RON SCHOENHERR:
 
RON SCHOENHERR




 
 
 
 
 
Founder, President, and CEO of XCEND Group Inc. in Brighton. XCEND was ranked 139th on Inc. magazine’s 2009 list of the “500 Fastest Growing Private Companies.” Founded in 2005, XCEND has 15 employees, revenues of $5.3 million, and has worked with more than 250 clients (including 35 Fortune 1000 companies) in designing and implementing IT Lifecycle Management systems. Prior to founding XCEND, Schoenherr worked for Altiris, a provider of IT Lifecycle Management solutions that help IT organizations better manage and secure their IT assets. It was this experience that led Schoenherr and two other former Altiris employees to start XCEND, recognizing a need in the marketplace for a consulting firm that could help clients implement Altiris solutions and realize the return on investment they were seeking. In its second year of operation, XCEND was named Altiris’ Platinum Partner of the Year and since then has gone on to be a three-time Altiris APEX award winner. XCEND recently expanded its focus with business intelligence for IT solutions: MetriX Real-time Dashboards. MetriX allows customers to easily and quickly build real-time dashboards for all of their IT management applications. With this expansion, XCEND expects to grow headcount and revenues over the next two years. Schoenherr is a 22-year sales and marketing executive in the technology industry and previously worked for Hayes Microcomputer Products, Allied Telesis, and Compaq Computer. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Michigan University.


WHERE BORN: “Detroit.”

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: “My wife. She’s one of the most intelligent and insightful people I’ve ever known. She taught me not to make it about me in virtually all aspects of my life.”

LAST BOOK READ: “On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System by Henry Paulson. It’s a fascinating look at the financial crisis of 2008.”

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: “Driven, committed, direct.”

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: “XCEND was founded to help IT organizations manage infrastructure. Now we’re more focused on securing data in the enterprise. We provide the means to best transform data into actionable data while driving value, reducing costs, and increasing security and compliance. It will change the way companies view data and become more proactive. It’s a suite of business intelligence data that will help increase the efficiency of IT and deliver greater value to businesses.”

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: “iPod – not only because I like having access to my music but Apple truly revolutionized the way we interact with music and video today.”

FAVORITE PLACE: “Glen Lake in Glen Arbor. It’s one of the most beautiful peaceful places in Northern Michigan.”

FAVORITE HOBBIES: “Golf and boating.”

FAVORITE FOOD: “Seafood, especially fresh fish.”

MY HIDDEN TALENT: “I have the ability to read people pretty quickly and accurately.”

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: “As someone who cared deeply for his family and took great pride in helping others achieve their goals.”


Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.