Our Fearless Leaders

David Fry

Founder

David Fry founded Fry, Inc., in 1994 and built it into one of the country’s most respected Web development companies. He continues to guide Fry and set its strategic vision.

Prior to founding the company, Dave taught mathematics and computer science at Harvard University. He also served as an independent consultant, working for such organizations as Apple Computer, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Harvard, MIT, Boston University, CERN, and Distant Design, Inc.

The idea for the company emerged when Dave returned to his family’s business, Fry Communications, Inc., after his successful tenure in academia. He quickly recognized the impact the Internet would have on the company, one of the country’s largest independent printers, and its clients. He launched a subsidiary to help those clients establish their companies online and successfully compete in the eCommerce marketplace.

As a result of his innovation and Fry’s success, Crain’s Detroit Business magazine named Dave a "Top 40, Under 40" Business Leader in 1999, Ernst and Young named him "Entrepreneur of the Year for eSoftware and Services" in 2000, and Advertising Age recognized him as one of its "interactive.20" business executives in 2000.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University and a Doctorate in Computer Science from Harvard University.

Rudy Pataro

President

As President of Fry, Rudy sets the company’s strategy for growth and innovation. With more than 20 years of technology experience in the engineering, manufacturing, retail, and high-tech sectors, Rudy is responsible for much success at Fry. In previous roles in the organization, Rudy oversaw the development of Fry’s leading e-commerce platform (OCP), drove business development efforts, and built Fry’s IT infrastructure in the company’s formative years.

Before joining Fry in 2001, Rudy spent two years as a strategic IT consultant and, prior to that, he was the Chief Technology Officer for Borders.com, the Web site for the Borders Books and Music chain. In that role, he was responsible for the site’s technology design, implementation, legacy integration, and hosting systems. Earlier in his career, Rudy served more than a decade as a consultant to large, multinational firms in system strategy, architecture, development, and methodologies.

He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and an M.S. in Automotive Engineering from the Chrysler Institute.

Craig Camalo

Vice President, CFO

Craig Camalo brings 25 years of corporate finance and accounting experience to Fry, managing and overseeing all areas of the company’s financial operations. Before joining Fry in August 2000, he was Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Code-Alarm, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of electronic vehicle security systems to automotive OEM’s and the retail aftermarket. Prior to that, he held similar positions with two automotive suppliers - Letts Industries, Inc., and Hydro Aluminum, a subsidiary of Norsk Hydro.

Earlier in his career, Craig worked as Corporate Controller and Asst. Treasurer at Gelman Sciences, a manufacturer and distributor of microfiltration products, and for the international accounting firm of Deloitte and Touche LLP.

Craig holds a B.S. degree in Industrial & Operations Engineering and an M.B.A., both from the University of Michigan.

Bob Chase

Vice President, Consulting Services

Bob Chase leads Fry Consulting Services with over 20 years experience in supply chain and operations management consulting. He has extensive experience in the design and implementation of business and systems solutions.

A former Associate Partner with Accenture’s Supply Chain Strategy group, Bob has improved company supply chains across multiple industries, including consumer products (Colgate-Palmolive), health care (Kaiser Permanente), and high tech (Intel, Compaq, Bay Networks, Sega). For transportation clients such as UPS, DHL, CSX, and Ryder Logistics, Bob has led projects focusing on supply chain visibility, cost/service improvement, and new service design/implementation.

Within the retail industry, Bob has authored and led major supply chain and direct-to-consumer programs for NIKE, 7-Eleven, Kohl’s, Duty Free Shops, Cabela’s, Mervyns, and Sport Chalet. He has designed and executed e-commerce operations efforts including merchandise strategy and assortment planning, inventory management, sourcing and vendor management, technology platform selection, and internal/outsourced fulfillment programs on three continents. He also has significant experience in building and growing large-scale consumer drop-ship programs.

Prior to joining Fry, Bob also served as an operations executive for Webvan Group, an online grocery and general merchandise retailer operating in eleven markets. During his two-year tenure, Bob doubled productivity and tripled quality metrics through multiple nationwide change programs spanning distribution center process and infrastructure improvements, WMS functionality, flexible labor scheduling, and engineered work standards.

Bob received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University in 1987.

Peggy Pulliam

Vice President, Delivery Services

Peggy Pulliam oversees all client work produced in all four of Fry’s offices, managing a professional staff of over 150 in the areas of account and project management, information architecture, technical and creative design, production and quality assurance.

Peggy has extensive experience in the information technology and retailing industries. Before joining Fry, she was Vice President of Database Solutions at Experian, a direct marketing services company. In that position, she oversaw the delivery of direct marketing database solutions for multi-channel retailers. Earlier in her career, she has held various technology and management related positions such as project manager, program manager and lead engineer.

Peggy holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Quincy University.

Bridget Fahrland

Director, Creative Strategy

Bridget Fahrland works with clients to define their overall online brand strategies in order to drive both functional and design decisions. Informed by business goals, user needs and other channels, the best brand strategies drive transactions and build relationships. Fahrland’s guiding philosophy is that "Brand is ultimately an experience, not simply an image. Thus design, information architecture, and technology must work together to convey a brand and drive it forward. The end result is more than a pretty picture. It's a great looking bottom line."

Bridget joined Fry in 1996 and has served in a series of increasingly important roles. She has earned three Addy Awards, was named one of the industry's "Top 10 Creative Geniuses" by VAR Business magazine, and has been cited in Catalog Age, Internet Retailer, Business Week Interactive Podcast, and other publications. She has spoken at eTail, Shop.org, the DMA annual conference and other events.

Bridget previously worked as a freelance writer and editor for various agencies and institutions, including the University of Michigan and the United States Agency for International Development. Bridget has worked with or continues to work with the following Fry clients: Whirlpool (North America), Audi of America, Brookstone, Eddie Bauer, Sara Lee, Disney, NapaStyle, McKesson, AAA Michigan, and Schwan’s.

She holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and an M.A. from Boston University.

Joey Lechtner

Director of Marketing

Joey Lechtner leads Fry’s marketing division, including implementing programs to expand awareness and recognition of the company. He oversees advertising, public relations, events and other marketing initiatives.

Joey joined Fry in 2006 and served as the director of e-marketing services, where he consulted with clients on strategic online marketing efforts to increase customer acquisition and retention. In addition, Lechtner headed up Fry’s analytics program that offers clients an all-encompassing view into customer behaviors and lays out a strategy to capitalize on the findings.

Previously, Joey served as the director of merchandising for OfficeMax.com, where he led the online merchandising and marketing efforts of the consumer facing Web site. He also spent five years with American Greetings as a senior product manager.

Joey holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan.

Deb Waldman

Director of Human Resources

Deb Waldman joined Fry in November 1998 as the company’s first Human Resources Director. Prior to that, she spent one year as the lead recruiter for the Marketing, Merchandising, and Borders.com groups at the corporate offices of Borders Group, Inc.

Deb also spent five years at advertising agency Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners in New York City. She began her career at KB&P as the Resource Coordinator for the Creative Department and left as a Vice President, Creative Services Director.

Deb holds a B.A. in Communications from Rutgers College in New Jersey.

Steve Coy

Product Development Managing Director

Steve joined Fry in 1999 and has held the position of Systems Architect, Technical Lead, and Software Engineer on several projects. He was one of the core developers of the initial OCP framework, and has worked on numerous technology initiatives for Express, Ann Taylor, Kmart, Whirlpool, Home Depot, Meijer, Wet Seal, and Lillian Vernon.

As Product Development Managing Director, Steve has oversight of all product development at Fry, including both the OCP platform and future development initiatives. He also manages a full product development team that continues to develop and drive the technical evolution of the platform.

Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Computer Science from Hope College and is currently working on his MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Sue Crawford

Managing Director, Ann Arbor

Sue Crawford oversees all client work produced in Fry’s Ann Arbor office, managing a professional staff of approximately 60 in the areas of account and project management, information architecture, technical and creative design, production, and quality assurance.

Sue has worked in the interactive industry for over ten years holding management positions in Quality Assurance and Project Management. Prior to joining Fry in October 1999, Sue was the Director of Quality Assurance at MediaStation, Inc., an interactive game developer, where she oversaw the quality effort of award-winning children’s titles for clients such as Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, and Scholastic.

Sue holds a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Amy Junger

Managing Director, New York

Amy oversees all client work produced in Fry’s New York office, managing a staff of over thirty professionals in the areas of account and project management, information architecture, technical, creative and interface design.

Amy has more than twenty years of experience in the internet, technology, and publishing industries. Prior to joining Fry, she spent nine years as a Senior Vice President at CondéNet, the leading creator and developer of upscale lifestyle and business brands online such as Style.com, Wired.com and Epicurious.com, where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations, strategy, and business performance of the company. Prior to that, she spent time in print publishing at Condé Nast Publications, beginning in 1997 as the Business Manager of Gourmet magazine and then taking over as Corporate Business Director for Condé Nast Publications. She has also held business management positions at both Esquire and Fitness magazines.

Amy’s career in publishing follows more than eight years in the technology sector at AT&T Bell Laboratories, where she held various financial management and planning positions.

Amy holds a B.S. degree from Susquehanna University and lives in New Jersey with her family.

Dan Nugent

Managing Director, Managed Services

Dan Nugent leads Fry Managed Services and oversees the areas of systems engineering, internal IT, compliance, and hosting operations.

Dan has more than sixteen years of IT experience in the areas of application development, support services, and computing infrastructures. Prior to joining Fry, Dan was an engineering Director at one of the world’s largest providers of business outsourcing solutions. Prior to that, he was a member of senior management at a management consulting company where he focused on providing technical and outsourcing services to clients.

Dan holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Michigan State University.

Kevin Messing

Executive Creative Director

As Executive Creative Director at Fry’s Ann Arbor office Kevin works with art directors, graphic designers, copywriters, and information designers to ensure that a site’s user experience is compelling and accurately captures the brand.  Kevin is responsible for setting the direction for the creative group to achieve superior design and execution for Fry's clients. He actively works with the creative directors in each office to ensure the processes and teams are structured for success.

Kevin has been at Fry for nine years during which time he has lead some of Fry’s largest creative development and consulting projects for clients such as Home Depot, Meijer, Maidenform, HGTV, Kmart, Food Network, Sara Lee, Barrie Pace, Audi USA, GM OnStar, Zales, Kraft and Nautica.

Prior to joining Fry, Kevin spent six years in print advertising and communication, working for some of the nation’s largest telecommunication brands.

He holds a B.A. in Graphic Design from Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan).

Tasha Wilkins

Executive Technical Director

Tasha has been at Fry since November 1999. She has held the positions of Software Engineer, Sr. Software Engineer, Systems Architect and Technical Director. While a Sr. Engineer Tasha was part of the team that developed the first version of OCP. Since then she has worked on numerous OCP projects including Smithsonian, TJMaxx, Shop at Home, Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer, Charming Shoppes, Cambria Cove, PacSun, Boston Proper and Pendleton.

As Executive Technical Director, Tasha has oversight of all engineering at Fry. She works with Product Development and Managed Services to ensure that all of the engineering teams have what they need to be productive and successful.

Tasha holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science and Math from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Jennifer Wilkinson

Manager, Alliances and Sales Channel Development

Jennifer Wilkinson is responsible for managing the execution and growth of strategic partnerships for Fry.

Jennifer joined Fry in 2006 as a senior project manager at Fry where she managed several large-scale client implementations of Fry’s Open Commerce Platform.

Jennifer brings more than 14 years of product and project management experience for companies that include Orbitz, United Airlines, Road Runner/Time Warner Cable and Internet Broadcasting Systems. She was also a leader in the publishing industry developing early Web presences for companies like the St. Petersburg Times, Tribune Company and Times-Shamrock Communications.