Scott Robertson

CEO/Co-Founder

As the CEO and co-founder of Grand River, Scott sets the strategic direction for the company leading, the product development, business development, account management and marketing teams.

Scott spent the last 15 years building software solutions, fulfillment systems and developing new products and clients for the e-commerce industry. Prior to starting Grand River, he served as the Executive Vice President of Core Communications and the Business Development Manager for Internet and e-commerce technology companies including Fry, Inc., Submit Order and Enlighten.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Michigan State University and enjoys golf, camping, volleyball, coaching youth sports, and running. Scott and his wife Stephanie have three children.

Betsy Petrovic

Vice President, Strategic Services

As Grand River's Vice President of Strategic Services, Betsy Petrovic not only oversees client relationship management, project management and customer engagements, but also builds long term strategic support and marketing programs for clients through consulting and new service offerings.

Betsy spent five years in the industry building and managing large, profitable e-commerce solutions. Prior to joining the Grand River team, she served as the e-Commerce Manager for Collections Etc., Inc. (CEI). Betsy was responsible for Web strategy, content management, and all Web channels. Her efforts boosted CEI's Internet revenues by 40 percent since her start in 2004. In addition, Betsy has worked in e-Commerce marketing management for several years at the Professional Education Institute (formerly AMS Direct) and Lucent Technologies.

Earning her Bachelor's degree in business administration from Benedictine University in Illinois, she went on to pursue her MBA in marketing at Keller Graduate School of Business. In her spare time, Betsy enjoys singing, running, participating in community service projects and spending time with her family. She currently resides in Plainfield, IL, just outside of Chicago, with her husband Adam, children Andrew and Lucy, and Yorkie Reeses.

Steve Thallman

COO/Co-Founder

“Operations” is a four syllable word for “making sure everything runs smoothly, from service delivery to keeping the lights on.” With over 20 years of sales, technical, marketing and management experience, Steve gracefully handles the complex needs that arise when managing multimillion dollar contracts for Fortune 500 clients that include Proctor & Gamble, Meijer, Steelcase, The Limited, General Motors, Ford and Comerica Bank.

During his twenty years within the industry Steve has been the top producer worldwide while working for leading technology companies McAfee, Interwoven and VMware. How? By focusing on finding a balance that works both internally for the company and externally for the customers.

That focus has enabled Steve to do some pretty exhilarating things, like start his first company at the age of 29 and bungee jump out of a hot air balloon over the Rocky Mountains.

Laurie Russie

Director of Delivery/Project Management Office

As Director of Delivery and PMO at Grand River, Laurie is responsible for overseeing project management and delivery, including project planning, team leadership, resource allocation, and client communications. She loves working with her Grand River project teams to create world class eCommerce solutions for clients, on time and on budget.

Laurie has spent over 20 years managing successful and sophisticated IT implementations, beginning in the world of customized Corporate Environmental, Health & Safety applications for companies such as IBM, Motorola, Waste Management and General Motors.

She served as Project and Program Managers at Fry, launching and maintaining B2B and B2C eCommerce for esteemed clients such as Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Lumber Liquidators, and The Occasions Group. Her most recent Grand River projects include sites for Taunton Press and Gander Mountain.

You may not guess it, but Laurie has had the opportunity to apply much of her bachelor's degree in IOE Engineering from the University of Michigan throughout her career. She has been developing and implementing risk reducing and time saving procedures in the area of application design, development and implementation. As Director of Delivery and PMO she’s enjoyed driving the implementation of a wide range of processes and tools to smooth out client delivery and team management procedures.

When not at work, Laurie enjoys creative writing and reading as well as camping, swimming and biking with her family consisting of a wonderful husband and two teenage boys. Also, If you have a movie trivia question, ask her, she's an expert!

Chris Barlow

Executive Technical Director

As Executive Technical Director at Grand River, Chris provides leadership and direction both to the technical staff internally and to clients regarding website strategy, development, and integration from a technical perspective. He has spent the last 15 years working in the computer software and internet industries, both writing code and managing the development process. Prior to joining Grand River, Chris spent six years at Fry, Inc. managing the Product Development efforts around their Open Commerce Platform. Before that, Chris worked at Compuware Corporation as a Software Developer within its enterprise products division.

Chris holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering and a Master's degree in Business Administration, both from Michigan State University. When not at work, Chris enjoys golfing, maintaining and repairing cars, working on home remodeling projects, and spending time with his wife Katie and their two children.

Dan Cooney

Director of User Experience

User Experience Design. Information Architecture. Requirements Gathering. Interaction Design. Dan hones in on understanding your customer's needs and designing a solution that results in a satisfying customer experience aligned with your business goals. Whether it's designing clear paths that allow customers to find what they need on sites with complex functionality or describing an engaging interaction framework for simple customer flows through a simple site, Dan enjoys finding the right fit for each of our client's situations.

With a Master's in Information from University of Michigan, Dan has practiced user experience design for over 10 years with many prominent web development firms including Enlighten and Fry, prior to joining Grand River. He has enjoyed working with clients from a wide range of industries, from the pharmaceutical, energy, and automotive industries to retail, real estate, commercial fabric, and health care. In all our engagements, Dan plays an essential role insuring the customer audience is well understood, and that all the information and interaction elements are in place so your customer finds what they need and can do what they are on your site to do.

Outside of work, Dan likes exploring the world with his excellent family, gardening, playing games, and learning about information tools that support social & biological system resilience at the regional through neighborhood & household level.

Judy Foster

Executive Creative Director

Branding. Visual Direction. Creative Strategy. Judy has a passion and gift for all of these pursuits. And it shows. With over 14 years of interactive design experience, in-depth print knowledge, and two Addy Awards, Judy can make a brand shine and a bottom line go cha-ching. Prior to joining Grand River she was at Fry - one of the leading web development firms.

The key to her success has been to pursue innovation and excellence by ensuring that strategy is a consistent thread throughout the creative solution. In leading Grand River's creative vision, she ensures that the brand identity and visual design captures the clients' business goals as well as delivers a superior and unique experience for the user.

She has worked with leading retailers to create sites that speak to the “soul” of the brand and the “heart” of online shoppers. Clients she has had the privilege to work with include Ann Taylor, Coach, Neiman Marcus, Godiva, Homedics, Gander Mountain, Recellular and The Microscope Store.

When she's not at the Grand River office, you can find Judy keeping up with her two children (who needs an exercise plan when they are around), biking, camping and dreaming about the next country she'll visit.

Lynn Duggan

Director of Interactive Design

With over 15 years of experience, Lynn has lead creative development of projects ranging from traditional design and branding, to cutting-edge web interface design and interactive components. A concentration on sophisticated visual aesthetics provides a solid base for Lynn's desire to combine beautiful design with effective technical functionality.

Focused on integrating her creative and technical passions, Lynn has immersed herself in the RIA world. Building applications that are "powerful" - both visually and functionally - sets her work apart from the crowd. Prior to joining the Grand River team, Lynn earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Michigan. She honed her traditional design skills well before the internet was a viable communications medium. As Designer and Web Projects Director with a marketing communications agency, she pioneered the development of the firm's digital service offerings while continuing to produce award-winning graphic design. More recently, Lynn contributed creative and user experience guidance for a global community-based software applications development company.

In her "off" time, Lynn stays busy with her two children and their growing list of activities, burns calories while training for her next road race, and occasionally tries to squeeze-in a ski or sightseeing trip.

Dave Brabec

Vice President of Professional Service

As Vice President of Professional Services, Dave provides leadership and direction for Grand River’s retained services and hosting teams. Prior to joining the team at Grand River, Dave served as a Director at Fry, Inc. overseeing the Managed Services division. During his 12 year tenure at Fry, Dave devoted his time to architecting complex technical solutions, developing and leading security and compliance initiatives, managing thriving client relationships, and empowering a services business unit. Dave had the privilege of leading the Managed Services engagements for clients including 1800flowers.com, Crate and Barrel, Express Fashions, Godiva, Meijer, Vera Bradley, and Whirlpool.

Outside of the office, David enjoys spending time with his wife, Felicia, and their two children. He also enjoys travelling, playing basketball, cycling, and working on home improvement projects.