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 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 Technology Officer, 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 the 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 Chief Revenue Officer, Maile Keone is responsible for sales and marketing at Listen Technologies. 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 Chief Product Officer, Doug Taylor is responsible for establishing the company’s product vision and strategy, as well as partnering with engineering, marketing, sales and company leadership. Along with the executive leadership team, he evolves and drives the vision, roadmap and go-to-market strategy for all Listen Technologies products.

His goals as CPO involve building a strong product marketing capability and directing customer feedback to drive future solutions. Before being named CPO, Doug served as executive vice president of product management and business development at Listen Technologies.

Doug appreciates Listen Technologies’ culture of meeting customer demands and helping develop products and strategies to ensure long-term growth and expansion. Throughout his career, Doug has focused mainly on implementing strategies and processes to help companies grow their business at scale.

Before joining Listen Technologies, Doug worked directly and indirectly for Fortune 100 companies. Doug also has extensive experience with developing business in international markets, including South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions. Doug has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Outside of work, Doug enjoys outdoor activities including skiing, trail riding, hiking, fishing, and camping. He also does volunteer work in his community and has served in leadership positions with the Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife Heather have a blended family of six children—three boys and three girls.