Leadership

Seth Penland

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Seth launched Bluewave Technology Group in 2016 to simplify the technology purchasing process for companies by saving them considerable time and costs over the traditional procurement process. In 2022, Seth earned a coveted spot on the Channel Futures Technology Advisors 101 list for outstanding business success and innovation, advocacy and thought leadership in the channel, and commitment to the customer experience.

Seth also formed Evergreen Technology Partners, an advisory and investment firm specializing in transactions related to telecom and information technology services businesses, including master agencies, sub-agencies, managed services providers, and value-added resellers. Seth has focused on providing forethought and strategic advice to companies throughout his career. Before Bluewave Technology Group and Evergreen Technology Partners, Seth held leadership positions at B. Riley & Co., J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, and other financial institutions.

Seth has a BS in Applied Economics from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.

Wayne Dietrich

Chief Operations Officer

Prior to joining Bluewave Technology Group, Wayne served as Chief Operating Officer at Element Critical, a North American data center company. Before Element Critical, Wayne was the Chief Sales Officer for Cologix, a North American data center and interconnection company.

Wayne brings 25 years of diverse experience in executive sales leadership, global strategic alliances, technical operations, business development, channel optimization, and go-to-market execution across data center, telecommunications, enterprise, logistics & manufacturing, and research & development environments through careers at Ciena, Siemens Enterprise Communications (now Unify), Level 3 (now Lumen), Qwest (now Lumen), Lucent (now Alcatel-Lucent), AT&T, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

He holds a BS in Health Physics from Bloomsburg University and an MS from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Kevin Burke

Chief Financial Officer

Prior to Bluewave, Kevin served as Senior Vice President and Commercial Group Leader at Savage Services Corporation, a global supply chain and logistics service provider.

In this role, he oversaw commercial and corporate development activities for Savage’s energy and infrastructure sectors. Prior to this, Kevin held various senior financial, strategy, and operational roles at Savage. Kevin has worked in strategy, corporate development, and finance in various industries including Private Equity, Telecommunication, Technology, and Energy. Kevin also spent three years with management consulting firm Bain & Company where he advised C-level executives on a variety of business strategy topics.

Kevin holds a BS in Accounting from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Kevin is a licensed CPA (retired) in Washington State.

Mark Peterson

Chief Legal Officer

Prior to joining Bluewave, Mark served as Managing Partner at MEP Law Corp., a law firm in California providing services to a number of large international companies and venture capital investment funds.

Mark has served as outside general counsel to various companies in a number of different industries including Venture Capital, Consumer Products, and International Manufacturing. Mark also has extensive experience in the telecom and information technology services businesses, having formed Evergreen Technology Partners with our CEO, Seth Penland.

Mark has a BA in Economics from Brigham Young University and a JD from The University of Michigan School of Law. Mark is admitted to the bar in Texas and California.

Val Milshtein

Chief Information Officer

Mr. Milshtein brings over 25 years of experience in product development, process design, software engineering, and systems integration in the telecom and data center industries. He comes to Bluewave with a proven record of success in building, integrating, and exiting/transacting several successful telecom businesses including over ten expansions and ten acquisitions/integrations, delivering superior operational and investment returns.

Mr. Milshtein most recently served as the Chief Technology Officer for Stack Infrastructure, a multinational build-to-suit data center company. Before that, he held a position of Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Network Services for Cologix, an interconnection and data center company. Mr. Milshtein held executive positions at Level 3 Communications (now Lumen), Genuity Solutions, and GTE.

Steven Meeker

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

Steve currently serves as Bluewave’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, focusing on M&A strategy and sourcing.

Prior to Bluewave, Steve executed on key M&A, go-to-market, and customer success initiatives at various technology companies, including most recently as the Chief Operating Officer of VisionMenu, Inc. in the finance and insurance tech space, as well as Chief Strategy Officer at DealerSocket, Inc. (now Solera) in the automotive data and software sector.

Steve received his BS in Business Finance from BYU and an MBA from at UCLA.

Grant van Rooyen

Chairman of the Board

Grant van Rooyen is the CEO and founder of Tract Capital, where he leads the Management, Investment, Valuation, and Allocation Committees. A seasoned digital infrastructure investor, Grant has a proven track record of building businesses that deliver top tier returns.

Before founding Tract Capital, he partnered with private equity firms to acquire and scale Teraco, achieving a $3.5B valuation on an ~$850M investment by 2022. Earlier, he founded Cologix, expanding it into a multi-billion-dollar data center company, which exited at a $1.4B valuation in 2017 and was later valued at ~$4B.

Grant also founded the van Rooyen Group, investing in digital infrastructure, real estate, hospitality, and technology ventures. His portfolio includes Teraco, MedOne, Telarus, Bluewave Technology Group and more, often serving as a founder or board member.

With 12 years at Level 3 Communications, Grant played a key role in global fiber expansion, submarine networks, and 32 M&A transactions. He also leads the van Rooyen Family Foundation, supporting charitable efforts worldwide.

Evan DeCorte

Member of the Board

Evan DeCorte specializes in investments in Digital Infrastructure and Enterprise Technology, bringing extensive experience in leadership and strategy to his roles. He serves on the Board of Directors for Bluewave, Landways, Telarus, TerraPact, and Verato, where he plays a key role in driving growth and innovation.

Before joining Columbia Capital, Evan was the Head of Marketing and led the Voice Business at Roshan TDCA, Afghanistan’s largest telecommunications provider, where he contributed to significant market expansion and service innovation. Previously, he worked as an analyst in JPMorgan Chase’s foreign exchange and interest rate derivatives group, honing his financial and analytical expertise.

Evan holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington University.

John Siegel

Member of the Board

John Siegel specializes in Digital Infrastructure and Enterprise Technology Services investments and serves on the boards of Bluewave Technology Group, Bandwidth IG, Summit IG, Telarus, TerraPact, Xenith IG and several other leading companies.

Previously, John served on boards of notable firms, including Zayo (NYSE: ZAYO), Cologix, Virtustream, Presidio, and Cloud Sherpas, contributing to successful acquisitions by industry leaders like EMC, Comcast, and Accenture. He also represented Columbia Capital in high-profile investments, such as Mpower Communications.

Before joining Columbia Capital, John worked in Morgan Stanley’s Private Equity Group, focusing on telecommunications and data services. He also held roles at Fidelity Ventures and Alex. Brown & Sons.

John earned a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, bringing a blend of financial acumen and industry expertise to his investment strategies.

Scott Mackay

Member of the Board

Scott Mackay is the Managing Partner at Tides Capital, where he leads strategic investments across public and private equity, focusing on opportunities to collaborate with leadership teams to drive value creation and long-term growth. His expertise lies in identifying high-potential ventures and actively partnering with management to maximize performance.

In addition to his role at Tides Capital, Scott is an accomplished investor and board member, contributing his insights and leadership to Torrent Photonics, Evermore Homes and Bluewave Technology Group. His hands-on approach and deep industry knowledge enable him to guide businesses in scaling operations, optimizing strategy, and achieving sustainable success.

Prior to founding Tides Capital, Scott held portfolio manager roles for Millennium Management, Bryn Mawr Capital and Hatteras Investments, where he was a founder and managing member.

Scott holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University.

Seth Penland

Member of the Board

Seth launched Bluewave Technology Group in 2016 to simplify the technology purchasing process for companies by saving them considerable time and costs over the traditional procurement process. In 2022, Seth earned a coveted spot on the Channel Futures Technology Advisors 101 list for outstanding business success and innovation, advocacy and thought leadership in the channel, and commitment to the customer experience.

Seth also formed Evergreen Technology Partners, an advisory and investment firm specializing in transactions related to telecom and information technology services businesses, including master agencies, sub-agencies, managed services providers, and value-added resellers. Seth has focused on providing forethought and strategic advice to companies throughout his career. Before Bluewave Technology Group and Evergreen Technology Partners, Seth held leadership positions at B. Riley & Co., J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, and other financial institutions.

Seth has a BS in Applied Economics from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.

David Northington

Board Advisor

David Northington is an experienced technology leader and board member with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation in global organizations. He is currently a board member for Bluewave Technology Group and several other companies, where he leverages decades of expertise in technology services, cloud solutions, and strategic leadership.

David served as Chairman and CEO of Cloud Sherpas, a leading global cloud advisory and technology services firm. Under his leadership, Cloud Sherpas became a four-time Google Enterprise Partner of the Year and a key partner for Salesforce and ServiceNow, growing to over 1,100 employees and serving Fortune 500 clients worldwide.

Before Cloud Sherpas, David was COO of Application Services North America at Capgemini, managing a $1B portfolio spanning SAP, Oracle, business intelligence, and custom development. He played a critical role in developing industry-focused strategies, enhancing operational efficiency, and driving profitability.

David’s extensive experience positions him as a valuable advisor in technology and enterprise services.

Curt Allen

Strategic Advisor

Curt Allen is a seasoned consultant, executive, and business leader in the ITC sector with deep expertise in M&A, go-to-market strategies, and driving exponential revenue growth. As founder and managing partner of X4 Advisors, he has advised leading ITC providers, distributors, and investors such as Bluewave Technology Group, Avaya, TDSynnex, Telarus, and Columbia Capital, helping them achieve strategic and operational success.

Previously, Curt served as SVP and Global Channel Chief at Vonage, where he led worldwide partner channels and developed innovative GTM strategies. At Windstream Enterprise as President, Strategic Channels, he navigated complex restructures, supported the company’s emergence from bankruptcy, and enhanced partners’ ability to sell next-generation solutions.

As President of X4 Solutions, Curt grew the business from negative EBITDA to a multi-million-dollar success, culminating in a profitable exit. He continued as President of Channel post-acquisition, ensuring a seamless transition. Curt holds a BS, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Craig Schlagbaum

Strategic Advisor

Craig Schlagbaum is a highly respected channel sales leader with over 30 years of experience driving recurring revenue growth through innovative partner programs. As founder and managing partner of Recurring Revenue Channels LLC, he helps businesses build and scale successful channel strategies to achieve sustained revenue growth.

Previously, Craig served as SVP and Channel Chief at Comcast Business, where he created and led their first indirect channel program. Under his leadership, the program grew to over $1B in annual recurring revenue, supported by a team of 150+ professionals and 3,000+ partners. He developed the program’s infrastructure, including contracts, processes, tools, and marketing, earning recognition as a top global channel chief by CRN and Channel Futures for more than a decade.

Craig is also a strategic advisor and mentor, passionate about developing future channel leaders and enabling partner success. He brings visionary leadership, team-building expertise, and a commitment to fostering win-win relationships.