Management

Advisory Board

• Carl Bentzel, Former Senior Counsel, US Senate Transportation and Commerce Committee; Author of 2002, 2004 MTSA
• Lee Bussell, CEO, Chernoff Newman

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Résumés

 

Bryan Bender

Mr. Bender is a published, senior level systems analyst with over 23 years of experience leading mission-critical initiatives within the government and military sectors. He is a proven innovator with a unique analytic ability to apply complex adaptive systems and social networking theory to business processes.

Mr. Bender is a licensed Coast Guard Master and served 21 years as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. In his last assignment as the Command Center capabilities manager, he innovated Maritime Security concepts which resulted in the approval of a $300 million for a multi-year, nationwide security initiative. Following his retirement, Mr. Bender joined Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., and led their support of the Interagency Operation Centers (IOC) project for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Mr. Bender’s work on situation awareness in the Maritime domain was published in the Proceedings of the Marine Safety and Security Council. In 2007, his collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory on the application of complex system dynamics to capability management was published in the in the Proceeding of the 13th Annual Australia/New Zealand Systems Conference. He studied Business Administration and Computer Information Systems at Hawaii Pacific University.

Carl Bentzel

Mr. Bentzel brings an extensive knowledge of transportation, infrastructure and homeland security issues through his experience with marine safety and the Coast Guard, maritime trade issues, maritime promotional programs, the Federal Maritime Commission on ocean shipping economic regulation, and shipbuilding issues. As Senior Democratic Counsel for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, he expanded his responsibilities to include rail, trucking and pipeline transportation, as well as hazardous materials and homeland security transportation issues. He also has worked on matters impacting passenger rail service (AMTRAK) and the Surface Transportation Board on economic regulation of rail and surface industries.

His legislative experience includes the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act (ICCTA) and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Prior to joining DCI Group in Washington, Mr. Bentzel’s most recent work involved aiding in drafting and moving to passage the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA). For his work on MTSA, Mr. Bentzel was awarded the Coast Guard’s medal for meritorious public service, and the Maritime Security Council’s Man of the Year Award.

Mr. Bentzel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Lawrence University, his J.D. from the University of Alabama and completed his education with a L.L.M. from the Admiralty Law Institute at Tulane University.

W. Lee Bussell

Mr. Bussell has served as chairman and CEO of Chernoff Newman since its inception in 2003. He is recognized nationally for his expertise in corporate communications, issue management and marketing of high growth technology start-ups.

Over his extensive career in communications and marketing, Mr. Bussell has served the state of South Carolina as a visionary on school accountability measures, comprehensive tort reform and workers’ compensation reform. Actively involved in community and economic development initiatives, Mr. Bussell has served on the South Carolina Chamber’s Executive Committee for six years and chaired its board of directors in 2004-05. Mr. Bussell also served as chairman of the South Carolina Business Alliance for Transportation, as a member of the advisory board for the South Carolina Competitive Initiative, and as a member of the Vision South Carolina Team that established the state’s long-term vision of increasing South Carolina’s per capita income to at least the national average.

His leadership experience has benefitted many other organizations, including EngenuitySC, The Medical University of South Carolina’s Hollings Cancer Center, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Fuel Cell Collaborative, and the Midlands Business Leadership Group.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina’s College of Journalism, Mr. Bussell is a member of the executive committee of the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association and chairman of University Associates.

Mitch Cappelmann, Jr.

Mr. Cappelmann, originally from Beaufort, South Carolina, grew up on the U.S. Intracoastal Waterway, where he developed a first-hand appreciation for shipping, management of water resources, and many of the subtle aspects of the associated recreational, commercial and security implications. He joined the Air Force at age 19, trained as an electronics technician and was later assigned to work on equipment that gathered data about aircraft flying over the United States and Canada. These data were transmitted it in real time to NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center in Colorado for processing by, at the time, highly manual activities. Following officer training, Mr. Cappelmann received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science from the University of Colorado and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force, where he was assigned duties as a Data Automation Officer. There he led teams to implement third generation computer systems in both the U.S. and Europe and managed the U.S. Air Force in Europe’s computer facility at its headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany until his discharge following the Vietnam War. Through these experiences, Mr. Cappelmann learned many of the basic principles of sensor management, detection, data organization, response determination and other key factors which have evolved into the concept of actionable situation awareness.

As a civilian, Mr. Cappelmann studied Computer Science at the graduate level at the University of South Carolina, after which he accepted a position to lead a team that developed computer operating systems for NCR Corporation. He left NCR and founded two different software technology companies. The second of these companies developed a methodology which allowed for the dynamic fusing together of both static and real time data from disparate sources into a user definable context that provided a form of actionable intelligence. Mr. Cappelmann’s company later became part of Mariner, which improved and expanded the fusion technology into a product which subsequently became known as CommandBridge™.

Mr. Cappelmann is retired and resides in Columbia, South Carolina.

Stephen D. Dryden

Mr. Dryden is a highly successful Information Technology business entrepreneur with over thirty years of experience.  He uses his knowledge, insight and vision to build and operate strong companies.   He is founder and chief executive officer of The Mariner Group, a leading software company focused on Actionable Situation Awareness, with particular expertise in Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).

Mr. Dryden has testified before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism as an expert witness on Security in the Maritime Environment / Maritime Domain Awareness and Vessel Tracking.  He has worked with a multitude of government agencies to introduce innovative concepts regarding Maritime Domain Awareness.  In particular, he and his team have become leaders in applying technology in the areas of anomaly detection, context-based data fusion, visualization and response systems.

Mr. Dryden previously served as co-founder at Agilera, a leading software-as-a-service provider.  In addition, he served as chief operating officer for Paradyme Corporation; a $200 million venture capital backed Services Company.  Mr. Dryden and his team have built multiple technology companies and have worked with private equity firms to raise over $125 million in capital for these ventures.  He currently serves as a shareholder and adviser to multiple technology companies and is a board member of EngenuitySC.  Mr. Dryden holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina.

4/12/12: Click here to listen to Mr. Dryden’s interview on the Carolina Business Edge Radio, sponsored by Sandler Training.

Thomas R. Holt

With over 30 years of extensive business, management and governance experience in manufacturing, food/hospitality, multi-unit retail, real estate, distribution, information technology, biotechnology, human services, and financial services industries, Mr. Holt brings a broad but focused perspective to ventures, projects and business opportunities. Mr. Holt’s activities have ranged from management assignments with multi-billion-dollar international companies to independent free-lance consulting with firms of varying sizes to entrepreneurial endeavors with IT, construction, real estate, and financial services start-up ventures along with board service for a major human services non-profit corporation. He has a long track record of project and general management success as well as progressive professional development of people. Along the way, he has participated in a wide range of activities including mergers and acquisitions, turn-around leadership, capital-funding road shows, industry exhibitions and conferences (vendor-presenter) and speaking on a number of topics in a variety of venues.

Currently, Mr. Holt is an investor, advisor, board member, partner and participant in several entrepreneurial enterprises, across multiple industries, in varying stages of growth and development. In addition, he and his wife are actively involved in regional board-level human services non-profit activities as well as direct participation in charitable services affecting multiple international locations.

Mr. Holt enjoys the building of businesses, relationships and enterprises which provide sustainable positive stakeholder impacts along with employment, professional development, community improvement and growth opportunities for conscientious hard-working people … resulting in personal and professional fulfillment for all.

Mr. Holt holds a Bachelor of Science degree, Computer Science / Math, from the University of South Carolina and currently resides in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Scott Huey

Mr. Huey brings a depth of related operational process, software and systems development experience to Mariner, spanning nearly 20 years across a wide range of diverse industries. He began his Information Technology career as a software engineer focused on the automation of laboratory processes. With the emergence of the Internet, and as associated evolution of the potential for extending automation neared the highest and lowest levels of all business processes, Mr. Huey transitioned into application software development for the World Wide Web. Key assignments over the years include within the insurance industry, working with Royal & Sun Alliance, the banking industry with Wachovia, and specialized financial services with Lending Tree. In addition to his extensive business commercial IT experience, Mr. Huey served four years in the United States Air Force.

Donald L. Mayer

Mr. Mayer is a private investor and entrepreneur from Savannah, Georgia. Prior to becoming active with The Mariner Group, he was General Counsel and Risk Management Vice President for Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation for 13 years. Immediately prior to joining Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, he was employed in those same capacities for eight years with Gates Learjet Corporation in Wichita, Kansas. His responsibilities have included general corporate and securities matters, product liability and other litigation oversight, and all aspects of insurance and risk management operations. He maintains licenses to practice law in Wisconsin, Illinois and Kansas, and flying currency in several types of aircraft. Before practicing corporate law for 21 years, he held positions as a commercial pilot and as a law examiner for the Supreme Court of Wisconsin.

Mr. Mayer has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Savannah Country Day School Board of Trustees and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Memorial Health Trust, which operates on behalf of Memorial Health University Hospital in Savannah.

Erin J. Phelps

Bringing over 25 years of proven experience providing federal, state and local government with advanced integrated security solutions, Mr. Phelps joins The Mariner Group as the Senior Vice President for Business Development. In this capacity, Mr. Phelps is responsible for building strong and expandable customer relationships for Mariner, relationships through which Mariner can achieve its business, technological and industry impact goals and relationships which result in sustainable profitable revenue growth. Additionally, Mr. Phelps is in charge of marketing, sales, public relations, and other key aspects of outward-facing activities which are mission critical to enabling the Mariner team to succeed.

Prior to joining Mariner, Mr. Phelps was Vice President of the Enterprise Security Solutions Division at CRGT, Inc. (formerly CIBER Federal), where he led and grew a team of Physical Security System Integration and Software Development professionals supporting seaport, maritime and other large and complex security projects; providing the full range of physical security system engineering and design, system integration and implementation; and client support services. Preceding CRGT, Inc., Mr. Phelps was the Government Sales Manager for Johnson Controls Security Solutions, a leading government system security integration company, in which he supported U.S. Department of Homeland Security and federal government customers by providing Physical Security and Surveillance solutions and services.

Mr. Phelps earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Computer Science from the James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Greg Richardson

Mr. Richardson joined The Mariner Group in 2000 as an executive responsible for all aspects of service delivery, customer support, and operations for Mariner. Since that time his responsibilities have broadened to include overseeing all software design, development, and deployment of Mariner’s CommandBridge software suite as well as direct management of service delivery for Mariner’s federal customers.

Mr. Richardson has led Mariner’s software design efforts to pioneer next generation situation awareness software solutions by combining his deep working knowledge of situation awareness disciplines with 15 years experience implementing highly intuitive software interface design and usability disciplines – an approach that has pushed the envelope, positioning CommandBridge as the market leader and de facto choice for Command Center operators.

Prior to joining the Mariner team, Mr. Richardson served as Vice President of Software Development for HTTP Development, a company specializing in commercial web-based software. Mr. Richardson earned a B.A. from the University of South Carolina.