Fast Facts
Location: Belmont Massachusetts
Time spent in the domain industry: Almost 10 Years
Favorite extension: Anything that sells at a premium
Domain name you wish you owned: Mountain.com
Currently reading: Huis Clos by Jean-Paul Sartre
Q&A
Describe your company. How long have you been there, and what led you to this career choice?
Afternic.com is the world’s largest premium domain marketplace and I’ve been there just under ten years. Some colleagues from my first internet job at Lycos had acquired Afternic and I joined to run business development for them. It’s been a blast!
NamesCon is all about business networking. Can you tell us a story about the success of a meeting at NamesCon?
Virtually all of our top business partners attend NamesCon, this is a great way to spend time with them and find ways to accelerate our business growth together.
Can you tell us about how your service or product helps deliver value to your customers?
We help domain investors manage and sell their premium domain inventory to the largest buying audience in the world.
How does your career compare to what you envisioned in your youth?
Can’t remember that far back.
How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger?
Leverage partnerships to drive growth and create mutual success.
Latest and greatest accomplishment in your career?
Making the transition from banging nails for my dad’s roofing company on summers and semester breaks to programming computers.
What are your thoughts on the new TLDs?
Still early days but some pockets of premium domain success that will hopefully continue to grow.
What kinds of changes to you foresee in this industry within the industry in the next year? The next 5 years?
The global economy will continue to expand, growing the demand for premium domains.
What are the most innovative products or services that are currently impacting your business?
Tools to help companies get on-line make it easier and faster for our buyers to maximize the impact of their premium domain purchases.
Who would you like to hear speak at NamesCon? Why?
Gregg Easterbrook, who writes about everything from sports to space travel and never fails to fascinate me.
What are you most looking forward to at the upcoming NamesCon?
Spending time with customers and friends.
What industry trends or topics do you think will be at the forefront of panel and keynote discussions this year?
Opportunities for business growth, policy developments that will impact business.
What fact about you would surprise people?
Recently switched my political affiliation from Republican to Independent.
What was one of your biggest “Aha!” moments in life?
Building audience yourself is expensive and time consuming, partnerships can exponentially increase your addressable audience and allow you to focus on the customer journey.
If you had fifteen extra minutes each day, what would you do with them?
Read more.
What’s the most recent thing you learned (big or small)?
The wall didn’t work in China, didn’t work in France, didn’t work in Berlin, but those who don’t learn history…
Who has been the biggest influence on your life, and what did they teach you?
Bob Davis, CEO of Lycos – a really strong Boston accent won’t hold your career back at all.
What are you proudest of in your life?
Besides my family, being part of building and growing the world’s largest aftermarket marketplace.
What was the best surprise you’ve experienced so far in life?
Growing up in Boston if you had told me that our pro sports teams would have 11 championships this century compared with New York’s three I’d have called you wicked crazy.
Name three things you can’t travel without.
Workout shoes, wireless headphones, something good to read on the plane.
What object would you put in a time capsule that best represents who you are today?
Bottle of Junmai Daiginjo sake and an excellent cigar.
Where is your favourite place to escape?
Above the tree line on any mountain in the world.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
From my father, don’t ever be a jerk (he used a much more colorful metaphor).
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