Leadership Team

Our leadership team has decades of combined experience. They are individuals who understand and demonstrate the core elements of top-notch communication, problem-solving, and vision.

Bernie Brondum

Vice President of Engineering Read Bio

Ken Coons

President Read Bio

Trudie Coons

Director of Operations Read Bio

Paul Kulseth

Vice President of Technical Service Read Bio

Kelly Lucente

Chief Marketing Officer Read Bio

James Murphy

Senior VP of Sales Read Bio

Michelle O’Donnell

Vice President of Human Resources Read Bio

John Thomes

Director of Service and Installations Read Bio

Joan Wiese

Vice President of Finance Read Bio

Bernie Brondum

Vice President of Engineering

Bernie has over 18 years of experience in software engineering and leading software teams to create enterprise software products. Throughout his career, he has led teams in the development of a range of software products from retail business-to-business software packages for sole proprietorships to software product platforms for Fortune 500 companies. At Advanced Wireless Communications, he is responsible for maintaining existing software products, developing the next-generation hardware and software platform, and leading the Engineering team.

Ken Coons

President

Ken Coons co-founded Advanced Wireless Communications in 1992 with his father and he has played a key role in managing the company to the present day. He has over 33 years of experience leading communication technology companies. Ken owned and operated Advanced Cellular, a Cingular/AT&T premier dealer, that operated 11 retail brick-and-mortar stores, from 2005-2008. In 2008, he became President of Advanced Wireless Communications. His passion is working with AWC’s internal and external Engineers to design software and hardware products and solutions to meet varying and evolving customer needs. Ken holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas.

Trudie Coons

Director of Operations

Trudie has over 22 years of experience in customer service, order fulfillment, and ERP software upgrades. She began her career at Advanced Wireless Communications in 1996 as a store manager in the Cellular Retail Store division. Today, Trudie leads the Sales Support and Shipping teams for Advanced Wireless Communications.

Paul Kulseth

Vice President of Technical Service

Paul has 37 years of experience in the two-way mobile communications business. Throughout his career he has been responsible for customer installations and technical support, large system designs and project management, high-tier repairs, antenna system designs, sales application solutions, and technical training. He is currently the Lead Engineer at Advanced Wireless Communications, focusing on product development and testing.

Kelly Lucente

Chief Marketing Officer

In her role as CMO, Kelly leads the marketing team responsible for transforming the AWC brand from a two-way radio company to a leading communication and technology brand.

Kelly oversees all aspects of marketing, brand, design, communication, and events. She is responsible for marrying AWC’s communication solutions, product suite, and technology innovation building brand awareness across all verticals and each brand division.

Kelly evolved the throughput marketing functions into a purposeful in-house creative agency focused on innovation and real-time brand solutions with an emphasis on positioning and differentiation.

A seasoned marketing and branding strategist with 30+ years experience across all areas of branding and marketing, she has worked with customer-focused brands such as Pearle Vision, RE/MAX, Ryland Group, Pulte Group, Mattamy Homes, and Rollerblade.

An advocate for product innovation and entrepreneurship, Kelly is an advisory board member for the Entrepreneurship In Action at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and as a mentor for the MN Cup, a statewide, new-venture competition for entrepreneurs.

James Murphy

Senior VP of Sales

James brings over 18 years of experience in complex solution selling, with a proven track record of driving revenue growth. He is an accomplished leader with a strong company growth and transformation background. He has successfully led a sales division at Getac following the acquisition of a startup company where he served as a key executive team member.

Michelle O’Donnell

Vice President of Human Resources

Michelle has 25 years of Human Resources leadership experience at mid-market companies across diverse industries including e-commerce, distribution, manufacturing and consumer goods. She served as Group Vice President of Global Human Resources at Digital River, as Director of Human Resources for Hawkins, and in various HR leadership roles at high-growth innovative companies. She has demonstrated success in building effective HR organizations and leading the design and implementation of frameworks to support expansion and fast growth while optimizing employee engagement through business initiatives. Michelle advocates for employee success with a focus on employee experience and creating inclusive, empowered work environments. Knowing what is good for AWC team members is good for our customers.

John Thomes

Director of Service and Installations

John has over 30 years of experience in automation engineering and leading technical teams. Throughout his career, he led technical teams for Fortune 500 companies where he has been responsible for customer installations, technical support, hardware design and PLC programming automation system design, CAPEX program management, equipment obsolescence management, and technical training. At Advanced Wireless Communications, he is responsible for our Service team, which includes Project Management, Field Service, Bench Technicians, and System Engineers for documentation and quoting.

Joan Wiese

Vice President of Finance

Joan has over 22 years of experience in accounting and finance. She started her career as an auditor at a Big Four public accounting firm serving clients in a variety of industries including construction, hospitality, and retail. After leaving public accounting, Joan has led teams through acquisitions, ERP integrations, audits, and financial planning and analysis cycles. Joan currently leads the Finance team at Advanced Wireless Communications. Outside of work, Joan enjoys time with her family, boating, and traveling.

Leadership Team

Bernie Brondum

Ken Coons

Trudie Coons

Paul Kulseth

Kelly Lucente

James Murphy

Michelle O’Donnell

John Thomes

Joan Wiese

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