Meet Your Team

Founded in 2004, Opex Technologies has 14 years of experience simplifying the technology provider and solutions search for our clients. Of all the resources Opex has to offer, our people are your best asset. We’ve assembled a dedicated team to support you. Our experienced team has helped large companies, small businesses, and everyone in between.

Courtney
Humphrey

CEO

Rich
Nowalk

COO

Auburn
Holbrook

President

Ben
Thornton

VP of Technology

Chris
Mospan

Managing Partner

Brad
Baur

Managing Partner

Ronnie
Harrell

Managing Partner

Mike
Brown

Client
Development
Manager

Steve
Weiner

CFO

Geri
Smith

Director of Client Experience

Junie
Murphy

Sr. Client Experience Manager

Tracy
Potvin

Contract and Support Coordinator

Abby
Labar

Chief of Staff

Payton
Tracy

Research
Coordinator

Evan
House

Research
Coordinator

Michaela
Gathings

Marketing Intern

THE OPEX ADVANTAGE

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Courtney Humphrey is founder and CEO of Opex Technologies. His 20 years of technology industry experience began at MCI and MCI World Com prior to starting Opex in 2004. Courtney’s ability to lead and create strategic direction for the company has allowed him to proudly assemble a world-class team of technology advisors that are focused on simplifying critical technology decisions for the more than 800 Opex clients. Courtney is an avid outdoorsman and looks forward to being able to take his three children on an African Safari when they are old enough.

Rich Nowalk is COO and Managing Partner of Opex Technologies. He joined in 2014 with 10 years of technology industry experience, including five at two leading data center, cloud, and IaaS managed hosting providers. Through his experience, Rich has learned that simplifying the solution & provider search for clients is a crucial way he can help them. Rich is an avid runner, cheers for all things Elon and feels most at home on the beach with his family and a fishing pole in his hand.

Auburn Holbrook is President and Managing Partner of Opex Technologies. He is a 19-year veteran of the data center, cloud, and managed hosting industry. Before joining Opex in 2015, Auburn held multiple sales leadership positions within Hosted Solutions and Windstream Hosted Solutions. His extensive knowledge and expertise in designing complex solutions, negotiating preferential terms and conditions, along with leading cost metrics allow him to help enterprise clients with their most complex and strategic projects. Auburn is an avid outdoorsman, loves rooting for Tennessee and has been known to take his wife Jenny to Nashville to listen to live music along Broadway!

Ben Thornton joined Opex in 2017 as Vice President of Technology. Embedded into his 19 years of IT experience, is six years in the banking industry running IT and infrastructure in an environment with heavy regulation and constant mergers and acquisitions. Ben has a passion for solving problems for our clients. When he’s not working, Ben gets as far away from computers as he can – he loves woodworking, cooking, and traveling with his family.

Chris Mospan joined the Opex Technologies’ team in 2008 and is currently a Managing Partner. Quickly into his 14-year career in the technology industry, Chris developed a passion for technical problem solving and serving the role of trusted advisor for his clientele. He has a dedication to continuous education so that he can continue to provide the best intelligence in this rapidly evolving industry. Chris is related to the American pioneer, explorer and frontiersman, Daniel Boone! Learn more about Chris on this podcast episode of Getting to Know The Opex Team!

Brad Baur is a Managing Partner with Opex Technologies. He is an industry veteran with 20 years of technical solution experience. He is focused on representing clients during critical technology decisions, delivering greater efficiency, accountability, and value. Brad is a dedicated year-round tennis player who also enjoys the challenge of reef keeping.

Ronnie Harrell is a Managing Partner with Opex Technologies. He has extensive experience with technology industry leaders in infrastructure, security, and hybrid cloud solutions. After holding a position as a successful regional manager for Cisco, he took on a strategic sales role at NetApp, focusing on next generation hybrid cloud solutions. As such, he is uniquely qualified to advise our clients on the appropriate solutions that will result in the optimum business outcome as they transform their business with the next gen solutions provided in cloud, security, networks, and data center. Ronnie is an avid N.C. State fan and loves golf plus spending time at the beach with his family, friends and their golden retriever, “Monkey.”

Mike Brown is the Client Development Manager for Opex Technologies. He is a 33-year veteran of the technology industry and joined Opex in 2017. Prior to joining our team, he spent 31 years managing the North Carolina Branch and three of the company’s top enterprise accounts within MCI/Verizon. Mike has extensive experience and a passion for business development, client engagement, market expansion and enhancing the customer experience.
Mike comes from a family of former athletes at Wake Forest University as he played golf, his Dad played baseball, his Mom played five sports and his uncle was an All American in basketball.

Steve Weiner is CFO for OpEx Technologies. Steve joined the company in 2016 and brings over 13+ years of C-level Managerial Accounting experience, mainly in the technology sector. Steve's main function is to assist management in data analysis in order to streamline the decision-making process. When not in the office Steve can be found cycling on the country roads that surround Raleigh.

Geri Smith is a Client Relations Manager for Opex Technologies. She brings 26 years of experience in the technology industry, serving in a variety of roles that provide her with deep hands on experience from the client’s perspective. One of Geri’s favorite success stories was to help a national auto parts company in major acquisition mode establish a telecom support helpdesk to serve their distribution centers and stores. Seven years later, a team of (26) individuals provided Telecom Helpdesk support to 32 distribution centers and 1,500+ stores. Geri loves solving problems, living near the beach and spending time with her family – especially those grandkids!

Junie Murphy is a Client Relations Manager with extensive experience with leading edge technology companies and joined Opex in 2008. Over the past 10 years, her primary focus has been supporting Opex’s client’s implementations of complex Network, Voice and most recently, Cloud services. Her high energy, solutions focused, self-motivated drive for success and customer satisfaction differentiates her from the rest. In her spare time, Junie enjoys gardening and expressing herself by creating fun works of art!

Tracy Potvin joined Opex as a Client Relations Manager in 2017 and brings more than a decade of legal experience managing all aspects of contracts, customer relations and trial preparation. Tracy provides clients with contract administration and order management for all of their technology solutions. Clients will benefit from her strong knowledge of contracts and support escalation, as well as her meticulous organizational skills and attention to detail. Tracy enjoys spending time at the beach with family, friends and her three fur babies.

Abby Labar is the Marketing Coodinator for Opex Technologies. An active member of the Raleigh community over the past 5 years, Abby brings a diverse background of marketing and communication skills to the Opex team. She implements company events and oversees initiatives that help grow the Opex brand.
Outside of Opex, Abby is an On-Air and In-Game Personality for the Carolina Hurricanes in addition to covering N.C. State sports as a reporter.

Payton Tracy is a Research Coordinator at Opex Technologies. He is a former Opex intern and quickly rose to the ranks of a valued full-time team member. Payton is a fast learner which is important in the technology industry and has a passion for finding the best solutions & providers for each unique technology challenge. He enables Opex Managing Partners to be a speedboat when responding to their clients. Payton loves to surf and feels at home on the water.

Evan House is a high school senior who has been an intern for Opex Technologies over the past year. He helped launch the Tech-Casting with Opex podcast through his innovative multimedia production skills. He plays a key role in helping with data and account management in Salesforce, in addition to helping with the organization and planning of Opex’s marquee events. Evan will be a freshman at NC State in 2018 and plans to study biology. Learn more about Evan on this podcast episode of Getting to Know The Opex Team!

Michaela Gathings is a rising senior working as a summer intern at Opex Technology. She currently holds certification in Microsoft Office, scored 100 on Business and Finance and passed the Everfi Financial Literacy exam. She attends North Wake College and Career Academy and holds college credits in Information Technology and Hardware and Software Support. Her goal is to gain additional experience and exposure in the workforce that utilizes her skills learned in the Information Technology Program and to master her communication technique and further her knowledge in business and marketing and develop in the workplace. In her spare time, she likes to program, read and write, and participate in community service.