Management Staff

Greg Provo is both a thought leader and an educator in today’s Information Age, someone who has spent over twenty years creating—sometimes from scratch—IT solutions that empower companies large and small to harness technology rather than be held captive by it. It is his focus on changing his clients’ relationship with technology, on shifting the balance of power (and knowledge) that separates Greg from other IT service providers. That and an uncanny ability to translate techno-jargon into language we can all understand.

Greg brings Fortune 500 experience to your business. Prior to forming Strategy Café, Greg spent nine years at Capital One as Chief Technology Officer for Europe and Senior Director of Enterprise Architecture. He was tasked with developing the IT infrastructure to support Capital One’s strategic growth goals. Not only did Capital One experience record growth, it was able to redefine how large corporations use information technology. Greg understands the transformative power of strategic, business-driven IT implementation and founded Strategy Café to bring this approach to smaller companies.

Today the stakes are high; business is moving faster and faster. Efficient, effective access to information often determines whether a company thrives or goes extinct. A strategic and seamless application of technology is critical. That’s where Greg Provo comes in. Not only does he provide IT systems that are cost-effective and intuitive, he works with his clients to create solution that reinforce, and in many case enhance, their specific business goals.

Above all else, Greg Provo is a people person (a rare trait in the IT sector). But it’s not just his friendly disposition that makes him a leader in his field. Greg listens, answers questions and collaborates with each of his clients. He is service-driven and dedicated to making technology transparent so his clients not only know how what their system does; they know how to use it to generate maximum value for their business.

Greg Provo, entrepreneur and life-long student. Greg holds a BA in History from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has also earned a Masters’ Certificate in Information Technology Project Management from The George Washington University and a Certificate in Managing Individual and Organizational Change from The Darden School at the University of Virginia. Most recently, Greg completed the VCU Brandcenter’s Executive Course for Creative Brand Management. And he’s just getting started.

Greg frequently addresses groups and university classes on the subjects of marketing, technology and entrepreneurship.

Mark puts technology to work for businesses. He takes “IT” out of the theoretical and puts it into practice to do things like reduce costs, generate additional revenue and make online customer experience more engaging, effective and profitable. He’s done this for some of the biggest brands around. In his role at Strategy Café he’s applying this experience to small and midsized businesses IT solutions.

Over the past 20 years Mark has helped bring some of the world’s largest brands online including ESPN.com, Disney.com and ABC.com. As Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Playboy Enterprises, he developed and launched Playboy’s “Digital Content Factory” which transformed the traditionally print and television-focused company into a rich-media powerhouse that now leads the industry in its integration of online, mobile and on-demand video.

Mark describes his job as “making the trains run on time,” but he also builds the trains, lays the track and sells the tickets too. He works with businesses to provide not only strategic IT planning, but also infrastructure implementation and action-focused solutions. He is one of those people who can seamlessly transition from talking about the big picture to describing its smallest detail. Mark truly brings end-to-end perspective to IT services.

Speaking of perspective, over the course of his career Mark has been on both sides of IT services as a provider and, in his corporate roles, as a “customer.” He’s also been a business owner. If you have an issue related to IT, odds are he’s had it too. He also understands that the large majority of business owners are less concerned with how it works and more interested in what it does for my business. And that’s fine with him.

No challenge is too big for Mark. Whether it was facing off against 6’8”Dennis Rodman as forward for Franklin Pierce University or preparing and maintaining ESPN.com for its annual rush of over one million visitors during March Madness, Mark Laudenslager has established himself as an IT professional who turns challenges into opportunities.