I-ON Digital Corp Executive Leadership

Carlos X. Montoya

Chairman

In addition to his role at I-ON Digital Corp, Mr. Montoya is the Founder & Chairman of Tall Ship Resource Development LLC, a privately held Investment Banking concern focused on Commercial Real Estate development, Mineral-Resources procurement, and advanced Financial Systems Technology. Recognized as a leading Chicago, IL based Business and Investment Banking executive, he has a 35-year record in acquiring, building, and operating Commercial and Merchant Banking groups; establishing Enterprise Risk Management infrastructure; and in the development of Strategic Capital resources. He is credited with the real-time development of one of the world’s first transaction­based, tier-one level regulatory compliant Digital Asset Ecosystems.

Mr. Montoya is also the Founder & Chairman of MCM Advisors, LLC, a privately held Bank Service-Bureau platform specializing in institutional-level infrastructure and management support services for both standard currency and digital asset based banking platforms. He separately Founded Tall Ship Partners Fund LLC, a boutique Investment Banking platform envisioned and designed to introduce and facilitate institutional level US & global financial transactions featuring, among other transformative digital asset solutions, the Gold-backed Orebits Digital Asset.

As past President & CEO of Republic Bank of Chicago (RBC), Mr. Montoya played a key role in the growth and development of this innovative and highly regarded institution (current assets: $2.2 billion). During his 15-year tenure at RBC, he served the entire period as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board – serving his final 5 years at RBC as the President & CEO of the institution. A graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, Member – Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society & Darnen Society Award recipient, he also attended the University of Delaware, Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

Mr. Montoya has served as Chairman, President & CEO, Founder and Trustee of universities (Loyola University Chicago, Notre Dame – Latino Institute), hospitals
(Loyola Medicine), banking institutions (Republic, FCCB, AAB), museums (Mexican National Museum of Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago – Business Advisory Board), theatre groups (Goodman Theatre), and Community /Charitable Organizations
(MALDEF, Chicago Scholars, Latino Leadership Council).
He is the former two-term Chairman of the Board of the Illinois Property Tax Appeals Board (PTAB) and a veteran of the United Sates Coast Guard.

Ken Park

Chief Marketing Officer

Mr. Park is the founder and president of Oktane Media, a 25-year-old media agency specializing in digital media strategies for consumer brands such as Adobe Systems, AEGON, Atlantic Records, Charter Next Generation, and more. As an evangelist for emerging technologies, Mr. Park has a deep understanding of how to use digital media engagement to strengthen branding and create 1-to-1 customer relationships.

Throughout his career, Mr. Park has played the role of evangelist and pioneer for a wide range of emerging technologies, focusing on using digital media engagement to strengthen branding, develop 1-to-1 consumer relationships, and deliver direct sales channels for consumer brands. Mr. Park was the key strategist behind HyperCD — a patented technology that delivered fully encrypted, high-quality video over any speed Internet connection, as well as serving in a marketing and technology solutions capacity for Supermicro, Prodigy Services, and alternative music publisher CMJ where he oversaw the company’s sales force and helped develop the company’s business-to-business and consumer online strategies.

Mr. Park’s expertise in sports and entertainment marketing began with an eight-year career as a world-ranked professional skateboarder, where he traveled abroad and acted as an ambassador of the sport in the late 80’s and early 90‘s. His entrepreneurial spirit began his early twenties when he founded two upscale action sports and skateboard companies

Ken is also one of the eight entrepreneurial marketers, including Guy Kawasaki (Garage.com), Christos Cotsakos (E*Trade), Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), featured in an upcoming book titled, “Entrepreneurial Marketing: Real Stories & Survival Strategies” published by South-Western, a Division of Thomson Learning. Ken also is a regular guest speaker at Pepperdine University’s Executive MBA program.

Rod Smith

Senior Vice President, Sales

Rod Smith, Vice President of Business Development & Sales, has amassed extensive executive leadership and experience in business start-ups and technology development. Acumen along his entrepreneurial path included founding The Pacific Rim Institute of Culture and Language,  negotiating and closing many multi-million-dollar commercial real estate transactions over several years on behalf of Juliien J. Studley and his own firm R. Alan Smith & Associates. More recently, he spent two years in creating transformational assets, including the Health Merchant digital platform and patented Living Produce® vertical growing technology in Green PolkaDot Box, a company he founded in January 2008 and operated for 12-years.  Since 2019, Mr. Smith has also played major roles in capital formation on behalf GuardDog.ai and GATC Health.  

Mr. Smith is a dynamic entrepreneurial management strategist with a 25+ year record of achievement.  He has demonstrated success driving growth while providing leadership in highly competitive markets.  As noted, Mr. Smith is skilled in business finance and he has successfully taken three private companies public.  Mr. Smith is the former President and Founder of InContact  (1996 – 2001) NASDAQ listed (“SAAS”), which recently sold for $900 million to NICE Systems, was one of the first companies in the world to establish an online billing user interface and nationwide agency network for telecommunications sales. 

steve aust

Advisor

With over 20 years of executive experience in venture capital, direct sales and energy solutions, Mr. Aust is the Co-Founder and President of Verdant (VRDT). Through its innovative aggregation model, VRDT provides total energy solutions and profitable grid management to customers around the world. With a vision to bring integrated solutions to the global market, Mr. Aust has helped raise over $100 million in Venture Capital for various direct sales companies, including Video Home Shopping Network, Vision Quest and 2Extreme Sports – taking them public with successful IPOs.

Mr. Aust’s expertise on strategic investments has resulted in him holding Board positions with Tall Ship Development Fund LLC, VRDT & Agora Advantage – all businesses involved in mining/exploration or address Energy Solutions and providing business owners access to best products & services respectively.

He has also been an advisor to startup companies on their financial planning and technology strategy focused on growth potential while maintaining a secure bottom line. His career journey has enabled him to gain insight into variety of industries such as Energy Solutions, Direct Sales, Financial Planning, Marketing Strategy and Technology Services.

A firm believer of collaborative efforts across multiple industries, Mr Aust firmly believes that success is not just about having the right idea but also having the right team that can come together for collective success. He often advises firms on how to work together strategically for mutual benefit. His longstanding commitment towards collaboration across businesses enables him to bring a unique style of problem solving that has enabled many companies succeed in today’s competitive market place .

christopher green

Advisor

Mr. Green is a Director Designee of I-ON Digital Corp. He has completed over $8.5 billion of transactions involving public and private equity and debt financings in the real estate, financial services, mining, hospitality, gaming, chemical, and technology industries and has been the managing partner of several private equity funds and investment banking firms, as well as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Chief Capital Officer, and Chief Operating Officer in several multi-billion dollar development and operating companies globally. 

Mr. Green is the Managing Member and Co-Founder of this luxury real estate development company that specializes in developing ultra-luxury, high-rise residential properties, five-star hotels, high-end retail, and luxury mixed-use properties. Selected by Mandarin Oriental Hotels as a global preferred developer and currently developing the five-star hotel and luxury private residences properties in Chicago and Oahu.

Mr. Green is also the Managing Partner at Windcrofte Capital LLC, a private equity and real estate development firm that co-invests with its capital partners in real estate development projects with real estate developers and real estate investment companies. Projects include mixed-use projects, convention and business hotels, luxury hotels and resorts, urban and suburban office buildings, luxury high-rise condominiums and apartments, and retail shopping centers. Total project development costs are $50 million – $500 million. Windcrofte acts the co-developer and is responsible for providing the capital to fund these development projects. 

Formally, Mr. Green was the Executive Vice President of Portman Holdings, where he reported directly to Founder and Chairman John C. Portman, world renowned architect/developer known for creating and popularizing the atrium hotel and developing iconic, urban mixed-use complexes. In his role, Mr. Green financed and managed a global real estate portfolio of office, hotel, residential, retail, and trade mart properties, totaling over 45 million square feet, and exceeding a value of $3.25 billion, with projects that include Suntrust Plaza, Peachtree Center, Embarcadero Center, Marriott Marquis Times Square, Westin Peachtree Plaza and AmericasMart.