Yuri Whyte
Technical Account Manager
Yuri takes pride in ensuring that solūt’s clients are beyond satisfied with the team’s level of work and customer service. He stops at nothing to ensure that even the toughest task ends in a favourable resolution. He is a systems administrator graduate of NAIT with impeccable computer troubleshooting abilities. IT has been Yuri’s full-time gig for two and a half years, but he has over a decade of experience in the field. Yuri enjoys helping others with his jovial spirit. In his spare time, he enjoys some good animated comedy and the occasional video game. Yuri is into cars and one day hopes to own a custom sports car.
Jeremy Hayward
VP of Digital Transformation
Jeremy is passionate about connecting people and empowering others to reach their full potential in order to drive solūt’s vision, mission, and core purpose. Jeremy brings nearly two decades of experience in leadership and in the IT industry to solūt. He is not only our President, but he sits on the board of directors and manages corporate direction and strategy. Jeremy is actively involved in the community and sits on several boards and committees in the Edmonton area. Outside of the office, he enjoys golfing, attending concerts, watching hockey, and spending time with his wife Patti, daughter Eva, and son John.
Angel Zarowny
VP of Corporate Services
Angel is always looking to raise the bar. She’s passionate about creating a great place to work so great work can take place! Angel enjoys the challenge of finding that sweet spot where resources are directed towards what matter most to the team, all while fostering a terrific work culture. This positions solūt to deliver top-notch service! Angel’s background is a unique combination of human resources and accounting. She completed a commerce degree at the University of Alberta, majoring in HR. After years as an HR Generalist, Angel decided to pursue a CMA accounting designation. Now at solūt, Angel has the opportunity to dabble in multiple specialties, giving her the best of both worlds. At the end of the day, another one begins. Angel is mom to a couple terrific kids and they keep her busy. Whether it’s driving them from point a to b, cheering them on across home plate, helping them with homework, or just being there for them—they’re her favourite pastime!
Kyle Sutton
Service Coordinator
Kyle enjoys strategic thinking and optimization. The Service Coordinator role allows him to think about the next moves, how they should be made, and who should make them. Initially enrolled at the University of Alberta in the biological sciences, Kyle decided to change his trajectory and instead enrolled in the Digital Media and IT (DMIT) program at NAIT, with a specialization in systems administration. He initially worked for solūt as a technician before making the switch to the Service Coordinator position. Kyle is a health and fitness enthusiast and, despite not pursuing it as a career, still has a passion for the biological and behavioural sciences. Kyle spends a great deal of time reading and learning, attempting to muster up an adequate attention span to catch up on his Netflix shows, and daydreaming about having a cat.
Lindsay Hao
Tier II Service Technician
Lindsay brings happiness, optimism, and joy to the office—or at least she tries her darnedest. She obtained her network engineering technology diploma and is working towards getting her Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management. Lindsay likes to keep it real. She enjoys drinking bubble tea.
Valery Sinitsine
Tier III Project Technician/ Solutions Architect
Val likes to build things, but he doesn’t discriminate; fixing broken things is fine for him too. Having done a variety of tasks to get projects completed, Val is a bit of a MacGyver. He has used DISKPART to wipe drives clean, climbed ladders, pulled cables, and dug trenches with a shovel. None of that was with solūt, of course, but it’s safe to say he goes the extra mile to get the job done. Val likes to play with his kids. When he has some alone time, he plays Europa Universalis IV. He is also a huge Audible fan, and listens to audiobooks while driving.
Joanne Gerlack
Quality Assurance Manager
Joanne provides full-cycle accounting support in corporate services. She enjoys assisting our clients, vendors, and the internal solūt team. She feels rewarded by supporting businesses in our constantly changing world. She has a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Alberta. After three years of teaching and earning a permanent certification, she’s charting a new path in the business world. Joanne worked for 14 years in the legal industry in an accounting support role and then her journey completely changed upon starting a family. After several years as a young mom working part-time, Joanne was ready to return full-tilt to the workforce and transitioned into her current full-time role with solūt. Joanne likes to work hard and play hard. Her life is filled with family and friends. She has three boys who keep her schedule very active. Joanne enjoys playing sports, especially slo-pitch and volleyball. Joanne and her family do a lot of camping and exploring. More travel is definitely on her bucket list, but budgeting for a family of five can be interesting to say the least!
Glen Dobranski
VP of Technology
Glen’s favourite thing to do is solve problems, making him a natural fit for the solūt team. He draws on his past experiences to do things differently than before. Glen is always re-inventing the wheel and showing clients all the potential they can unleash with the right mindset. Glen possesses a Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences, along with many certificates and professional designations including MCSA and MCITP. He holds various Microsoft specialist and administrator certifications. Glen’s love for a challenge overflows into his personal life as well, whether it’s creating customized apps for his family, 3D-printing useful gadgets, tackling DIY projects, or fixing his car. Glen has no quit in him when it comes to a challenge, as both his wife and baby girl have found out. Glen’s competitive nature extends to sports and games as well, from hockey and dodgeball to a hand of cards.
Clayton Amelia
Cybersecurity Lead
Clayton enjoys helping clients move their business forward with technology and enhancing the security of their information assets. With 20 years of experience in information technology, Clayton’s career has evolved from opening a computer sales and repair business while still in high school, to a globally distributed BSD shell and web hosting service. He has experience in application development and design, network and server implementation, and supporting all layers of technology. Clayton elevated his career by earning a Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology from NAIT in 2013. Clayton has a passion for computers, both inside and outside of work. He is an avid computer gamer who regularly streams for fundraisers that support the Stollery Children’s Hospital and the Alberta Children’s Hospital foundations through groups like Extra Life. He also enjoys DJing through online radio stations.
Michael Anderson
Service Coordinator
Michael has a background in tech but, more recently, he’s been focusing on customer service. This combination works well, being a first point of contact for folks with IT woes. He completed an MCSE program at Loyalist College in 2000 and spent close to eight years consulting. He’s also taught English abroad and has since shifted more towards customer support. Michael enjoys spending time with his dog, playing some Xbox and trying to engage but not kill all his players when Dungeon Mastering.
Chris Brady
Business Development Manager
Although Chris is in Business Development, he is a Techie at heart. He loves being able to combine his passion for technology with meeting people and talking about their business. Chris enjoys being able to help people transform their business with technology, but more importantly, help them solve their business problems. The question Chris always wants to know when talking to people about their business is: “What keeps you up at night?” Chris has spent almost 20 years immersed in the YEG Tech world. He initially spent almost a decade in the field as the IT Manager for a local software development company. He has spent the last 10 years in a business development capacity within the Edmonton Tech scene, graduating from multiple programs at NAIT including Business, Computer Systems Technology, and Computer Network Administration. Chris has often been described as a salesperson who is also fully fluent in NERD. He finds it ironic that he spends so much time meeting with people in coffee shops, yet he doesn’t drink coffee. When not at work, Chris spends the majority of his time coaching youth sports. He has coached football, hockey, lacrosse and now primarily coaches multiple soccer teams.
Jonathan Teschke
Project Manager
Jon (JT) is a quick learner with a keen eye for detail with all things technical. His knowledge and experience is evident in every ticket he touches and with every client interaction he has. He has 10+ years of experience and is a StorageCraft Certified Master Engineer. When not teching you can find JT hanging with his wife and 3 children, picking / performing on his guitar or chilling with some video games.
Cris Kilimnik
Tier II Project & Service Technician
Cris started off as a Client Experience Representative at solut but has since transitioned to a more technical role as a service technician. Having completed the Network Security program from Robertson College and coming from a background of both technical and customer service makes it easy for him to provide the support our clients need. Cris loves helping people and explaining things to them in a way they can understand. Cris’ laid back nature and fun personality makes him a real treat to have around the office, especially in our weekly team get together on Fridays. In his spare time, he loves watching hockey, Brooklyn 99 reruns and collecting board games.
John Steffens
NOC & Automation Team Lead
Having worked in the Managed Service space in Edmonton for over 12 years, John brings a diverse technical skillset to solut. He’s passionate about empowering others to lead while removing the obstacles they need to be successful and is always ready to jump in to help the team with anything and everything! In his downtime, John loves to build things in his garage and also enjoys spending time with his family and 3 bunnies. When he gets the chance, he heads out East to where he’s originally from – Nova Scotia, to visit family and relax out there.
Randy Voss
VP of Operations
Randy is passionate about delivering world-class services and support for not only our clients but our team as well. Over the last 20 years, he’s gained experience in all different areas of the tech sector – networking & technical services, product operations, domestic & international logistics & supply chain operations, rebates management, agreement & contract management, business partner management, warehouse operations, procurement & purchasing. This impressive stack has helped him develop a big-picture view of how a business should be run operationally.
In his downtime, Randy enjoys playing and watching sports. For a few years, he was on 5 different teams simultaneously; 1 fastball, 1 mixed fastball, 1 slow-pitch, 1 football and 1 hockey! He also loves travelling, watching movies and spending time with his wife, Naomi and 3 wonderful kids.
Daniel Mah
Tier I Service Technician
Daniel is a motivated, upbeat guy who loves to gain new skills and experiences by learning something new each day. He brings passion and optimism to those around him and loves knowing that he can set off a chain reaction by being able to impact someone’s life with a technical solution so they can continue working to help others. Daniel attended NAIT where he obtained a CNA Certificate and a NET Diploma. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his friends (usually playing videos games but loves a good campfire), sleeping in on the weekends, and overall just enjoys a relaxing time out of the office.
Larracelle Lopez
Tier I Service Technician
Larracelle is passionate about self-development and self-improvement and is always looking to challenge herself. She finds that a fast-paced workplace is a great way to learn skills that not only help in day-to-day work but also enhance her personal growth as well. Larracelle went to school in the Philippines and is a graduate student of Hotel & Restaurant Administration. Since moving to Canada, she has graduated from both the Medical Office Assistant and Network Security Technician programs at Robertson College.
Larracelle’s two jobs keep her pretty busy but when she does have time she enjoys karaoke, music or going on late night drives to relax.
Harman Beniwal
Tier 1 Service Technician
Harman enjoys getting hands-on with solving problems and helping people. He does his best to explain problems and solutions while sharing knowledge with clients in an understandable manner.
Curious about technology since childhood, Harman has always enjoyed learning new things. In addition to over 4 years of technical support, computer repair and customer service experience, Harman also graduated with a diploma from NAIT, concentrated in IT Systems Administration.
In his off time, Harman enjoys playing video games with his friends and playing with his dog. He also enjoys repairing and modifying cars as well as going on road trips to the Rocky Mountains with friends.
John Higgins
CEO
John is a senior executive with more than 35 years of experience in leadership roles. John has a wealth of expertise with particular strengths in areas including Strategy Development and Execution, Cultural Integration, Leadership Development, Operational Excellence and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in public and private company settings.
With an abundance of acquisition and acquisition integration experience, John has a strong understanding of and a proven track record of advancing growth and value creation.
In 2013, john completed the Executive Education Program at the Harvard Business School. In 2012, he obtained the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from McMaster University. In 2008 and 2009 respectively, he completed the Executive Development program at the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey Business School and the Executive Education program at Queen’s School of Business.