Amos Breyfogle | Owner, Pivot Innovation

Amos Breyfogle is the founder of Pivot Innovation, a company that helps people launch outdoor sporting goods from Queenstown, New Zealand. With a rich background in manufacturing technology, Amos has led global engineering teams in the 3D printing industry. His leadership experience spans sales, engineering, innovation, and thought leadership. Notably, he assembled a team of over 150 Sales Engineers who collaborated to sell more than $400 million in printers annually—even though only 12 of those engineers were directly employed by him. His business passions center on connecting people first and technology second, enabling future generations of leaders, and exploring how things are made. 

Outside of work, Amos is an avid mountain biker, disc golfer, surfer, fisherman, saunameister, traveler, and above all, a storyteller.

Joe Buttweiler | Chief Strategy Officer, CTC

Buttweiler originally joined the CTC team in 2015 as the Partnership Development Manager. Buttweiler’s experience in the electric industry, as General Manager at Arrowhead Electric in Lutsen, Minnesota, led to the development and implementation of the $21M fiber optic broadband network in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota. His primary responsibility includes working on long-term business development plans with local, state and regional partners. He graduated from Bemidji State University with a BS in Geography and an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University.  

Leo Carlson | Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Norvado  

Leo has worked for Norvado, a rural broadband service provider based in Cable Wisconsin, for 19 years, with his early days in the IT world, he now oversees the collaboration between the customer service, sales and marketing teams. Leo's academic background includes a Doctorate in Business, a Masters in Information Security, and a Bachelors in Information Technology.  

    A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein    

Ryan Punt | CEO, SDN Communications

Ryan Punt brings nearly two decades of experience in telecommunications, beginning his career at SDN Communications in 2006 as a Commercial Account Executive. He later transitioned to the Wholesale division, where he negotiated with national and regional carriers. Promoted to VP of Sales in 2015, Ryan led SDN’s sales strategy, carrier relations, service delivery, and pricing. His deep industry knowledge and strong negotiation skills have helped him forge lasting partnerships and secure competitive solutions for clients. In 2021, Ryan was named CEO by SDN’s Board of Managers. He remains focused on customer relationships, strategic growth, and delivering reliable, enterprise-level connectivity.        

Ryan Dutton | VP of Sales and Marketing, SDN Communications

Ryan brings over 25 years of diverse experience in the rural telecom industry to his role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at SDN Communications, a regional fiber-optic company in Sioux Falls, SD. His career journey includes:

-  Sales and marketing for an independent broadband provider

-  Consulting for hundreds of independent broadband companies nationwide

-  Expertise in sales, customer service, regulatory compliance, and technology training

-  Extensive experience in market feasibility research

At SDN Communications, Ryan leverages his industry knowledge to lead a sales and marketing team that provides connectivity solutions for commercial, enterprise, and wholesale business customers.    

Dan Eich | Director of Wholesale and Commercial Management, SDN Communications

Dan is the Director of Wholesale and Carrier Management at SDN Communications, a role he has held since 2010. With over 30 years of experience in the technology and telecommunications industry, Dan began his career at SDN as a sales engineer and gradually took on several supervisory roles. In his current position, he and his team focus on key areas of the industry, working with large telecom companies on the wholesale side and assisting other telecom providers in delivering services to their customers on the carrier side. His department, which includes more than a dozen employees, designs services and coordinates with major carriers, network partners, and SDN’s member companies to ensure seamless service delivery.

Outside of work, Dan's life revolves around his family. He and his wife, Melissa, have four children, including one son and three daughters, as well as two notably spoiled pups,   Rooster (mini golden doodle) and Ducky (cockapoo). The family enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors, taking part in activities such as swimming, boating, fishing, and hunting whenever possible.  

Jacob Ferguson | Area VP - Cloud Solution Sales, Calix

Jacob is a career B2B salesperson whose career started with cold calling large local businesses in Canada to working with some of the most complex organizations across North America. Over the last 10 years, he has been building, leading and developing sales teams across the US and Canada. Jacob lives in Calgary, surrounded by women... keeping his negotiation skills sharp.   

Kurt Gruendling | Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT)    

Kurt joined WCVT in 1996.  At WCVT, he is responsible for all facets of marketing, customer service, public relations, strategic planning and new product and business development. Kurt holds an MBA from Monmouth University and a Bachelor of Science from S.U.N.Y. Plattsburgh. He served on NTCA's Foundation For Rural Service (FRS) Board of Directors and is a past board chair. Kurt currently serves on the Marketing and Public Relations Committee of NTCA, where he served as committee chairman and also serves on the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce where is was also a past board chair. Kurt testified on behalf of NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, before the House of Representatives Subcommittee On Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection as part of their “Disrupter Series: Smart Communities.”       

Russell Kacer | President, YK Communications

Russell Kacer is a fourth-generation member of management at YK Communications in Texas.  Prior to moving back to the family business, Russell was the Director of Marketing for AudiologyOnline and SpeechPathology.com for five years.  He holds a BA in Communications from St. Edward's University in Austin and an MBA from St. Mary's University in San Antonio.  

Jake Lein | Sales Engineer, Paul Bunyan Communications  

Meet Jake Lien, Sales Engineer at Paul Bunyan Communications, a member-owned broadband cooperative providing fiber-optic fast internet up to 10 Gig, television, voice, IT services, and a certified Apple Service Center.

With over 20 years of experience in IT and as a network technician, Jake brings a deep understanding of telecommunications. Following in his family’s footsteps, he is a fourth-generation telecommunications professional, continuing a legacy of innovation and service.

At this event, Jake will be presenting on hosted voice, offering insights on how businesses can leverage this technology for enhanced communication and efficiency.

David Stewart | VP - Corporate Strategy, Calix

Dave is the Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Calix and resides in Toronto, Ontario. He has over 20 years of telecom industry and software experience and is recognized as a transformational leader. David's expertise spans from sales, channels, marketing planning, and finance, with a focus on strategic planning and operations management. Previously, he worked at Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, and Ceridian (Dayforce).