Executive Team
William Michael Eastman
Applied KnowledgeLabs | Create Your Badge
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Applied KnowledgeLabs
Current Role: United States Operations & Value Added Reseller Channel
Creator and Chairman of the Board of Content SourceWare Inc., a technology, business research, and intellectual property company commoditizing the consulting and training industry. Combining a Guild of Open Source Content providers (entrepreneurs, consultants, and business executives) with CSW's proprietary artificial intelligence engine, Bill has built an advanced knowledge platform that automates construction of products and services from CSW's best practices library.
Executive Partner - Applied Knowledge Laboratories, the marketing, sales, and delivery arm for Content SourceWare. Bill is also responsible for U.S. Field Operations and the joint launches of Applied KnowledgeLabs' Canadian and US headquarters.
Executive Director - National Association of Management Consultants - a North American Professional Trade Association for Consultants, Trainers, and Coaches. Bill is a founding member and responsible for building the infrastructure for future growth.
Background
Chief Operating Officer of The Center for Inspired Performance, a regional "Optimal Growth" knowledge firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia which focused on mid-market companies. Bill was responsible for business operations and also built and tested the first generation growth assessment SNAPSHOT, the precursor to FORECAST.
Executive Vice President of Consulting Services for Trainingscape Inc., an online training company headquartered in San Diego, California. Bill was responsible for creating a consulting operation within an elearning dot com. Here he tested affordable alternative knowledge delivery methods for small to mid-sized companies.
Managing Partner for Ken Blanchard Companies, a global training and consulting company headquartered in San Diego, California. Served as a member of executive management team responsible for North American projects with large corporate accounts implementing KBC's training products and services. Build consulting knowledge library, the genesis of Content SourceWare’s library of Best Practices, and tested providing clients a Results Guarantee on consulting projects.
Field Operations Director, United Nations Development Programmes, Empretec. Bill was responsible for managing training teams in support of entrepreneurial incubators in West Africa for startups and micro businesses. Tested the genesis of Applied Knowledge Laboratories business model - high delivery quality, low cost applications.
School Chief of the United States Coast Guard Leadership and Management School. Responsible for leadership and management training for first line supervisors to senior executives. Designed and developed an advanced learning model that is the genesis of Content SourceWare's artificial intelligence engine.
Kevin Grainger
CEO, Altava Capital Corp.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Applied KnowledgeLabs
Current Role: Canadian Operations & Direct Sales Channel
Background:
Kevin brings a vast amount of knowledge and entrepreneurial experience to the company through work in a wide variety of industries over the past 15 years.
He found early success in his career helping executives and IT departments better understand their respective roles in achieving sustained competitive advantage. While working mostly with small to medium-sized organizations in the early 90's, Kevin's insight into management sciences and technology also gained him the attention of Fortune 500 companies such as Honeywell and IBM. In the mid-90's he shifted his focus towards organizational knowledge and specifically, automating best practices within fast growth companies, where he continues to work today.
Kevin's “real world” business background combines with his current academic knowledge to afford him the unique ability to translate complex issues into simple terms, engaging members from every level of an organization from front-line employees to CEO's in understanding their Business Analysis needs, and then translating those into technology solutions. He has worked with or alongside some of the brightest in the industry and after working with Bill Eastman in a previous engagement, the two decided to bring their unique talents and insights together to form AKLabs.
Kevin was part of the original team when AKLabs' library of best practices was built, and has played a key role in the development of their industry-defining, end-to-end intellectual property technology platform. Kevin brings tremendous dedication and insight to both the company and its clients, and his knowledge and understanding of both business practices and technology make him an invaluable part of the executive team.
Richard Retzer
Executive Partner, Applied KnowledgeLabs
Current Role: Chief Marketing Officer & Consolidator Sales Channel
Background:
Richard has spent the last twenty years developing and bringing to market training products. His focus being small to medium size companies requiring both strategic and tactical leadership. Emphasizing the integration of multiple medias he has been able to leverage the benefits of the digital environment while maintaining the effectiveness of traditional channels. His clients have included the largest training and consulting firms in the US. With domestic and international campaigns.
Beyond his internal role at AKLabs, Richard intends to leverage the value of our products and services for clients and partners alike. Creating client relationships whose success is measured by shortened learning curves, reduced times to market, increased flexibility and lower development costs.
His process of discovery, development, delivery follows the path of knowledge base. He looks forward to discussing your unique opportunity.
Don Ballance, CA
Director, Altava Capital Corp.
Current Role: Chief Financial Officer, Applied KnowledgeLabs
Don Ballance joined us as Chief Financial Officer and our Board of Directors in June 2008. He has lifelong career experience as a senior financial officer for well-managed public and private businesses and has administered and managed various types and sizes of domestic and international operations. Don is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta.
He has directed investment activity for business sales and acquisitions, controlled budgeting, cash management, currency hedging, investment, operation and project financing, and has prepared financial plans and reporting to support the needs of investors, managers and banks on construction projects such as hotels, business centers, casinos and manufacturing operations. He has also coordinated all aspects of prospectus and public offerings that raised over $150 million from private investors, capital markets and commercial banks.
Don also brings direct experience in directing the design, implementation and maintenance of accounting, investor reporting and costing systems as well as having created a comparative key indicator management report that allowed meaningful benchmarking of operations. Don’s wealth of knowledge as a chartered accountant and his experience the in oil & gas, gaming, hospitality, and manufacturing are valuable additions to the AKLabs Executive Team. |
