over frame relay, integrating multi-site PBX's using E&M technology as early as 1998. Over the years, he handled numerous project management implementations for several nation-wide retail clients, owning the design, implementation and delivery of all their telecom services, including wiring, traditional voice, POTS, VoIP, Internet and MPLS.
Allan and his father successfully founded and ran PressOne, an early adopter and Hosted VoIP provider based in New York City. Allan served as Executive Vice President of PressOne and was instrumental in company growth, driving sales and business development for the company.
Allan pursued a BA in Physics at Yeshiva University and an MS in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University, with a concentration in Telecommunications Engineering. Allan previously served as the President of the Broadsoft M6 Application Server User Group.
