 Richard Starets, CEO and FounderRichard worked for several start-up companies before starting Small Footprint. He spent 15 years working and living in Eastern Europe, during which time he built and managed operations across 5 countries for start-up telecoms provider eTel Group (later purchased by Telecom Austria), and also served as an early Sr. Manager for Hungarian telco start-up Novacom, forging strategic international partnerships and new product development. In 2003 he saw the opportunity to leverage the exceptional software engineering talent of the region to provide global IT services and established Small Footprint. Richard speaks fluent Hungarian. In Winston-Salem, Richard serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Tech Council, a part of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.
Richard graduated from Colby College (in Maine) in 1991 with a B.A. in Political Science. While living in Eastern Europe he obtained a Marketing degree from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He then went on to pursue an MBA at the Central European University Graduate School of Business. He and his wife have two boys, Oliver and Kristof.
Patrick Turner, CTO & Principal
Patrick started coding software at the age of 10 and has been building software professionally for more than 18 years. With experience ranging from sales & marketing automation to demand planning, and event logistics to clinical research technology, he has a demonstrated his unique ability to translate business needs into technology solutions.
Patrick’s passion continues to be for mobile development which was sparked building sales tools for the Palm Pilot in the mid-nineties. He spent 15 years in the manufacturing sector with more than 8 of those in the medical device industry.
A passion for the great outdoors brought Patrick to North Carolina, specifically Winston Salem, in 2007 where he lives with his wife, Alison (an accomplished pastry chef), and their two children, William and Fiona. He received his MBA from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.
Rob Robless, Vice President - Enterprise ServicesRob joined Small Footprint as an Engagement Manager and Senior Consultant in January 2010 and now serves as Vice President of Enterprise Services. He has over 25 years experience in technology leadership positions at start-ups and major corporations. He has held a number of executive positions (C-level, VP, and Director) in Application Development and Enterprise Architecture directing small and large professional teams at companies such as GMAC Financial Services, United Airlines, Comdisco, and SHLSystemhouse (EDS). He has significant experience in building large scale enterprise solutions and eBusiness systems.
 Imre Miko, Offshore Operations DirectorImre has been managing software development operations for last 10 years, and has been instrumental in building Small Footprint's Development Center in Cluj from the ground-up. With both technology and business acumen, Imre received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the Polytechnic Unversity of Cluj in Economical Engineering. In his role as Offshore Operations Director, Imre ensures smooth operations and growth of the Development Center, managing recruitment and retention, ensuring maximum productivity and employee satisfaction, and closely monitoring corporate security as well as the bottom line. Before Small Footprint, Imre was Managing Director of Arcabel Software, a German-owned software development company.
In his free time and especially when the weather is nice, Imre loves to ride his motorcycle, a BMW F650. He also enjoys spending time with his wife -- a floral entrepreneur -- and his two children. Imre is also studying for his PMP certification.
Seth Carpien - Vice President of SalesSeth joined Small Footprint in July of 2011 and brings 16 years of sales experience. The majority of his career was spent in the Financial Industry working with UBS, Deutsche Bank and Ferris, Baker & Watts (Now RBC). After spending a few years as an owner/operator of a restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA he served as the Midwest Regional Sales Manager for the top B2B travel publication in the U.S., Travel Weekly. Most recently he made the move to the software side of sales in the banking and education industries. Throughout his career he has shown the ability to understand several different industries and maintain a high level of success.
Seth grew up in Washington, D.C. and received his BA in Communications from The College of Wooster (OH) in 1994. He relocated to Winston-Salem in 1999 to get his MBA at Wake Forest University and after leaving in 2003, relocated back with his family in 2007. He is now settled here with his wife, Cara, and three children; Addison, Jacob & Caitlin…..with number four on the way.
Horatiu Popovici MCSD, Development ManagerHoratiu has 13 years of software development experience and has achieved the highest levels of Microsoft Certification. Horatiu is responsible for managing and directing Small Footprint's .NET strategy and development activities. He manages and mentors a fast-growing .NET team and continues to serve as Project Manager and Lead Architect on complex projects and strategic clients. Additionally, Horatiu sets and ensures the coding standards, development processes, and overall quality assurance for the .NET practice. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the Technical University of Cluj.
In his free time Horatiu enjoys hiking in the mountains and playing tennis, and he regularly goes dancing with his wife. He also enjoys cooking and good wine.
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