Stelios Valavanis, President
Stelios Valavanis is the founder and President of Chicago Network Integrator and ISP, onShore. He also serves on the boards of community outreach and advocate, We the People Media; arts collective, M5; free wireless advocate, ChiFi; and community networking advocate, Association for Community Networking as well as advisory committees for several organizations and educational institutions. He has appeared as a guest lecturer and panelist at Loyola’s Graduate School of Business, IIT’s Stuart School of Business, and various industry events.
Prior to founding onShore, Stel had founded various businesses and held a number of technical positions at the Graduate School of Business and other departments at the University of Chicago.
Stel’s love for things technical has spanned most of his life. As early as the age of 15, he was writing dBase code for a market research company, eventually producing an analysis tool for sale to other marketing firms. He formed his first business in 1981, producing and distributing Apple II software packages, including a visual music transcription program, various file system and font utilities and a few games. Stel also has been involved and remains active in many artistic projects including various full-length audio CD releases, video compilations, short films, stage production, soundtracks, and interactive installations.
Stel graduated from the University of Chicago in 1988 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics.
Nick Valavanis, Chief Operating Officer
Nick grew up with a passion for computers, networks and programming since his first introduction to the industry in 1980. He held two previous technical positions before he joined onShore in 1995 as a Systems Integration Consultant with a special emphasis on Macintosh hardware networking and support. Based on his demonstrated commitment to onShore and the strength of his relationships with clients, Nick became a Partner at onShore in June of 1996. Since then, Nick’s technical and management skills grew to include the support of Mac and Windows workstations and servers, as well as high-level network design, and implementation and troubleshooting. Nick took on additional responsibilities and managed the Network Integration technical services team from 1997 through 1998.
His experience in the field and years of maintaining excellent client relationships provided a solid technical and personal foundation for him to add Account Management to his responsibilities and eventually, in December of 1998, to take the position of Director of Sales. In March of 2002, in order to coordinate onShore’s marketing and sales efforts, Nick oversaw these departments. Currently, the Director of Sales, the Manager of onCall Service Desk and the Director of Accounting report directly to Nick.
Nick is also responsible for all onShore vendor relationships. He forged and currently maintains relationships with vendors, including Microsoft, VMWare, IBM, Dell, Cisco Systems, Fortinet, Apple and HP, to name a few.
Nick graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1990 with a Bachelors of Science degree.
Steven Kent, Chief Technical Officer
Since joining onShore in July of 1999, Steve has developed a specialty in the design and implementation of wide-area network (WAN) solutions for clients with branch locations. In addition, Steve’s experience in the deployment of IP telephony systems in business-to-business communications makes him particularly well-suited to providing VoIP solutions to onShore clients. In June of 2000, Steve was promoted to onShore Lead Senior Consultant as an acknowledgment of his first-rate technical ability and team leadership.
Steve has over 20 years of experience helping businesses implement technology solutions. He has been involved with the Internet for over ten years, even helping to create its policies. In the late 1980s, Steve served as a sysop on several mid-western BBSes. Prior to joining onShore, Steve owned and operated Small Office Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in telecommunication services and mid-sized Windows NT networks. Steve holds degrees in Political Science and American Literature from Indiana University (1988) and Columbia College (1995).
Jim Valavanis, Director, Network Integration
Jim Valavanis joined onShore in early 2006 as the Director of Network Integration. Jim has over 15 years of experience in IT/IS with expertise in network design, engineering and operating systems administration.
From his interests in Unix and shell programming during college, Jim began working as a Unix systems administrator in the early 90′s at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Jim continued to excel in the industry, and was promoted to manage a large technical staff at an options trading company. Prior to joining onShore, Jim owned and operated V-Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in LAN/WAN and systems architecture. Jim has gained extensive experience in utilizing open-source solutions to control costs and provide a wide array of solutions for customers. As part of a team for a notable project, Jim worked on designing and implementing high-availability and redundancy solutions across a carrier grade network.
Jim graduated from Iowa State University in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. Jim also holds a certification in Linux Administration.
Jim English, Manager, TAMs
Jim joined onShore in 2010 as a Technical Account Manager (TAM) and has since been promoted to Manager of the TAM group at onShore.
Jim has 19 years of experience as a system engineer and program manager developing communications and control systems. As a Technical Account Manager, Jim coordinates delivery of projects and IT managed services to clientele in various industries. Jim works with clients to develop strategic plans for IT that optimize the value returned on investment.
Jim graduated with High Honors from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Jim holds a MBA with a concentration in Network and Telecommunications Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Jim is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois.
Anil Mudholkar, Manager, onGuard Services
Anil joined onShore as Manager of onGuard Services in March of 2009. He brings over 15 years of professional experience with a strong foundation in network management and information security, including safeguarding sensitive financial and government information.
Anil has always had a passion for finding solutions to complex problems. Experiencing firsthand the challenges consumers of technical services face, while also being a technical service provider, Anil is qualified to provide, and dedicated to, a high level of customer service.
Prior to joining onShore, Anil worked as an analyst at Lehman Brothers in Capital Markets Prime Services, providing highly customized analytics and reporting to some of the world’s largest investment firms. He also served as Technical Director for the proprietary trading firm Mychaels Trading, LLC. In the mid-90s, he was the senior technician responsible for management of networks and Unix servers for Social Sciences Research Computing at the University of Chicago. There he also oversaw the security services protecting unaggregated U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Anil graduated from the University of Chicago in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and has published research based on computational work in theoretical chemistry and statistics.
Steve Hirsch, Manager, Sales
Sales Certifications: Cisco, Juniper
Steve joined onShore as an Account Executive in 1998, making him the first member dedicated to the onShore sales team. His long-standing experience providing technology-related goods and services as well as his solid foundation in building and maintaining client relationships makes Steve the most accomplished Account Executive at onShore. Steve currently specializes in providing consulting services to the financial, foundation and non-profit segments of the marketplace.
A veteran sales representative, Steve has more than 18 years experience in technology consulting sales. Prior to joining onShore, Steve was a top performer for several years with Automatic Data Processing (ADP) selling computer services and also at American Express, where he sold hospital information systems.
Steve graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign in 1987 with a BS degree in Economics and Marketing.
Stuart Koch, Senior Account Executive
Sales Certifications: Apple Product Professional, Juniper, Extreme Networks
Stuart joined onShore as an Account Executive in May of 2003 as a member of the onShore Network Integration sales team. His real world experience with a vast array of technologies gives Stuart the ability to recommend effective and efficient solutions to his clients. Stuart currently works with a broad range of clients, including those in the academic, non-profit, and commercial marketplace.
A veteran of the network integration business, Stuart has 10+ years experience, both in the field as a consultant, and on the sales management side. Prior to joining onShore, Stuart worked with many of Chicago’s top technology related businesses, including Orbitz.com and Playboy.com.
Stuart graduated in 2002 from the DePaul University with a BS degree in E-Commerce.
Sunil Patel, Senior Account Executive
Sales Certifications: Microsoft, VMWare, Fortinet, Cisco, Juniper
Sunil Patel joined the onShore Networks team in April of 2009 as a Network Integration Account Executive. He has had extensive experience in the hospitality industry and as a technical recruiter before joining the team. His ambition to learn the industry and further his knowledge on a daily basis makes him a strong asset to a diverse team. His ability to learn on the fly and help others continuously shows his commitment and dedication to his peers. He has been strong at probing, questioning, researching, and creating proposals and solutions since he was in high school on the debate team.
Sunil graduated from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Marketing concentrating on Business to Business Operations, Sales, and Channel Management. At Indiana he demonstrated leadership in a variety of organizations such as the Indiana University Student Association where he served as Senator and Director of Diversity and was part of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity where he served as Vice-President and Standards Board Chair.
Sunil spends his spare time playing basketball, cheering for the Chicago Cubs, enjoying Chicago, reading, social networking and volunteering around the community.
Aaron Cox, Account Executive, Business Development
Aaron Cox is an Account Executive at onShore Networks, where he is responsible for attracting new customers and penetrating existing markets.
Mr. Cox previously worked with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, where he built and maintained business relationships and worked on increasing membership on behalf of the Chamber. Mr. Cox gathers intelligence, generates leads and collaborates with our sales team. Mr. Cox was an Analyst at Houlihan Smith, where he developed CRM strategy and leveraged application efficiency across five divisions. He currently advises and follows-up on sales activity.
He also worked for i.c.stars, a nonprofit organization that places teams of interns into Chicago-area companies to work on technology projects.
Allan Gaston, Account Executive
Sales Certifications: Apple Product Professional, Cisco – CSE, Adobe Certified Sales Professional, VMware VSP 4, Barracuda, Faronics Certified Sales Professional.
Allan joined onShore as an Account Executive in December of 2011 as a member of the sales team. With nearly eight years of experience as an I.T. Account Manager, Allan helped consult small to mid-sized clients to increase productivity and offer support solutions to help their businesses grow. His experience ranges from working as part of the original staff of a startup MSP company, to being the top sales rep in the country for PC Mall, Inc. He also values his relationships with his clients and vendors, which brings additional worth to an already strong team at onShore.
Allan also spends his time at the United Center contributing to a great cause. Working part-time for the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks charities, he sells 50/50 raffle tickets during their respective home games. Proceeds of the raffle go to recreational and educational opportunities for Chicago’s youth, as well as to several local hospitals.
Allan graduated in 2004 from DePaul University with a BS degree in E-Commerce Technologies under the Computer Science School.
Ian Lantz, Account Executive
Sales Certifications: Cisco SMB Account Manager Specialization
Ian joined the onShore sales team as an Account Executive in December 2011. He has nearly 10 years of sales experience in high line automotive industry. From Mercedes Benz of Calabasas to Beverly Hills Porsche. Delivering Super Star service to world famous clients.
Prior to joining OnShore, Ian worked as a contractor in the IT Department of Sidley Austin LLP, working on Microsoft Exchange and Symantec’s Enterprise Vault migration project which involved working tirelessly day and night migrating data for over 5,000 employees in EMEA, AsiaPac, and Northern America offices and ensuring that migrated users were able to successfully access their data, as scheduled. Furthermore, Ian assisted with the day-to-day system administration by doing server checks and user account provisioning and de-provisioning using Active Directory. His work at Sidley gave him the opportunity to delve into technology which, combined with his vast experience in sales, makes him a great fit for the Onshore team.
Ian spends his spare time painting, participating at various art shows, and volunteering around the community. Ian has donated some of his paintings to ” SCORES Chicago” SCORES Chicago serves 500 students in ten public schools in the North Lawndale, Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods, providing 20 to 25 weeks of free after school programming to 3rd-8th grade students in under-resourced schools.
Ian hails from Southern California where he attended Chaffey College and dabbled in acting. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and is former President of Toastmasters International of Sherman Oaks, CA.
