Management
Pete Pifer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ETI Software Solutions, founded the company in 1992 with the mission of providing world-class operational support software and unparalleled customer service to empower telecom providers to quickly and cost-effectively launch, sell, bill and provision voice, video and data services.
Pifer’s vast experience in this arena has made him an industry visionary. Before founding ETI, he was President and Chairman of EASICOM, Inc., a developer of software for automated rating and call processing.
He was President of the Microwave Associates Communications division of M/ACom, Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts. This division’s products were microwave and satellite equipment for television transmission. His principal customers were cable TV companies and broadcasters. Pifer was a member of M/ACom’s merger and acquisition team, where he helped the company grow from $50 million to $450 million in three years.
Prior to M/ACom, Pifer was an executive with Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., a Cisco company engaged in providing telecom systems for industry and defense. From 1972 to 1977, he was Division Manager, Satellite Communications, and was responsible for developing and marketing satellite equipment for data, voice and television transmission.
Pifer is a graduate of Ohio State University and Harvard University Business School. He is active with FTTH Council, NTCA, SCTE, APPA and other industry trade associations.
Robert Murrie, President and Chief Operating Officer. Murrie joined ETI in 2009 as Chief Financial Officer and was promoted to President and COO in 2010. He is responsible for expanding ETI’s domestic and international presence and increasing market share in the telecommunications and cable MSO industries. His entrepreneurial experience includes the ability to build strategic partnerships and deliver revenue-generating opportunities. Prior to his tenure at ETI, Mr. Murrie was Chief Executive Officer at Healthcare.com, a Georgia-based company. Under his leadership, the company’s revenues grew from $10 million to $75 million annually. He also was responsible for establishing the company’s new objectives, creating alliances with industry leaders as well as opening new sales channels.
Kirk Hoyer, Vice President of Technology. Mr. Hoyer has been Vice President of Technology since 1996, and has broad experience in the design of computer software for transaction processing, telephone switching systems, and voice response equipment. He also serves as a Director of the Company. From 1992 to 1995 he provided software design for ETI products on a part-time, consulting basis. During that period, he was also responsible for the development of a PPD day billing system for Tel-Care, Inc., and was Engineering Manager for Telecorp Systems, Inc. with responsibility for that company’s interactive voice response products. From 1990 to 1992 he was Engineering Manager, UNIX Systems for Scientific Software, Inc. and was responsible for porting proprietary communications software from VOS to UNIX. From 1988 to 1990 Computer Communications Specialists, Inc., a manufacturer of interactive voice response systems with text-to-speech features, employed him as a software engineer. From 1981 to 1988 Mr. Hoyer was a Member of Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories, where he developed software for a wide variety of AT&T switches for international and domestic applications. Mr. Hoyer holds an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering (Computer Engineering) from the University of Michigan and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Frank Gine, Executive Vice President. Frank Gine is the Executive Vice President of ETI Software Solutions; his responsibilities include: sales, marketing and operations. Frank has over twenty years sales and management experience in the billing and operation software industry. Prior to joining ETI in 2002, he held the position of Director of Sales for the Convergys Corporation’s Cable and Broadband division. During his 13 year tenure with Convergys, his efforts helped the company grow to be a dominant force in today’s broadband billing arena. In 1987, Frank began his career with IBM, at their Fort Lauderdale Marketing Division. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s school of business, and holds a degree in both Sales and Promotion, and Marketing Research.
Meir Lehrer, Vice President of Corporate Development and International Sales with ETI Software Solutions, is a seasoned television industry professional. He spent the last 14 years immersed in cable, IPTV and satellite television markets in the United States, and is a well known figure in the halls of most U.S. broadcasters, content providers, and the major technology providers serving this industry. Prior to joining ETI Software Solutions, Lehrer was Vice President of Business Development for Raysat Broadcasting Corporation, an AT&T joint venture tasked to bring Live Satellite TV to automobiles in the U.S. market. For 13 years before that, Lehrer served as Vice President of U.S. Sales for NDS, a News Corporation company of 4,000 employees recognized as the global leader in PayTV conditional access and middleware. During his tenure at NDS, Lehrer was responsible for all cable and IPTV accounts as well as new vertical markets. He also founded and managed the “NDS Partners” program, which grew to include business alliances with nearly 100 technology partners around the world in areas such as Set-top Boxes, Video Chipsets, Compression Equipment, IP Communications, and Billing Systems. Lehrer sat on the News Corporation Advisory Board for Vendor Diversity, and was a technology consultant to various News Corporation broadcasters around the world.
