About Us
Connected Data was founded in 2011 by four friends (Geoff Barrall, David Mendelson, John Turner, and John Winfield) who were frustrated that there was no simple way to share large files over the Internet. Because of this frustration, they set out to create a better and simpler way for consumers, professionals, and small businesses to share, access, and protect their data. More specifically, a solution that would make sharing with others - no matter where they are - as simple as accessing files on a computer or mobile device. The result of this effort is the
award-winning Transporter.
The Transporter team today consists of the same storage professionals responsible for creating the mighty BlueArc Silicon Server and the slick Drobo storage array.
Management Team
Geoff Barrall – CEO and Founder
Geoff has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, investor, and executive. He has founded five companies and currently serves on the boards of a number of startups in the storage space. Prior to Transporter, Geoff founded Data Robotics where as CEO he drove the design and development of Drobo into one of the most widely recognized brands in digital storage and grew the business to over $40M in annual revenue within ten quarters of initial product launch. Geoff also founded and served as CTO for BlueArc (sold to Hitachi Data Systems in 2011) and has more than a dozen storage-related patents to his credit. Geoff earned his PhD in Cybernetics from the University of Reading.
Jim Gardner – COO
Jim has over 20 years of experience in Operations and building consumer electronics companies and products. He joins the Transporter team from Data Robotics, where he served as COO and SVP of Operations and was responsible for all aspects of global logistics and supply chain for the award-winning Drobo storage arrays. Prior to Data Robotics, Jim held various executive-level positions at Sling Media and Handspring. Jim holds a BA in Business from St. Mary’s College of California.
Tony Craythorne – Vice President of Sales
Tony has 25 years of experience in building and developing technology Sales and Channel teams in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Tony joins the Transporter team from 3VR, a video surveillance manufacturer where he built their channel program and sales team. Prior to 3VR, Tony was VP of Global Modular Channels at Hitachi Data Systems where he led their Mid Range and OEM business. Prior to Hitachi, Tony held executive level positions at Brocade and Bell Microproducts.
John Westfield – Vice President of Finance
John has 18 years of experience in corporate and operational finance and accounting in both public and private companies. John joins the Transporter team from Overland Storage, where he served as a management consultant and corporate controller. Prior to Overland, he served as the Principal Accounting Officer and controller of Adaptec, Inc., and has also held financial management positions at Flextronics International, SanDisk Corporation, and Adobe Systems. John began his career with Arthur Andersen and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive status) in the State of California. John earned an MBA in Finance from Santa Clara University and holds a BS in Accounting from San Jose State University.
Jim Sherhart – Vice President of Marketing
Jim has over 15 years of experience in marketing, business development, and product management. Prior to joining the Transporter team, Jim served as Senior Director of Marketing at Drobo where he launched seven new products in a span of less than three years. Prior to Drobo, Jim served as Director of Product Management for PowerFile, which was successfully sold to Hitachi LG Data Storage. Prior to PowerFile, Jim held senior product management roles at Snap Appliance through the spin-off from Quantum and successful acquisition by Adaptec. Jim earned an MBA from the University of Colorado and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.
