Chief Executive Officer
Jim joined Gist Communications Inc. in January 2001 from an extensive career in the Investment Banking industry. He was previously with UBS Warburg as a Managing Director in senior management and client management roles. Earlier, he ran Spring Capital Group, a private investment boutique specializing in private investment, debt restructuring and international privatization. His career has also included business-building and transaction execution positions at Credit Suisse First Boston, Lehman Brothers and Bankers Trust. His international experience includes transactions in Germany, France, United Kingdom, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Australia and Italy. He earned his MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago, in addition to a Masters in International Economics from the University of Louvain (Belgium) and an undergraduate degree in History from Holy Cross College.
Vice President, Technology
Before joining Gist, David Ruderman designed software for web sites including Time, Money, Fortune, Entertainment Weekly. At Time Warner's Pathfinder site, he developed web applications for community building, text retrieval, and content management. He has developed electronic books for Times Mirror, and at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Dave even worked on one of the first human-genome databases. In 1984, Dave co-founded the hacker zine 2600. He earned his Master Degree in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and holds a Bachelor Degree in Biology.
Chief Software Architect
Dave Ekhaus has spent the last fifteen years as a professional software developer. He started his career as a software engineer for Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY. There he worked on several high profile projects including PhotoCD, and Kodak Color Management Systems. An interest in working in a more entrepreneurial environment led him to leave Kodak and join several smaller companies where he quickly became fascinated with databases and the possibility of generating dynamic personalized publications for consumers. He joined Gist in July 1997, as a Senior Software Engineer.
Vice President, Finance & Treasurer
John Pomponio has an extensive background in the financial services industry. He began his financial career as a real estate broker with the firm WS & G Real Estate, where he sold commercial properties, secured financing, and analyzed transactions. For five years, John was Financial Controller for David Elliot Construction Corporation, a $5 million company. Immediately prior to Gist, he worked as a Personal Financial Planner with American Express. John received his B.A in Financial Management from Boston University and an MBA concentrating in Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management from Pace University.