Waypoint was founded in June of 2005 by Steve Brighton. In August of 2005 Drew Brighton joined Waypoint as co-owner and company President. Together, Steve and Drew provide management for Waypoint Data Solutions.

Steve Brighton - Founder and CEO
Steve is a data industry veteran and former CEO of both InfoBase, one of the world’s largest providers of consumer demographic and lifestyle information, and Direct Media, one of the nation’s largest direct response list management and brokerage firms. Steve held a wide variety of senior management positions during his 15-year career with Acxiom Corporation, most recently with responsibility for Acxiom’s Financial Services Sales Organization, generating nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenue. Prior to joining Acxiom, Steve had a successful sales and marketing career with IBM, eventually heading up IBM’s sales training program. Steve served in the US Marine Corps and is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy.

Drew Brighton - President
Drew has spent his entire career successfully creating, managing, and delivering high-quality, data-driven solutions. In 10 years with Acxiom Corporation, one of the world’s largest data companies, he held a wide range of roles in sales, product management & development, and client services. Drew served as product manager for Acxiom’s flagship product, AbiliTec®, and he pioneered Opticx®, one of the data industry’s first data quality assessment tools. He has a unique ability to understand data at both the “bit” level and the “board” level, which he uses to conceptualize, implement, and support strategic data-driven projects. Drew graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.

Michael Stout - Senior Data Consultant
Michael spent his first five years in the data business with Acxiom. He spent two and a half years maintaining a database of data quality statistics for every file processed through Acxiom’s Data Quality Assessment Sales Tool, aka Opticx. After a year sabbatical working on an organic farm, he was asked to come back to the data business and Acxiom as a data manager/consultant to progressive political organizations as well as consulting to sales teams doing data quality evaluations for potential clients. In July of 2006, Michael joined Waypoint Data Solutions as the Senior Data Consultant where advises sales executives on client contacts, manages production data processes as well as helps organize new development offerings.

Ben Stroud - Technical Director
Ben Stroud is an experienced enterprise application developer with skills in software design and implementation, database management, and Linux administration. He spent 5 years with Acxiom Corporation building and maintaining large-scale marketing databases for Fortune 500 companies, and later developing data quality assessment software solutions. After leaving Acxiom, Ben spent several years as an independent developer and successfully implemented a wide variety of technical and data-driven solutions. Ben is responsible for all areas of Waypoint's technical infrastructure and delivery capabilities. Ben graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where he studied physics and music.

Matt Brighton - Marketing/Interactive/Advertising
Matt graduated with a degree in Advertising from Kansas State University in 1998 and has been working in interactive media for over a decade. Once out of school, Matt helmed the corporate intranet for Direct Media, Inc. in Greenwich, Ct. Matt then moved to Acxiom where he helped lead efforts on several internal and external web sites and his efforts even garnered him an "Acxiom Award for Excellence". He then moved to an independent web design/interactive firm where he worked on such accounts as Elvis Presley Enterprises, Brinker International (Chili's, Macaroni Grill and Cozymel's restaurants) as well as leading financial web sites such as Stephen's Investments and Bank of America. Most recently, he headed up the corporate extranet for U.S. Foodservice and joins Waypoint Data Solutions with more than ten years of experience in digital art, photography and interactive design. Matt also runs a highly-successful DVD review website, DVD Authority.