Executive Biographies > Management
Mike Detwiler - President and CEO
Heather M. Palmer-Palavido - VP of Product Development
Jennifer Gaddy - Marketing Manager
Paul Schmidt - CFO
Mike Detwiler - President and CEO
Mike Detwiler has successfully managed growth and change inside some of the world's most innovative companies for more than 25 years. He has held senior management roles in major corporations and start-up companies, and his broad functional expertise includes business planning, product management, and strategic marketing. Mike has spent most of his career in the technology and financial services industries.
Prior to founding BLUERIDGE Analytics, Mike was president of The Detwiler Group, a consulting firm that specialized in taking emerging businesses to their next level of growth. His clients included Shareholder.com, an Internet-based investor communications company; Darwin Partners, an IT consulting firm; and Mediastream, a marketing agency targeting clients in services, technology, and manufacturing. Acting as interim CEO, he led Mediastream to profitability by winning large contracts and establishing critical production and financial controls.
Mike began his career at Bell Labs, followed by senior management positions at The Boeing Company and Thomson Financial Services. At Thomson, he developed the business plan and secured corporate funding for Research Direct, an investment research platform that generated approximately $100 million of revenue in three years. Mike earned an M.S. in computer science from Northwestern University and a B.S. in mathematics and computer science from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
Mike believes in the power of teams and that effective leadership is strategy-based, process-oriented and grounded by integrity. This philosophy, combined with an unwavering focus on maximizing shareholder value, drives his daily decision-making at BLUERIDGE.
Heather M. Palmer-Palavido - VP of Product Development
Heather M. Palmer-Palavido is an outstanding executive with more than 15 years of experience in product development and enhancement, operations as well as sales and marketing support in various software companies. Heather possesses strong leadership characteristics and has a wide experience in general project and people management.
Jennifer Gaddy - Marketing Manager
Jennifer Gaddy is a creative, detail-oriented team member with a broad range of communications and design skills. Jennifer has 14 years of professional experience in graphic design, commercial printing, and curriculum content development. Jennifer’s combination of visual design capability with a strong writing and editing background gives her a powerful edge in marketing and public relations. Jennifer holds a B.A. in English from the College of Charleston.
Paul Schmidt - CFO
Paul Schmidt currently provides BLUERIDGE with part-time CFO services. Paul is a Managing Director and Founder of GrowthFinance, LLC a firm that specializes in providing fractional use CFO services to emerging companies. Mr. Schmidt is a former CPA who has over 30 years of experience as a public accountant, controller and CFO for private and public companies.
