Ortez Gude/Corvado
A Georgia native, Ortez Gude has served as Corvado’s chairman and CEO of Corvado since 2007. In this role he chairs the board of directors and is responsible for managing the company’s development, formulating and executing long-term strategies; and directing relationships with customers, employees, partners, investors and other stakeholders.
Prior to Corvado, Ortez served as Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Strategy & Development for GMG, a leading Atlanta-based construction consulting firm. During his service GMG was named the 6th fastest growing private company in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and was awarded prominent projects including the internationally recognized Center for Civil and Human Rights, a noise abatement contract for the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International, and Metropolitan Atalnta Rapid Transit Authority among others.
Prior to GMG, Ortez was Vice President and Chief Information Officer for The Haskell Company, one of America’s leading Design-Build companies. At Haskell, he led a business-technology transformation that resulted in Haskell being named the construction industry’s most highly performing and innovative company in the US.
Prior to The Haskell Company, Ortez served in various technology leadership roles for Skanska AB, a $17 Billion Fortune Global 500 construction services firm. Ortez’s roles included Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer for Beers Skanska, and General Manager of Skanska IT Solutions’ Hub Operation for North and South America. During his tenure, Ortez led Skanska to the top ranks of Information Week’s list of most innovative companies five consecutive years.
Ortez has been a featured speaker at business and technology conferences around the world.
Bart Newman/FLIR Integrated Systems
Bart Newman is a former U.S. Army officer, Iraq war veteran, and author of “Because of Baghdad: What a Father Would Say About Life, If He Didn’t Come Home to Say It.” The book has been featured in numerous media outlets including the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, Georgia Super Lawyers magazine, and The Atlanta Journal— Constitution. Bart and his family donate all book profits to the children of service members who died at war.
Bart speaks to churches, civic groups, and leadership organizations about the book and what he learned in Iraq. He has shared his message with audiences across Georgia and as far away as Canada.
Bart is the Director of Program Management for FLIR Integrated Systems. In this role, Bart leads two business units and is responsible for the execution and growth of U.S. Government programs. One such program is the Mobile Surveillance Capability initiative of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection. In this program, FLIR is responsible for providing surveillance technology to aid and protect Border Patrol Agents on the U.S. southwest border. As a result, Bart spent several weeks in 2012 on the border working with Border Patrol Agents and refining the technology FLIR will provide. FLIR’s contract with the Border Patrol has a total ceiling of $101,000,000.
Prior to joining FLIR, Bart was an attorney at Arnall Golden Gregory in Atlanta. As a member of the commercial real estate practice group, Bart represented numerous Georgia businesses in the negotiation and disposition of real estate transactions.
Bart received his B.A. (magna cum laude) from the University of Georgia; his Masters in Management, Economics, and International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland; and his J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Georgia School of Law. While an undergraduate, Bart served as UGA’s Student Government President and was a member of two SEC Championship Tennis Teams. During law school, Bart won the Eugene Talmadge Moot Court Championship (Best Oralist Award) and the Richard B. Russell Moot Court Championship (Jere Morehead Best Oralist Award).
As a graduate, Bart received the University of Georgia’s Blue Key Young Alumnus Award in 2007 and was named to the University of Georgia’s inaugural 40 Under 40 class in 2011. In October of 2012, Bart was also recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2012.
Bart is also an active participant in nonprofit boards. He serves on the Board of Advisors for Souly Business, a retreat-based ministry founded in Georgia. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Delta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon and previously served on the Executive Committee of the UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Finally, Bart is a devoted family man. He has been married to Julie, his Woodward Academy high school sweetheart, for over twelve years. They have four children: Kate (8), Luke (5), Lyla (4) and Elise (1). As a family, they attend Johnson Ferry Baptist Church where Bart coaches soccer and serves in the children’s ministry.
