Management Team

U.S. MetroNets’ management team is comprised of accomplished business, technical, finance and operations professionals with a combined 100-years of experience in developing, building and operating advanced communications technologies and networks.

David M. Brown, Chairman
 
David Brown was previously a Corporate Officer and a Senior Vice President for Network Systems Corporation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he had worldwide responsibility for all Professional Services, Consulting, Systems Engineering, and Network Engineering, with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia.  Network Systems designed and produced hardware and software for very high-speed routers and related data communications products. With responsibility for mergers and acquisitions, he participated in the acquisition and integration of three competitive companies.

Previously, Mr. Brown was the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Systems Inc. (ESI) in Littleton, Colorado. ESI sold and serviced turnkey computer systems to vertical markets in eleven western states. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors for LoadStar Inc., Sparta, New Jersey who developed the custom software for the turn-key systems.

As the Director of Marketing and National Sales Manager for the Electronic Systems Division of General Atomic Company, LaJolla, California, Mr. Brown wrote and implemented the business and marketing plan for this new division, which designed, manufactured, and marketed micro and mini computer systems to the petroleum industry. He built and managed a sales organization that included 25 Manufacturers’ Representative organizations and 165 Distributors throughout the United States.

Mr. Brown also served as a Regional Sales Manager for Systems Engineering Laboratories, and as a Regional Systems Engineering Manager for Control Data Corporation where he directed the development of complex applications software programs and operating systems for Super Computers.

Mr. Brown has taught entrepreneurship and business management at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business and is a frequent author of business articles for two major newspapers in Utah. He is a graduate of the University of Utah with a major in mathematics and minor in science and has completed graduate business courses at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has taught computer science at the U of U and has also served as an active duty Army Artillery Officer and Battery Commander.

Steven D. Comrie, President and CEO

Steve Comrie was founding President and COO of Advanced Radio Telecom (ART) of Bellevue, Washington where he helped pioneer intelligent metropolitan wireless fiber networks operating on proprietary radio spectrum in the top 49 markets and 120 smaller cities. Mr. Comrie was responsible for day-to-day operations of ART and was involved at the earliest stages of development of ART’s business strategy and capital formation including securing investments from Verizon (Ameritech), numerous venture capital sources, IPO and debt rounds. Under his leadership ART pioneered the first fiber-to-wireless-to-fiber networks implementing an innovative Telco-standards based carrier’s-carrier initiative earning strategic marketing and service agreements with SBC, Verizon and Comcast and numerous CLECs.

Previously, Mr. Comrie was Vice President and General Manager of ClearChannel’s KCBA Fox Television affiliate serving Monterey/Salinas California. He took KCBA to industry leadership, doubling power-ratios, shares and revenues over three years. In addition to winning numerous EMMY awards for news and original productions, he secured a landmark FCC decision reversing cable duplication of FOX network programming.

As a co-founder of Netlink of Kirkland, Washington and director of Telluride Cablevision of Colorado, Mr. Comrie helped build the nation’s first direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service offering Denver’s ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS affiliates to consumers and cable systems in rural communities throughout the US. Netlink was the first commercial DBS service utilizing video encryption-enabled set-top boxes to capture subscription revenues from backyard dish consumers. Netlink was sold to TCI and is now a unit of Gemstar.

As Senior Vice President of Canadian Satellite Communications Inc., (Cancom) of Toronto, Ontario Mr. Comrie led the company’s core business units including sales of television and radio programming from numerous Superstations and Detroit’s NBC, ABC, CBS and PBS affiliates to over 800 cable systems and the consumer DBS market in Canada and Alaska.

Prior to joining Cancom, Mr. Comrie held various executive, general management and national marketing and sales management positions with major cable television, radio and metropolitan daily newspaper companies. Mr. Comrie received executive sales training from Xerox Corporation, a diploma in broadcasting and journalism from the R.W. Layton School in Edmonton and studied managerial finance at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Joel Zimmermann, COO

With over 29 years of experience, Joel Zimmermann is a seasoned executive focused on effectively delivering the technical and business requirements of sophisticated, state-of-the-art multimillion-dollar domestic and international telecommunications networks.

Experienced in planning, designing, building, and operating telecommunications networks, Mr. Zimmermann has significant expertise in introducing competitive networks into monopoly environments. Skilled at creating and negotiating new business opportunities, including joint ventures and strategic partnerships, Mr. Zimmermann has maximized performance, growth, and profitability for numerous companies and partners. Working with business, technical, and governmental leaders, he has planned and deployed multimillion networks, principally in the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, with some experience in Canada, South America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Mr. Zimmermann has successfully launched new business initiatives and start-up companies in markets previously closed to competition. This included planning and developing the entire multibillion-dollar network infrastructure for a major long distance telecommunications carrier, after the divestiture of AT&T in 1984. He was first to introduce competitive networks in Asia Pacific using a unique in-country partnership strategy. Domestically, Mr. Zimmermann recently created and executed a unique fiber optic system to deliver broadband services to the New York City business community, including Wall Street. Currently, Mr. Zimmermann has established industry leadership in planning, funding, and implementing municipal Open Service Provider Broadband Fiber-to-the-Home networks.

Previously, Mr. Zimmermann held positions ranging from Director of Systems Development & Program Management, Director of Asia Pacific Commercial Development, Director of Network Implementation, Vice President of Network Services, Design & Planning, Senior Vice President of Engineering & Network Operations, and President with such companies as MCI, Concert, PACER International, FiberNet Telecom, and Zero dB.

Ernest Bray, Founder and CTO

Ernie Bray has 17 years experience in large-scale network architecture, design, integration, implementation and management. He also has extensive experience in product development, marketing and sales.

Prior to U.S. Metronets Mr. Bray founded DynamicCity MetroNet Advisors where he helped initiate several large multi-city and regional municipal wholesale FTTP projects including UTOPIA (Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency) and SweetNet (South-Western Wyoming Expanded and Enhanced Telecommunications Network) two of the largest and most high profile projects in the nation.

Four years ago Mr. Bray began researching and developing the Company’s “OSPN™” (Open Service Provider Network) model for wholesale FTTP networks for municipalities and cities. The patented (pending) OSPN™ model includes key methods for implementing business, legal, finance, technology, operations, and political and public policy specific to underserved communities.

Previously, Mr. Bray served as product manager for the LAN products Division of Dayna Communications, Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was in charge of developing small and medium business network product strategies for the company. His responsibilities included supervising product development and design as well as the marketing and sales for these products. Intel Corp. purchased Dayna Communications in 1998 to augment its business network product line and strategy.

Scott Crowley, Founder and CFO

Mr. Crowley was previously co-founder and Managing Director of Paradigm Venture Partners, LC a venture capital and strategic management consulting firm emphasizing early stage businesses.

Mr. Crowley has devoted his entire professional career to financial management, early-stage business formation / development, and venture capital financing. He worked in the Claims Division of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, after which he served for two years as Controller of CCI, Inc., a regional telecommunications firm. From 1988 to 1989, Mr. Crowley was employed as an Acquisitions Analyst in the Development Division of Geneva Steel, Inc., a two million-tons per year integrated steel producer, where he reporting directly to the President and largest shareholder.

Later he served in a number of senior executive positions at Cannon Industries, Inc., a $20 million early stage venture capital firm. Mr. Crowley served as President of the firm from 1993 to 1995. He also served on the Board of Directors of several of Cannon Industries’ portfolio companies, including Unibase Technologies, Inc., Kyzen Corporation, and Onyx Graphics, Inc. While at Cannon Industries, he organized and managed CI Capital Group, Inc. that was licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) prior to being sold to Zion’s First National Bank in 1995.

Mr. Crowley co-founded and served as President of GMT, LC an IT systems integration firm. In 1996, he also co-founded Northern Acceptance Company, LLC, a mortgage-banking firm achieving $400 million in cumulative volume in its first 18 months of operation prior to being sold to Empire Funding Corporation in 1998.

Prior to U.S. Metronets Mr. Crowley co-founded DynamicCity MetroNet Advisors where he helped initiate several large multi-city and regional municipal wholesale FTTP projects including UTOPIA (Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency) and SweetNet (South-Western Wyoming Expanded and Enhanced Telecommunications Network) two of the largest and most high profile projects in the nation.

He earned his undergraduate (BS) degree in accounting, with minors in business and German, from Brigham Young University in 1984, and his MBA in 1989 from the Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University. He obtained his CPA certificate in 1987 from the State of Utah.