Wilson Zehr
Wilson Zehr is the CEO of Cendix, a provider of strategic marketing, product development, and technology consulting services for companies in the Pacific Northwest. Wilson also serves on the faculty for the College of Business at Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, Oregon, and teaches Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Business Policy & Strategy.
Wilson Zehr has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing, product development, and executive management in high technology and telecom -- over a decade of experience working with Internet products and services. He has created numerous new products and brands and successfully brought them to market. In addition, he has crafted and managed strategic alliances with many of the largest technology and communications firms in the world, including: Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL), Sun Microsystems (NADAQ: SUNW), HP (NYSE: HPQ), DEC (acquired by Compaq/HP), IBM, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), Lucent (NYSE: LU), 3Com (NASDAQ: COMS), Qwest (NYSE: Q), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Bell Canada (Toronto: BC-PE.TO), USPS, UPS (NYSE: UPS), Xerox (NYSE: XRX), Kinko’s (acquired by FedEx NYSE: FDX), and others. Wilson is also a serial entrepreneur who has been instrumental in the founding of seven technology startups; raised over $60 million from investors; returned over $160 million; and bought/sold a number of enterprises.
From 1999 to 2004 Wilson was co-founder and CEO of Zairmail/Launchpoint (acquired by Global Document Solutions). Zairmail (www.zairmail.com) invented the concept of hybrid mail for short-run direct mail campaigns. Wilson guided the company from a seed stage enterprise to a mature organization with more than 12,000 registered users, 160,000 newsletter subscribers, and over 25 strategic partners including: USPS (one of only five authorized online affiliates), Microsoft, Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), Xerox, Kinko's, IKON (NYSE: IKN), Experian (LSE: EXPN.L), InfoUSA (NASDAQ: IUSA), and others. Zairmail completed acquisitions of eLetter, Speedgreetings, and Acacia International. The company was funded by Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Tim Draper, and Timberline Venture Partners (Northwest affiliate of Draper Fisher Jurvetson).
From 1996 to 1999, Wilson first led Marketing and then Business Development at eFusion (acquired by ITXC now VSNL VSNL:IN); a provider of VoIP gateways and advanced software applications; where he was responsible for network product definition, product positioning, developing marketing materials, evangelizing the technology, and he was also the leading salesperson for the company (80% of sales). eFusion was acquired by ITXC in a transaction valued at over $160 million. The company was funded by Intel, Microsoft, AT&T (NYSE: T), Lucent, France Telecom (NYSE: FTE), and others.
Mr. Zehr came to eFusion from Sequent Computer Systems (acquired by IBM NYSE: IBM); the leading provider of Unix-based enterprise database servers; where he was responsible for starting the Custom OLTP Business Group and managing Sequent's global relationship with Oracle Corporation. Custom OLTP leveraged sales represented over 65% of Sequent's revenue in 1995 (~$290 million). In addition, he grew leveraged sales attributable to Oracle from 46% of Sequent's business in 1993, to over 60% of revenues in 1994 (~$200 million).
Before Sequent, Wilson was a marketing Product Line Manager for a collection of software engineering automation tools for Cadre Technologies (acquired by Computer Associates NYSE: CA). Wilson also managed all Cadre's strategic alliances with computer platform vendors: Sun, HP, IBM, DEC (acquired by Compaq/HP), and Apollo (acquired by HP). Wilson started his career as a Software Engineer for Verdix Corporation (acquired by Rational/IBM NYSE: IBM); the world’s leading provider of Ada compiler technology.
Wilson received a B.S. in Finance (Computer Science minor) and an M.B.A. from Portland State University. He has completed all of the coursework required for his Ph.D. in Systems Science (1991) and Engineering & Technology Management (2015).
He has served on the Boards of several private companies, the Technology Association of Oregon, The Oregon Advanced Computing Institute (OACIS), The American Advertising Museum, The Program Management Forum, and on the national Small Business Advisory Council of the American Electronics Association (AeA). He has also participated in the multi-University Lab2Market venture mentoring program sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
