As the leader and founder of Listen Technologies, Russ Gentner serves as a mentor and motivator as he leads his team toward long-term goals and vision. An essential part of his leadership philosophy is that a clear vision gives people the passion and drive to go the extra mile together to create something that is beyond what they can achieve individually. With his lifelong passion for exceptional audio, more than 35 years of experience in business leadership and audio engineering roles, and his own experiences with hearing loss, Russ is uniquely qualified to direct Listen Technologies’ efforts to bring power and clarity to the sounds that enrich people’s lives. His favorite part about being the CEO of Listen Technologies is seeing people succeed.

Russ’s entrepreneurial journey began at KSL- a local broadcast television station- in 1976, where he designed, built and maintained equipment for on-air broadcasts, the Utah Jazz, and BYU Sports (Although he’s a true University of Utah fan). His experiences here sparked his passion for broadcasting and communications.

Soon after his experiences at KSL, Russ founded Gentner Communications. Over the next 17 years, Russ established his company as a leading provider of broadcast telephone, audio processing, and transmitter control products. The company soon went public on NASDAQ.

In 1998, Russ left Gentner Communications to start Listen Technologies. Russ and his co-founders decided to take the knowledge and experience they gained at Gentner Communications and leverage their strengths at Listen Technologies.
Russ paved the way for his career path by receiving an MBA and BSEE in electrical engineering from the University of Utah.

Russ currently serves on the board of the University of Utah Broadcast Council, and he has served several terms on the Board of Governors for the International Communications Industries Association (ICIA). Russ is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Great Western Thrift. He’s also actively involved with Community Wireless Park City (KPCW) and the University of Utah Student Broadcast Council.

In his free time, Russ enjoys traveling, golfing, camping, skiing, and photography.

As President, Maile Keone is responsible for executing the Listen Technologies’ business plan. Having worked in the technology industry for the past 20 years she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Driven by a passion to find the best possible methods to position and market products has made her instrumental in sales growth year over year. Her strengths include strategic thinking and then translating that to successful execution.

At Listen Technologies, Maile has built world-class sales and marketing teams, thanks to her philosophy of finding amazing people, getting them in the right positions and letting them succeed. She loves working with people to find out what they want to accomplish in life and helping them achieve it. Her favorite part of the job is mentoring individuals who work with her.

Working at Listen Technologies has taught Maile that you can have a fulfilling career while making a difference in the world. She loves contributing to the fun culture that instills pride in those who work at Listen Technologies.

Maile has a bachelor’s degree in English and has a few favorite career wins including product placement on Good Morning America, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Tech.

When she’s not working, Maile loves to spend time with her very blended family of a patient and amazing husband, eight children, a dog, and cat. They all love to travel and are always game to try anything new. She also loves any kind of food, real estate, property renovation, and community renewal. And chocolate.

As Senior Vice President, Tracy Bathurst is responsible for all product development and product management activities, and he manages the lifecycle of each of Listen Technologies’ product lines. He considers his biggest contribution to the company to be bringing out the creative talents of the individuals in the product development group and harnessing them to create amazing products. Tracy says one of the experiences he values most at Listen Technologies is “seeing people react to being able to hear clearly when they haven’t been able to hear before and seeing their excitement of being able to listen and participate.” He fosters an attitude of high commitment to excellence in both the products and the teams at Listen Technologies.

Tracy has worked closely with Russell Gentner, co-founder, and CEO of Listen Technologies, to develop and execute the company’s product development roadmap. He oversees Listen Technologies’ efforts to design, build, and perfect the world’s most functional and innovative assistive listening, classroom audio, and conferencing solutions. Tracy is passionate about developing products that solve customer problems and deliver an excellent user experience.

Over the course of Tracy’s successful 25-year career in the audio/visual and telecommunication industries, he has held a variety of leadership positions. He joined Listen Technologies in 2011 as a Product Group Leader. His efforts have resulted in the development of conference technology that substantially improved the listening experience for millions of conference room users around the world.

Previously, he held several leadership positions at ClearOne Communications, including Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Vice President of Product Line Management.

Tracy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from Southern Utah University. Tracy and his wife have been married for 26 years and have four children. He is passionate about the outdoors and loves to go camping, hiking, and boating.

As Listen Technologies’ Chief Financial Officer and co-founder, Keldon Paxman is responsible for company strategy and day-to-day business operations. With 30-plus years of experience in leading and managing high-tech companies, Keldon understands the importance of building winning teams—and he’s done just that at Listen Technologies.

Keldon drives the direction of the company, prioritizes projects, and manages investments and resources. But his favorite part of the job is making a difference in people’s lives.

Before co-founding Listen Technologies with Russ Gentner in 1998, Keldon filled a variety of roles at Gentner Communications, including Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Engineering, and Director of Manufacturing. Previously, he worked as a Technical Specialist at National Semiconductor.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and an associate degree in Electronic Technology from Utah Technical College.

When he’s not working, Keldon loves to spend time with his eight grandchildren and volunteers as a Boy Scout leader. He also enjoys golf, team sports, and spending time in the outdoors. He and his wife have been married for more than 37 years and have five children.

As chief experience officer at Listen Technologies, Jonathan Stanley is responsible for customer and employee experience. He creates, tests, and leads the implementation of short- and long-term strategy and messaging. Jonathan is passionate about creating alignment at all levels of the organization so that everyone understands what Listen Technologies does.

A fundamental part of his role is aligning the company around a clear purpose—transitioning from a product-centric to a customer-centric organization. With an understanding that great employee experiences inevitably lead to superior customer experiences, Jonathan believes in leading with empathy. His favorite part of his job is creating meaning for others by giving, sharing, and helping them succeed.

Jonathan has had a successful career in sales and marketing at telecom, computer manufacturing, and software development companies. Through his experiences, he learned that integrity and people should be more important than profit. That insight led him to start his own business: AudioConexus.

Founded in 2006, AudioConexus has helped tour operators and guides grow their businesses with less effort by delivering creative and compelling content in multiple languages and topics using GPS automation. AudioConexus was acquired by Listen Technologies in 2019.

Jonathan studied English literature and philosophy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He later received an advanced certificate in general management from the executive MBA program at the Smith School of Business, and is also certified in leadership, strategy, and finance, and has received multiple awards.

In his free time, Jonathan loves to travel, read, and discover new food experiences. In addition, he is a dedicated volunteer for the Hill 70 Memorial Project, a memorial to the memory of the Canadian soldiers who fought and died at Hill 70 during World War I. He has a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter and is engaged to be married.

As vice president of business development, Flemming Bjerke is responsible for developing and executing company sales and marketing activities, which include improving and growing Listen Technologies’ market position and achieving financial growth. He also serves as managing director for Listen Technologies Europe, where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations. He is laser-focused on increasing sales opportunities and maximizing revenue, and he believes in leading by example and influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute to the company’s overall success.

Flemming is a sound engineer and learned the industry’s business side by working with pioneers in the pro audio industry. Having worked in distribution for more than 30 years and interacting with companies worldwide, Flemming understands the different cultures in business—especially in European and American manufacturing. His experience includes establishing a startup in 2009 during the global financial crisis, connecting the most important actors in the market to the company, establishing trustworthy and healthy relations, and building revenue and profitability. He loves the environment at Listen Technologies, where there’s always room for smiling, trust, and fun, where employees are valued, and where hard work is appreciated and acknowledged. His favorite part of the job is interacting and working with the Listen Technologies team, who contribute a lot of great experience and history to the industry.

Flemming and his wife have three children and take in foreign exchange students and family friends who are studying abroad. He loves outdoor activities, including sailboat racing, skiing in the mountains of Norway, hunting with friends, upcycling wood projects, and renovating their summer house in Portugal. His latest project is learning and perfecting his own IPA beer.

As the vice president of research and business development, Lance Glasser oversees the research group at Listen Technologies. Lance is a business and technology innovator, having vast experience in research and development. Though Lance instills a sense of urgency into company culture, his favorite part of the job is driving new, fun stuff with a solid team of good people.

Lance invented and developed the Audio Everywhere product line at his company, ExXothermic, Inc., which was acquired by Listen Technologies in 2017. Listen Technologies later acquired ExXothermic in 2020. Lance’s work experience is broad, including everything from university education to the executive management in the semiconductor industry

Lance holds 33 patents in a half-dozen technical fields and was on the team that first mode-locked the semiconductor laser. As a recognized expert in his field, he is the author of an award-winning book on VLSI as well as 40 technical papers. He was recognized with the Frederick Emmons Terman Award, EE Division, ASEE, and earned the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Massachusetts College of Engineering in 1994.

Lance holds a BS from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a PhD from MIT. His three children have grown and followed in his footsteps to become engineers. In his spare time, Lance makes art—from sculptures to sketches.

As vice president of global sales, Sam Nord is responsible for working with Listen Technologies’ partners in selling the company’s solutions to their customers, in addition, he also oversees the company’s outside and inside sales teams.

Having spent 17 years on the dealer/integrator side of the industry, Sam was essentially a Listen Technologies customer before joining the company. Sam’s previous role gave him invaluable insight when it comes to knowing what customers want and need as well as the solutions that will fit their markets. He sees himself as a true customer advocate, one of his favorite perks is talking to customers about Listen Technologies’ solutions and seeing the moment they realize how they can use those solutions to benefit their customers and guests. Sam enjoys being part of the development loop and participating in taking a customer’s ideas and turning them into product features.

Sam has a bachelor’s degree in English from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. A strong believer in the “work hard, play hard” philosophy, he inspires his team to exceed sales goals while enjoying each other’s company and working as a cohesive unit—which has led to a low turnover on the sales teams and impressive growth.

Sam is an avid sports fan, particularly of the Los Angeles Lakers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Angels. He enjoys traveling, exercising, and spending time at the beaches in Orange County, California. He and his wife Alicia have been married for 17 years; he has a teenage son, two adult stepsons, and two grandsons.