The ISS Advisory Group

ISS has assembled a diverse and well-balanced group of advisors to assist with the continued evolution of ElevationTM. This group has a great deal of top-level executive experience in all facets of the sports industry, information technology, and, in many cases their experiences include the interaction of sports and IT.


Advisors

Mr. Derek DeBree, President, StoneTimberRiver LLC

Mr. DeBree is President of StoneTimberRiver LLC, which develops robust and intuitive software applications for corporate sales and sponsorship professionals. After spending his entire career solving business and technology problems, DeBree founded StoneTimberRiver along with his brother. Their products help clients achieve greater efficiencies, increased market penetration, and increased profitability. They now provide software solutions and services to over 40 teams in the Major League marketplace. DeBree is directly responsible for StoneTimberRiver's sales, marketing, and finance operations.

Prior to StoneTimberRiver, DeBree received his undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Richmond and a Masters Degree in Accounting from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. DeBree is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of CPA's.

Dr. Dennis Howard, Philip H. Knight Professor and Head of Marketing, University of Oregon

Dr. Howard is currently the Head of Marketing and a Philip H. Knight Professor of Business at the University of Oregon. Previously, he was the director of the Graduate Program in Sport Management at Ohio State University. Dr. Howard is considered one of the leading authorities on sports finance with a specialty in stadium financing and economics. He has authored three books and over 100 articles in sport and leisure management/marketing publications. His most recent text is the second edition of Financing Sport with John Crompton, a comprehensive text on traditional and innovative revenue acquisition methods available to sports organizations.

Dr. Howard also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sport Finance. He has served as a consultant to the NFL and several professional sport franchises and intercollegiate athletic departments on stadium and arena financing issues.

Over the past two years, Dr. Howard has been instrumental in the startup of ISS by sharing his expertise during business planning and software development. He was involved in the evolution of the ideas behind Elevation, and in bringing those ideas together with the need in the sports industry. Dr. Howard continues to be a well-respected and valuable resource throughout the sports industry.

Mr. Dennis McNannay, Chief Executive Officer, CrossCurrent, Inc.

Mr. McNannay is currently the CEO of CrossCurrent, Inc., a health care revenue management company that builds software for the orthopedic industry. Previously, McNannay was the founder of Infinite Ink, Inc., a company specializing in encryption and distribution of publishing content, which was acquired in 2000. Following the sale of Infinite Ink, he researched the healthcare industry for technology infrastructure opportunities and identified the orthopedic industry as a key target.

As a result, CrossCurrent is deploying a technology platform (INCISIVE) capable of increasing the gross collections for orthopedic surgeons between 7 and 26%. He is a serial entrepreneur with a deep understanding of how to combine strategic planning, product design, market segmentation, and channel marketing into effective business strategies. In the past McNannay has licensed, partnered, or sold solutions to Adobe, Macromedia, AOL (now Time/Warner), US West, Lotus, Apple, Xerox, and other major US corporations.

As part of past technology initiatives, McNannay has overseen development in a variety of technical environments (Microsoft, UNIX/Linux, Macintosh, JAVA, etc.) and participated in various national industry standards initiatives/committees. McNannay has spoken on technology issues before the American Health Information Management Association, Library of Congress, Wharton School of Business, the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum, and various local universities. He has been involved with both privately and publicly held companies and has an extensive background in financing close-held companies.

Mr. Steve Miller, CEO, Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation and CEO, Power Plate International

Mr. Miller is a Senior Analyst in the sports industry. In January 2008, he joined the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation as CEO. Later in 2008, he also became CEO of Power Plate International. His past experiences include roles as the President/CEO at Devine Sports, President/CEO at the Professional Bowler's Association (PBA), Global Director of Sports Marketing at Nike, and Director of Athletics at Kansas State University (KSU). He filled a pivotal role in the turnaround of the PBA, oversaw Nike's $100 million investment in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and guided significant expansion in KSU athletics.

Miller currently sits on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations, including the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, the Oregon Sports Authority, the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, Power Plate International, and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

Miller is a member of five Hall of Fames, most recently he was inducted into the Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame.

Mr. Gregg Olson, Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, Portland Trail Blazers

Mr. Olson is a dynamic business leader with an impressive track record in management, new business ventures, and establishing finance departments that efficiently and effectively produce high quality results. With nearly 23 years of professional sports experience and 25 total years in business management, he possesses strong human resource skills that build positive work environments. He has adapted to changing environments and accepted increasing levels of involvement, responsibility, and authority.

In July 2007, Olson added the title Senior Vice President to that of Chief Financial Officer for the Portland Trail Blazers. Olson oversees the Finance, Merchandise, Human Resources, and Information Technology departments. In his role he directs management of all employee benefits programs as well as all areas of risk management. In addition, Olson directs day-to-day activities related to administration of the Trail Blazers offices. Over the past four years he has played a key role in helping to reduce costs by over $60 million.

A vital member of the Portland Trail Blazers’ staff, Olson has participated in negotiations with lenders, provided management and organizational support during some tumultuous times, and has managed numerous transition issues related to the Rose Garden Arena.

In his previous endeavors, Olson made an equally significant impact when working as Chief Financial Officer of the San Jose Sharks Professional Hockey Club, Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, and the Cleveland Indians Professional Baseball Club. He started his career in public accounting with Ernst & Whinney in Cleveland, Ohio where he had been promoted to senior auditor before leaving the firm. Olson is a frequent guest speaker at the University of Oregon, has served as a director and member of the finance committee for Volunteers of America of Oregon, and has served on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley, The Sharks Foundation, Cleveland Indians Charities, and the Arthritis Foundation of Northeast Ohio.

Olson earned his B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1982. Olson lives with his wife Karen in SW Portland; they have two children together, daughter Alyssa, and son Nicholas.

Mr. Ben Simpson, Principal Consultant and Founder, Rustbelt Software, Inc.

Mr. Simpson is an entrepreneur who has worked in a software consulting and software product development role for the past ten years. He currently is the principal consultant and founder of Rustbelt Software, Inc., which provides WebSphere Portal solutions to Fortune 2000 clients. Previously, Simpson worked as a Technical Architect for Perficient, Inc.

Simpson's experience covers a broad set of technologies and markets including finance, insurance, manufacturing, health care, and telecommunications.