Management Team
Unified Communications
DONALD R. DePRIEST, Chairman of the Board, CEO
Mr. DePriest served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of MCT Corp., a cellular carrier that established over 29 cell phone ventures in the former Soviet Union, including Russia and Central Asia. Mr. DePriest led the successful sale of MCT Corp.’s operations in July 2007.
He has extensive experience as an entrepreneur and as an investor in the telecommunications industry. He founded Charisma Communications Corporation (through its predecessors and affiliates, "Charisma") in 1982, serving as Chairman of the Board and President through the sale of its operations in 1986 and 1987. Charisma developed and operated eleven mobile systems in the major cities in the southeastern United States.
Mr. DePriest formed MCT Investors, L.P. ("MCTI") in 1987 to develop telecommunications and health care ventures, serving as President of the General Partner since inception. He has served as a director of several MCTI portfolio companies, including his responsibility as Chairman of the Board of American Telecasting, Inc. ("ATEL") which was sold to Sprint in 1999. MCT Corp. was spun out as a separate operating company from MCTI in 1995.
Mr. DePriest also founded Boundary Healthcare Products Corporation ("Boundary") in 1987 to implement a leveraged buy-out of the Boundary Division of the Kendall Company, serving as Chairman of the Board through its sale to Maxxim Medical, Inc. (NYSE symbol MAM) in 1992. He served as a director of MAM through its going private in 1999. Mr. DePriest has been a multi-market owner of mid-size and smaller radio stations in southeast U.S. cities.
ARIC HOLSINGER, EVP of Business Development/CFO
Mr. Holsinger joined Critical RF in 2009 following a 12 year career in the wireless telecommunications industry. As CFO of MCT Corp, a GSM wireless operator in the former Soviet Union, the Company grew to 29 cellular operators and combined revenue of $200 million. MCT was sold to TeliaSonera - an international operator - in 2007. Prior to joining MCT, Mr. Holsinger held CFO positions in the professional sports industry with the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Stallions.
TIM SMITH, COO
Mr. Smith has been involved with radio frequency engineering for the past 18 years, first as part of Waterway Communications Systems, Inc. (Watercom), a provider of ship to shore communications for vessels along the inland waterways and Gulf of Mexico. Later, Mr. Smith worked at Mobex Communications, Inc. as head of a large two-way radio spectrum operation. Mr. Smith has extensive experience working with hardware and software related to Radio over IP as well as two-way radios.
