Brock Flagstad

Founder, CEO

As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Channel Clarity, Brock has not only seen the company's rapid growth since its inception in 2003, but has been largely responsible for that progress. After graduating from Miami University in 1999, Brock's ambition led him into several various entrepreneurial ventures before discovering a natural ability for online marketing, quickly finding his niche in lead generation, monetization strategy, SEO and SEM.

These skillsets and a deep grounding in executive know-how have helped to turn what was once a handful of guys working out of a living room into a premier multi-platform, full-service organization. Brock's experience has helped him to understand that building a strong team starts with strong individuals, so that's exactly what he did. The strength of our team rests in the diverse abilities that each of our team members brings to the table.

In addition to enjoying fine wines and tennis, Brock also has a new passion in his life. In late 2010, Brock and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their first two children into the world. The births of twins Faye and Greer have added a completely new dimension to their lives.

Jack Murphy

CFO

Jack Murphy currently serves as the CFO of Channel Clarity, Inc. Prior to joining Channel Clarity, Jack spent five years at William Blair & Company providing financial advisory and debt placement services to public and private middle-market companies and financial sponsors. Prior to William Blair, Jack spent seven years in middle market commercial lending at LaSalle Bank.

Jack has been involved in raising a wide variety of capital including senior credit facilities, senior note private placements, 2nd lien and mezzanine debt, and preferred and common equity. The financings have been completed in conjunction with strategic acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings and re-financings that often entailed raising multiple layers of capital.

Jack has a BS from Boston College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business with majors in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Jack currently resides in Chicago with his wife, Amanda, and their two children, Abigail and Connor.

Stephen Down

Vice President

Stephen Down joined Channel Clarity in January, 2011, as a Vice President, responsible for relationship development and revenue growth in Channel Clarity's key education vertical. Stephen brings a wealth of education experience to Channel Clarity, having spent the past 6 years in for-profit education management, including stints at industry leaders Education Management Corporation (EDMC) and Career Education Corporation (CEC). Stephen's responsibilities at EDMC and CEC included lead generation and market development for a number of for-profit edu brands. Prior to his direct edu work, Stephen held various management positions at OMD USA, where he helped shape marketing and media strategy for clients such as McDonald's, State Farm, FTD, Qwest Communications, and The Illinois Lottery. Stephen holds an MBA from DePaul University and a BA from the University of Wisconsin.

Mike Esler

Chief Technology Officer

Mike Esler serves as Channel Clarity's CTO. Prior to joining Channel Clarity, Mike spent ten years at HSBC leading global software development and enterprise architecture initiatives. Prior to HSBC, he spent two years at Organic, an interactive agency, managing web development for clients like the Chrysler Group.

He has recognized experience managing both large technology projects and organizational change efforts, and has given invited talks at the Spring User Forum and IBM Academy of Technology on these topics. Mike's technical areas of expertise are in web development, service oriented architectures, and software development methodology.

Mike has a BS in Computer Science from the University of Virginia, an MS in Computer Engineering from the University of Washington, and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business. A Chicago-native, he resides in Wilmette, along with his wife Sonia, daughter Julia, and two beagles.

Eric Olsen

VP of Business Development and Traffic Strategies

Eric Olsen joins Channel Clarity as the Vice President of Business Development and Traffic Strategies, where he is responsible for identifying new business opportunities and profitable traffic sources, as well as growing existing business partnerships.  Prior to joining Channel Clarity, Eric was the Director of SME Sales at InnerWorkings, North America’s leading Print Management Solutions Provider.  He has also served as Director of Operations for Foxtons, London’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm, and as Global Director of Market Development for Touchbase, an International Telecommunications consultancy firm. Eric has extensive experience directing sales operations and strategy with a focus on new business development, client retention, and partner relations.  Eric has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Boston University.  In addition to being an avid motorcycle enthusiast, he enjoys playing as much tennis, golf, and hockey time will allow.