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Who we are

Serving the Great Lakes Region with Pride

Our Mission

We believe high-speed, reliable internet service is the great equalizer. We’re on a mission to transform the future of our region by building an unparalleled network and providing world-class customer service in the communities where we live, work, and serve.

Our Values

Reliability

is ingrained in our business. It starts from the moment we begin designing a network and extends through installation and customer support. We’re intentionally at our best for the people we serve.

Integrity

is the way we do business. We live in the communities we serve, so we put our principles into action and deliver on our promises. We’re going the extra mile to bring the internet to your door.

Innovation

is in the very origins of our business. Since 2001, we’ve been developing revolutionary, creative ways to connect people to the things they care about. We’re aiming to change the world.

Illumination

is the mindset through which we approach problems. We work to illuminate our customers and communities by providing expert service, resources, and support. We’re working to light up the communities we serve.

We’re Aiming to Change the World

This is the team leading that charge

Photo of Gene Crusie

Gene Crusie

Chief Executive Officer

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Photo of Deborah Crawford

Brent Williams

Chief Operating Officer

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Ryan Delack

Chief Financial Officer

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Kevin Bush

Chief Revenue Officer

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Patrick Wheeland

Chief Information Officer

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Heather Brenneman Miles

Vice President & Corporate Counsel

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Kord Kozma

Chief Human Resources Officer

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Heather Brenneman-Miles

Vice President & Corporate Counsel

Miles brings over 15 years of legal experience to this role. She previously served as an attorney at Wright Beamer, PLC, representing corporate clients throughout Metro Detroit and the State of Michigan. There, she provided strategic legal advice to executive teams on a wide range of legal matters and was a trusted advisor to her clients’ internal counsel and cross-functional teams. She has been named a Top Lawyer in Corporate Law by DBusiness, Detroit’s premier business magazine, on five separate occasions.

Brent Williams

Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer at Surf Internet, Brent is responsible for overseeing Surf's day-to-day operations, driving operational excellence, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality internet services to customers across the Great Lakes region. Before joining Surf, Brent served as Vice President of Outside Plant Services at KGPCo, where he led OSP Engineering and Construction programs across the US. Prior to that, he held the position of Senior Vice President of Engineering/Outside Plant at Windstream, overseeing broadband access projects covering millions of residences and businesses nationwide. With a proven track record of delivering transformative network infrastructure and optimizing operational efficiency, Brent is committed to advancing Surf's mission of expanding broadband access and closing the digital divide.

Kord Kozma

Chief Human Resources Officer

Kord, in his role as Surf's Chief Human Resources Officer, is responsible for leading the human resources, safety, fleet, and real estate functions of the organization. Kord is focused on the adoption of the best practices, in the areas of organizational and employee development, internal communication, process improvement, and change management, that will enable the business to successfully scale while maintaining and enhancing the cultural elements that make Surf such a special place to work. Kord brings over 20 years of experience in senior human capital, operations, mergers & acquisition, and process improvement roles. His diverse background includes leadership positions in venture capital-backed start-ups, closely held stand-alones, and autonomous divisions of global conglomerates across various industries. His previous employers include Nidec Press & Automation, Rheinmetall AG, ST Aethon and EDS.

Kevin Bush

Chief Revenue Officer

As Surf's Chief Revenue Officer, Kevin is responsible for developing and executing marketing and sales strategies to ensure sustainable growth for the company. Kevin has more than 25 years of strategic sales and marketing experience in various management and consulting roles. Much of his career has been spent in the telecommunications industry having held leadership positions at Time Warner Cable, WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone and APG Inc. where he partnered with telecommunication industry clients to drive subscriber and revenue growth.

Ryan Delack

Chief Financial Officer

As chief financial officer, Ryan’s areas of responsibility include financial planning and analysis, accounting, tax, investor relations and internal audit. Beyond his focus on finance functions, Ryan serves as a strategic contributor to Surf’s continued transformation and rapid growth plans. Ryan has 18 years of financial leadership experience. Since 2018, he has served as a CFO and treasurer in three mid-market private equity portfolio companies, including Surf Internet (Bain Capital/Post Road Group), Paycor (Goldman Sachs/Apax Partners; NASDAQ: PYCR) and Dickson (May River Capital) where he led the take-private and integration of France-based OCEASOFT. Ryan spent more than a decade in various financial leadership roles with Procter & Gamble’s (NYSE: PG) $1 billion-plus brands, including Pampers and Crest. He was also previously the CFO of Dover Corporation’s (NYSE: DOV) $400 million Pump Solutions Group where he oversaw an international team of 90 people across seven countries.

Patrick Wheeland

Chief Information Officer

Patrick plays a strategic role in overseeing the technology landscape, focusing on aligning IT initiatives with business goals to drive network performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction. Patrick is responsible for managing IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, system integrations, and ensuring that digital and operational technologies meet current and future needs. His entire career has been laser focused on IT in the telecommunications industry. It all started in 2001 with CSInet Internet Access Corporation. During his time there, Patrick excelled in various roles and responsibilities, quickly being promoted to Wireless Operations Manager and helping the company grow to over 3,000 customers with nearly 100 broadcast sites. In 2014, Surf acquired CSInet and offered Patrick the role of Operations Manager continuing his role as a key member of the leadership team. In 2021, Patrick was promoted to the executive team filling the role of CTO. Later, in 2024, his role evolved again to the position of serving as CIO on the executive team.

Lana Frank

Chief Marketing Officer

As Surf’s chief marketing officer, Lana is responsible for executing on the company’s strategy and driving new pathways of sustainable growth for the company. Lana has more than 25 years of strategic marketing experience in management and consulting roles. Much of her career has been spent in the telecommunications industry, having held positions at DISH Network, CSG International, and Comcast. Prior to joining Surf, she was vice president, growth marketing, for WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone out of Denver, Colorado. During her five year tenure, she furthered WOW!’s brand positioning and led the development and execution of advertising and marketing strategy to drive subscriber growth.

Deborah Crawford

Chief Operating Officer

In her role as chief operating officer, Deborah leads multiple Surf Internet teams in the design and construction of an unparalleled fiber internet network for the Great Lakes Region, along with providing world-class customer service. The bulk of her professional career has been in the telecommunications industry with companies such as CHR Solutions, Windstream Communications, PAETEC, and McLeodUSA. She previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for NTS Communications, headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. Deborah spearheaded the company’s network expansion across West Texas, North Texas, and Louisiana. As part of her efforts, she recruited a private equity firm and leveraged a $175M investment to transform and expand NTS’s operational capabilities.

Gene Crusie

Chief Executive Officer

Gene serves as the visionary leader of Surf’s mission to transform the future of the Great Lakes Region by providing an essential gateway to connectivity through fiber internet. He believes that high-quality, reliable internet connectivity is the great equalizer, with limitless potential to reshape economic and educational futures. Since the early 1990s, Gene has played a pivotal role in the successful development and launch of dozens of internet service providers around the United States. In the last five years under his leadership, Surf Internet has acquired six other businesses, expanded into three states and has grown to a team of more than 125 people. Gene and the companies he leads have earned multiple awards, including the Junior Achievement Technology Hall of Fame, Ceragon Top North American VAR, Elkhart Chamber of Commerce Business of The Year, and the 1 Mile Tower Construction Award.