Executive Bios

Jay Coughlan

Mr. Coughlan has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since joining XATA in October 2006. He previously served as president and CEO of Lawson Software, Minnesota's largest software company, through June 2005. Mr. Coughlan joined Lawson Software in 1987 and became CEO in February 2001 prior to the company's initial public offering in December of 2001. In addition to his responsibilities at XATA, Mr. Coughlan is an active regional business advocate and serves on the board of directors for several local organizations, including Securian Financial Group, Inc.

Mark E. Ties

Mr. Ties joined XATA in April 2005 as Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for the Company's finance, human resources and management information functions. Before joining XATA, Mr. Ties was the chief financial officer and treasurer at Velocity Express Corporation, where he served as a member of the Company's executive leadership team and was responsible for the Company’s financial activities including; capital raising activities; SEC compliance; financial planning and analysis; mergers and acquisitions; cash management; back-office process integration; corporate governance practices; and investor relations. Prior to Velocity, he served as a Senior Manager for Ernst & Young LLP in its entrepreneurial services and mergers and acquisitions departments and as a senior financial executive at a number of companies in varied industries. He has extensive financial management experience in the areas of financing, mergers and acquisitions, business integration and financial processes. Mr. Ties holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Minnesota State University Mankato.

David Gagne

As Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Mr. Gagne is responsible for activities that include planning, forecasting and development of strategies for driving revenue for XATA’s products and services.  He also develops go-to-market programs to increase the visibility and awareness of XATA in the marketplace.  Prior to joining XATA, Mr. Gagne was Vice President of Strategic Development at Lawson Software, Minnesota’s largest software company.  He held several leadership positions while at Lawson Software, including Vice President of the healthcare client group.  Mr. Gagne has more than 15 years of experience working with successful sales teams to meet their revenue objectives and build strong customer relationships. Mr. Gagne holds a BS degree from the Boston University School of Management.

James C. Griffin Jr.

Mr. Griffin joined XATA in April 2007 as Executive Vice President for Research and Development.  He is responsible for XATA’s engineering, process engineering and research.  Prior to joining XATA, Griffin was a technology consultant for the University of Iowa’s Public Policy Center and helped coach businesses on improving their operations and sales functions into a more efficient and effective process.  In 1996, Griffin founded Diversified Software Industries (DSI), a software company that provided solutions to the embedded software market and commercial transportation industry. NEXIQ Technologies, a leading vehicle diagnostic solutions company, acquired DSI in 2001. As Executive Vice President of NEXIQ, Griffin was responsible for re-positioning the company as a leading provider of telematics and wireless diagnostic solutions.  Griffin has a BSEE degree from the University of Iowa.  He has served on the Iowa Governor's Information Technology Advisory Committee, the College of Engineering Economic Development Council and its Advisory Board for the Electrical Engineering Department, and on the Board of Directors for the Iowa City Area Development Group.

Wes Fredenburg

Mr. Fredenburg has been practicing law for more than 30 years. Before joining XATA, he was the General Counsel for Vanguard Car Rental, the holding company for National and Alamo car rentals. At Vanguard he and the executive team performed domestic and international merger and acquisition work, completed an S-1 in preparation for taking Vanguard public, and then, as an alternative, successfully sold the company to private investors. Previously, Mr. Fredenburg was the General Counsel at Velocity Express Corporation, where he assisted the company with its multiple debt and equity financings, corporate governance and NASDAQ compliance. Mr. Fredenburg also has extensive experience in real estate, risk management, human resources, international development and government relations. Prior to serving as in-house counsel, he was a trial attorney at Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma's oldest and largest law firm.

Tom Flies

Mr. Flies is responsible for the company’s product management efforts. Mr. Flies joined XATA in 1990 and has served in various roles in sales, marketing, and product development, including Sr. Vice President of Product Development, where he led the development and introduction of XATA’s OpCenter product line. In his current role, Mr. Flies is responsible for developing effective strategies by developing and building market-driven products. Mr. Flies holds degrees in Business and Computer Science from the University of St. Thomas. Mr. Flies is a member of the National Private Truck Council (NPTC), American Trucking Association (ATA), Truck Rental and Leasing Association (TRALA) and the Council of Logistics Management (CLM).