About InOvate

About InOvate

Dryer Safety & Efficiency

For more than 20 years, InOvate has focused on improving exhaust performance and safety for clothes dryers. Beginning with a better way to connect a dryer's transition hose-with a 1995 patent award for the Dryerbox®-the family of premium products now includes twenty SKUs.

Helping new home buyers save energy and improve home safety, with the Dryerbox, fostered a unique perspective and passion about overall exhaust system performance. Other restriction points were identified, and the determination to address them led to new product development projects. Today, the product family covers the entire exhaust system and, in addition to the Dryerbox, includes the brands DryerClamp™, Dryer-Ell®, DryerFlex®, DryerJack®, DryerPlacard™, and DryerWallVent®.

Product Development & Quality

An unrelenting focus on the smallest of details drives the quality and premium value each product brings to its market. Development includes years-long cycles of prototype creation, testing, tweaking, and re-testing. This process has yielded myriad innovations and products that are advanced in their simplicity and performance. Delivering quality, high-performance product is the first pillar in customer satisfaction.

Customer Service

InOvate's continued success is rooted in the supreme value placed on developing long-term relationships and striving for flawless customer support. In addition to product quality, goals for superior customer satisfaction are achieved through respectful interaction, on-time delivery, reliable follow-up, and by continually looking for ways to exceed expectations.

Corporate Structure

In 2019, Riverbend Industries acquired InOvate Technologies to further enhance its building materials portfolio. As InOvate is part of a larger group of stand-alone businesses, underlying synergies and strategies help drive our collective organizations forward. Get to know our portfolio and contact us today if we can help you think bigger and do more with the Riverbend businesses at large. With Riverbend, we're all stronger together.

 

Clifford Budnick

President

cliff@inovate.com

561-529-4611

Clifford Budnick

President

Cliff joined the InOvate Team back in 2010 and has focused on creating a balanced product portfolio with niche solutions that are sold through various B2B channels. His efforts have helped bring innovations to market along with opening new sales verticals outside of new construction. Cliff strives to lead InOvate’s upbeat corporate culture internally while ensuring the customer experience is always exemplary in each unique market served.

After earning his MBA degree, Cliff launched a business selling customized disposable goods to party planners and noteworthy venues across the country. After 4 years, he sold the business and got involved with InOvate in 2010. Cliff has taken on a variety of consulting projects in his past and is still engaged in public speaking events touching a variety of audiences. The InOvate opportunity leveraged Cliff’s entrepreneurial drive and has resulted in helping grow the Company significantly since joining the team.

Cliff has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (BBA) from Florida Atlantic University. He then earned his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with a focus in Global Entrepreneurship from Florida Atlantic University.

James Ortiz

Vice President of Operations

James successfully transitioned from a core Dryerbox salesperson to the company’s Operations backbone over his 15-year span with InOvate. His industry relationships are both valuable and deeply respected amongst HVAC wholesalers, manufacturers, and rep groups. James has an incredible ability to manage our manufacturing plants, fulfillment centers, logistics, and headquarter staff to keep InOvate running as a lean operation with ongoing growth potential.

After growing up in Pittsburgh, PA and attending Penn State University, James took the opportunity to escape the cold and move to Jupiter, FL by accepting a sales/marketing role with InOvate nearly two decades ago. Since then, his involvement with operations grew exponentially as the company matured and sales increased. James is actively involved in managing our ERP/CRM software and plays an integral role with all supply chain vendors.

James earned his Bachelors in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University.

Todd Peach

Vice President of Marketing

todd@dryerbox.com

561-529-4609

Todd Peach

Vice President of Marketing

Todd champions InOvate marketing strategy with one core focus: YOU, the customer. He strives to position each of InOvate's brands in the best light, creating a philosophy where each customer is the hero, and it's our role to give them the best solutions for each job. Through Todd's effort, InOvate positions premium offerings to align with companies that proudly represent best practices. Todd and his team manage all aspects of marketing strategy, advertising, website development, SEO, coding, graphic design, video editing, and much more.

Todd's marketing success stems from decades of successful ventures in different industries. For more than 30 years, Todd's bag of marketing tricks continues to grow with proven strategies that deliver impressive results. He's a methodical planner who leverages analysis, strategic development, and tactical execution to achieve goals. Todd's previous roles include VP of Sales and Marketing, Director of Strategic Marketing, and Advertising Director for reputable organizations across the US.

Todd earned his Bachelors Degree in Marketing from Western Carolina University and has been awarded a Masters Certificate in Marketing Strategy from Cornell University.

Josh Goldstone

Controller

Josh is dedicated to strengthening InOvate’s bottom line through various tactical accounting practices. He is responsible for all financial and HR operations at InOvate. Josh is an analytical thinker that is heavily involved in sales and marketing strategies. He exudes a passion for financial accountability and success that is evident in all his day-to-day responsibilities, both with tasks he tackles along with those that are delegated to his support staff.

After graduating from Hofstra University, Josh was the Financial Manager for Maxim Hygiene Products, a niche business that experienced strong growth during his 3-year tenure with the NY-based firm. His experience in dealing with small businesses parlayed well with his move to South Florida when joining the InOvate team in 2016.

Josh earned his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Hofstra University while focusing on General Finance studies.

Frank Ambrose

National Sales Manager

frank@dryerbox.com

561-529-4742

Frank Ambrose

National Sales Manager

Frank’s sales prowess is motivated by strategy and he’s passionate about creating synergies through teamwork. Frank’s leadership was evident on day one and he continues to create opportunities and cultivate a positive work atmosphere. He’s intricately involved in managing all B2B channel sales and actively travels to various trade shows, conferences, and meetings to elevate InOvate’s brands.

Frank joined InOvate in 2015 as an Account Manager focused on growing sales through HVAC supply houses and roofing distributors. Previously, Frank was the Senior Sales Support Manager and Product Specialist for Captiva Spine, a medical device company. Frank began his career in the health and wellness field fueled by his passion for physical education that stemmed from his role as Student Athletic Trainer for Florida State University’s collegiate football team.

Frank received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Florida State University while focusing on Health and Physical Education. He later earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Florida Atlantic University with a concentration in Health Administration.

Missy Clark

Purchasing & Inventory Planner

Missy's role helps bridge operations, accounting, and sales together – both internally at InOvate’s headquarter office, and externally when dealing with customer-facing responsibilities. She’s intricately involved with logistics, AP/AR, and many HR duties. Missy is a key asset in many ways and works directly with the COO and Accounting Manager regularly. Her strengths lie in her ability to wear many hats and multitask while making sure orders ship on time and at the best landed cost for our customers.

Prior to joining InOvate in 2013, Missy was a Personal Banker for Wells Fargo and spent many years as a Trainer/Manager for JPMorgan Chase. In fact, Missy was InOvate’s favorite banker with Wells Fargo and we created this role for her that leveraged her years of management and efficiency-driven mindset to support our Operations and Accounting teams.

Missy received her Associate of Arts (AA) degree from Daytona State College and studied Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Ryan Stromik

Senior Account Manager

Ryan@dryerbox.com

561-529-4617

Ryan Stromik

Senior Account Manager

Ryan’s passion for sales, sales management, and team cohesiveness is evident in every meeting, call, and task he tackles. He manages project-specific jobs for new construction builds and works with national property management firms as they renovate existing properties with InOvate’s solutions. Ryan’s drive to meet and exceed goals resonates throughout the office. Ryan’s customers appreciate his dedication to supporting the pull-through model and providing layers of marketing support that generate proven sales success.

Ryan spent years a Sales Manager for Wallace Auto Group and was also the Financial Manager for Audi of America in Stuart, FL. Earlier in his career, Ryan was a Police Officer & Narcotics Detective in Detroit, MI. He also owned his own private investigation firm in South Florida.

Ryan attended Henry Ford Community College and Lake Superior State University.

Bobby Chisholm

Business Development Manager

At his core, Bobby is a remarkable salesperson that executes tasks to their fullest. Bobby has a customer-centric mindset and is always focused on matching the customer’s needs with the applicable solution(s). His business development focus seeks to identify, onboard, and support a nationwide group of suppliers that support home service professionals. He cultivates new business through trade shows, conferences, and organic lead generation while supporting current customers through constant contact, promotions, and providing marketing collateral.

Bobby joined InOvate in 2012 and played an integral role launching the DryerJack roof termination. He created awareness and sales through roofing contractors and supply houses. Before InOvate, Bobby was an Online Marketing Manager for SMI Network, an affiliate marketing group based in South Florida. Out of college, he also was the Assistant Director of Admissions at EDMC.

Bobby earned his Bachelors degree in communications from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Matt Rinehart

Account Manager

Matt@inovate.com

561-529-4744

Matt Rinehart

Account Manager

Matt is a goal-oriented individual that is passionate about cultivating long-term relationships versus a short-term sale. He joined InOvate in 2016 and immediately immersed himself in learning, executing, and improving our sales process when serving home service companies and their respective suppliers. His ideas have led to numerous successful marketing campaigns, trade show and travel opportunities, and (of course) a noticeable increase in sales & customer satisfaction.

Matt worked with a prominent building supply company before joining InOvate where he learned many aspects of selling through distribution and working with tradesmen. His sales training and experience was further strengthened after years of selling time shares, cars, and real estate. Matt brought a variety of skillsets and proven track history in building relationships and serving customers that were engrained in him after almost two decades of dedicated sales roles.

Matt graduated from Palm Beach State College with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree.

Ben Fleming

Senior Account Manager

Ben joined InOvate in 2018 to support over 2,500 HVAC supply houses that benefit from the Company’s pull-through demand sales model. He actively calls and visits his southern territory-based accounts and provides a full scope of marketing collateral that keep our solutions top of mind to contractors, builders, architects, and engineers. Ben is passionate about building relationships and strengthening the customer lifetime value which is evident on every call, visit, and trade show presentation.

Prior to InOvate, Ben proudly served in the United States Coast Guard as a Machinery Tech where he learned the importance of working efficiently and effectively. After the Coast Guard, Ben’s ability to execute the task(s) at hand eventually made him a top producing car salesman in Martin County, FL. He also showed an entrepreneurial drive by owning and operating a brick-and-mortar hobby store for 3 years in Florida.

Sonia Sousa

E-Commerce Specialist

sonia@inovate.com

561-658-1011

Sonia Sousa

E-Commerce Specialist

Sonia helps InOvate's B2B and B2C distributors by providing fresh website copy and updated images/videos to ensure InOvate's premium solutions are top-of-mind. With the online marketplace changing by the day, her role is critical in supporting website content for thousands of partner companies across the country. If you represent InOvate's product, directly or indirectly, Sonia can help elevate our brand value on your website ASAP!

Sonia's diverse background has solidified her skillset in online marketing and brand development. From sales brochures, to trade show booth designs, she's covered the bases to be considered a well-rounded marketing asset. Even copywriting and photography play a part in what has made Sonia successful. Past roles include Marketing Project Manager, Marketing Communications Manager, and Director of Marketing.

Florida International University

Matt Tucker

Account Manager

Matt's friendly demeanor and attention to detail make him a great fit with InOvate as an Account Manager. He currently manages wholesale distribution accounts across northern parts of the United States while still being well versed in all aspects of InOvate's sales nationwide. Matt thrives in an upbeat setting and enjoys seeing distributor growth rooted in InOvate's product line.

Before InOvate, Matt held various roles with the United Franchise Group including Director of Franchise Development. His customer service mindset has been groomed from prior jobs such as Software Support Analyst and Administrative Assistant for Academic Support. Matt's background blends together well at InOvate to ensure the customer experience is always A+.

Bachelor's Degree, Liberty University

Yamin Hussaini

Staff Accountant

yamin@inovate.com

561-658-1005

Yamin Hussaini

Staff Accountant

Yamin joined InOvate in 2021 to provide added support to the Finance team. His focus is to manage certain accounting deliverables and help streamline financial processes. GAAP compliance, AP/AR, accrual management, template generation, audit preparation, journal entries, and helping month-end closing are some of the key parts to Yamin's role.

Yamin's strong work ethic and easy ability to fit within a team stemmed from his past experiences. For nearly a decade, Yamin has served as Staff Accountant, Senior Accountant, Project Accountant, Corporate Accountant, and Payroll Specialist for various businesses throughout South Florida including NextEra Energy, Top Cut Corporation, and Ex-Freight Zeta, Inc.

Yamin earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Lynn University as well.

Patrick Molyneaux

Account Manager

Patrick became part of the InOvate family in 2021 and has hit the ground running. Pat's upbeat persona helps build client relationships and grow distribution sales. He brings a youthful style to complement InOvate's old school relationship-driven approach to account management. Pat is passionate about going "above and beyond" and you may even see hand written notes from him coming out of our Florida-based headquarter office.

Before InOvate, Pat spent years as a logistics coordinator for large professional sporting events, responsible for managing hundreds of drivers and athletes around worldwide venues. He also was an Account Executive for an IT solutions organization managing clients of all sizes including up to Fortune 100 firms. Prior to that, he was a Client Retention Manager in the real estate industry.

Pat graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree.

Luke Rinehart

Account Manager

luke@inovate.com

561-658-1003

Luke Rinehart

Account Manager

Luke's role is designed to ensure all service companies ordering goods through distribution have access to exemplary support, marketing materials, training, and product knowledge. Equally, he's the liaison between home service professionals and their preferred supplier. Luke's goal is to seamlessly broker home service demand with regional and national suppliers – making ordering easier, faster, and more consolidated for each home service company.

Luke came from a supervisor role with a popular golfing country club, the PGA National Resort & Spa, where he championed exceptional service for the PGA staff and its club members. He oversaw daily operations for five courses and two driving ranges. Luke also spent a couple of years developing his sales background with Premier Rare Coins.

Luke earned his AA degree from Palm Beach State College. He's currently enrolled in Florida Atlantic University and plans to graduate from the College of Business in 2022.

Veronica Timar

Product Development Manager

Veronica's role is fundamental in helping InOvate stay ahead of the market with respect to new product innovations and existing product enhancements. She is tasked to engineer new solutions that improve residential construction while ensuring alignment with InOvate core pillars of safety, efficiency, and aesthetics. Equally, she's focused on sourcing solutions from quality vendors that fit within our customer and distribution mix. Lastly, Veronica is the driver behind licensing opportunities as we continue to seek out and partner with quality individuals with unique intellectual property.

Veronica's career is rooted in Mechanical Engineering, most of which has been in the HVAC space. She spent over 10 years with Dometic Marine as a Product Engineer and Design Engineer where she built HVAC solutions for the marine industry. She worked closely with sales, service, procurement, and quality departments to provide manufacturing support and product improvements. Veronica is also experienced in BOM development, testing, analytical reviews of products and processes, along with cost reduction projects related to manufacturing. Prior to her time engineering Marine HVAC systems, Veronica spent 5 years in the Oil & Gas industry with related responsibilities.

Veronica earned her Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from L.U.Z. Venezuela and her Project Management Certificate (PMC) from U.R.B.E. Venezuela.

Anita Peroni

Marketing Specialist

anita@inovate.com

561-658-1010

Anita Peroni

Marketing Specialist

Anita's role is to strengthen the bridge between the sales and marketing teams. Market research, VOC, data analytics, trade show participation, and a wide mix of strategic marketing campaign initiatives (print, digital, & social) account for much of Anita's deliverables. Her goal is to ensure InOvate products remain top-of-mind while elevating premium brand equity.

Anita's career is rooted in marketing expertise, with a knack for utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite, digital photography, social media management, Java, and project management. Most recently, Anita spent 2 years with Cross Catholic Outreach as their Marketing Coordinator where she created campaigns to engage new donors supporting their mission to serve the poor. She has also worked at Lifetouch Portrait Studios for 3 years as a Dual Studio Manager where she directed and trained a team of 16 cross-functional photography associates. Earlier in the same organization, she was the Studio Photographer and Manager.

Anita earned her Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. During her studies, she specialized in design and visual communications and graduated in 2021.

Nicolette Smith

Sales & Logistics Administrator

Nicolette capitalizes on her accomplished administrative background to best support InOvate’s customer service. Her strong communication skills and positive attitude allow Nicolette to assist InOvate’s customers with the highest level of care and attention. Her creative nature gives her the ability to work with customers and the InOvate team to find the right solutions that fit client needs. She is instrumental in facilitating internal as well as customer-facing logistics and plays an integral role in improving the Operations Team.

Nicolette’s career has been focused on Administrative support, with an emphasis on front office support and accounting expertise. She spent nearly a decade as the Reception Manager for the Veterinary Medical Center of Port St Lucie where she led customer service needs and a managed a mix of general office tasks. She also spent years with Underwater Engineering Services in Fort Piece, FL as their Account Assistant and AP Clerk. Beyond traditional office roles, Nicolette is a talented pianist and still enjoys coaching others as a music instructor.

Nicolette earned her Bachor of Arts from Indian River State College while majoring in Elementary Education. She’s also completed her Associates of Arts from IRSC with an emphasis on Special Education.

Paris Holt

Account Manager

paris@inovate.com

561-658-1007

Paris Holt

Account Manager

Paris is a compassionate salesperson whose personality fits perfectly with InOvate’s culture and processes. She’s tasked to support client growth goals, and understand their needs, which goes well beyond selling goods. Paris adds real value to InOvate with a sincere approach to relationship building. Her upbeat personality makes interactions with Paris both fun and meaningful. She’s an integral part of the sales team, focused on growing home service businesses while on the road and from the Jupiter office.

As an experienced B2B salesperson, Paris joined the InOvate team after spending a couple of years with Techtronic Industries as their Field Sales and Marketing Representative and Event Marketing Specialist. She managed internationally known brands like Milwaukee Tools successfully growing sales with key accounts including The Home Depot. Earlier in her career, Paris learned a lot about developing a strong team during her 3+ years with Enterprise as she grew within the business from Intern to Management Assistant.

Paris earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Florida Atlantic University studying Business Administration and Management.

Raquel White

Office Administrator

Raquel’s role is centered around ensuring InOvate’s headquarter office is operating effectively, efficiently, and safely. She manages intra-office communication protocols, streamlining administrative procedures, inventory controls, and general office staff supervision and maintenance. Raquel is actively involved with the Finance and HR functions as she champions some AR and AP tasks. To further leverage her background, Raquel is the point person for many InOvate events held in South Florida.

For nearly a decade, Raquel has learned from a mix of roles that centered around a stellar customer experience. Most recently, she was the Marketing & Events Manager at Waxin’s Restaurant and Bar. Prior to that, she was the Marketing Assistant & Events Coordinator with Gordon & Partners, P.A., a large law firm in South Florida. Earlier in her career, Raquel was the Service Manager at The Woods, A Tiger Woods Venture, in Jupiter, FL.

Undergraduate degree, Palm Beach State College

Steven Langston

Digital Marketing Manager

slangston@inovate.com

561-743-8696

Steven Langston

Digital Marketing Manager

Steven’s technical skills and creativity have elevated InOvate’s digital impact dramatically. From content creation to website security, the scope of his position has morphed into many genres. Proficient in video production, social media, digital ads, CGI, web development, graphic design and many other areas of 1’s and 0’s, he has rapidly taken on each task and created comprehensive new programs to provide consumer awareness.

Steven's background is rich in digital marketing, coding, and app development – just to name a few skill sets. An artist’s soul with a programmer’s mind, the learning process has led to app development, authoring, audio production amongst many other instances of creation. Steven also served as the Web Engineer/Web Developer/Director of Internet Technologies for a dental management company with over 60 dental practices located throughout Florida and Georgia.

Steven's training consists of a plethora of self-taught and traditional courses in wide-ranging subjects from Programming to Home Inspections to ITIL to 3D Modeling. New technology is a passion and he consistently yearns for knowledge.