Management Team
Executive Team
Matt Judkin
President/CEO and Co-Founder
Matt’s unfailing energy is the fuel for AGR Group, as his enthusiasm, personal approach, and business acumen continues to drive the company to unprecedented heights. He continues to walk the sales floor on a daily basis, offering counsel and encouragement to his team, which appreciates his hands-on style.
Matt has a long resume of sales and management success. Prior to founding AGR in 2002, he was SVP of Sales and Marketing for Mueller Worldwide, a full service sales and marketing organization serving Fortune 500 clients. He has also excelled as a fundraiser for international non-profits of his choosing, and socio-economic issues remain close to his heart.
Matt offers a unique blend of industry knowledge, dynamic energy, and professional salesmanship which has won the respect and admiration of both clients and employees.
Herb Zerden
Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder
Herb keeps AGR Group on the financial rails, ensuring the company’s profitability through operational excellence. He manages a technical team that consistently outperforms its competition in terms of sales-order quality and acceptance, data accuracy, and regulatory compliance. He understands the ultimate needs of the client, and insists on quality metrics.
Herb has been a successful entrepreneur and operations executive, managing both start-ups and mid-size organizations in the energy and telecommunications industries. Prior to his involvement with AGR Group, Herb founded, built and later sold a telecomunications start-up to an international corporation. He also served as an energy industry consultant and business development expert for several East Coast energy marketing customer acquisition companies.
Adolfo Quintero
Chief Operations Officer and Co-Founder
As AGR Group continues to build speed and momentum, Adolfo keeps both hands on the wheel. A proper foundation must be in place to support rapid growth in any industry, especially one as people-intensive as the direct marketing business, and Adolfo’s team ensures solid footing. His group oversees all technical and infrastructure needs of AGR’s multiple facilities, including dialers and work stations, data redundancy and building maintenance. Adolfo also handles all employee recruitment, training and motivation, which is the true success story of AGR.
Prior to founding AGR, Adolfo had a long and successful working relationship as Operations Manager with both Mueller Worldwide and with LDS, a telecommunications company.
Beth Shaffer-Ludwig
SVP Business Development
Beth has been responsible for the development and growth of AGR’s robust portfolio of clients, including the top companies in the retail energy sector. Beth as been with the founders since the beginning of AGR, and her relationship-building and client-relations skills have been an integral part of the company’s success.
Prior to joining AGR, Beth represented some 30 manufacturers as president of her own manufacturers’ rep group in Southern California, and included Disney, Six Flags, Guest Services, and Wal-Mart among her many accounts.
Kelly McCarty
VP Business Development
Kelly joins AGR Group as Vice President of Business Development after a long and active career in the auto collision repair industry. She currently serves as Technical Chair of the California Auto Body Association, is a past president of that organization, and has been recognized for her legislative affairs work in support of its cause. Kelly will rely on her extensive training background and managerial skills to solicit and on-board new clients for AGR, especially in the Home Warranty and Customer Service areas.
Kristin Kreuder
General Counsel
Kristin has served as General Counsel to AGR Group, LLC since May 2011 and, operating out of the company’s New York offices as the company’s sole in-house attorney, is responsible for all aspects of legal counsel practice.
Kristin brings vast corporate representation experience to AGR, including her most recent post as in-house counsel to a major American energy retailer. Her background also includes work in technology, international manufacturing and financial sectors.
Dean Gyorgy
Marketing Services
Dean spent eight years in marketing and sales for retail energy suppliers before branching out into creative services. He combines his energy-industry expertise with a background in journalism and media productions to provide written content, photography and video services to the AGR family of companies.
AGR California:
Bernard Muniz
Executive Director California Operations
Bernard oversees the California center, creating a winning work environment that contributes to the overall success of each sales campaign. He started with AGR Group in October of 2003, and has succeeded with increased responsibility ever since. His roles and responsibilities have included sales manager, human resources, call monitoring, motivating agents, and developing incentives to improve statistics on the sales floor.
Martha Morales
Quality Control
Martha joined AGR Group as a sales agent in October of 2003. As she quickly assumed responsibility and demonstrated her ability, she was promoted to a monitor and subsequently took over corrections and ethics handlings. She became Manager over Quality Control in the spring of 2004.
Bobby Mahjeed
Director of Sales
In six years with AGR, Bobby has built a legendary reputation as one of the top sales producers of all time. He was so productive, in fact, that he had to be persuaded to leave his front-line post and accept a position as Sales Manager two years ago. Not surprisingly, he excelled at mentoring others and his teams continually outperformed expectations. He has since been promoted to Sales Director, and is one of the key contributors to the California operation.
Aracely Calderon
Senior Director of Commercial Sales
Aracely oversees the entire sales team, including Directors, Managers, and Sales. She has been with AGR since 2006 when she started as a verification agent, and quickly showed her ability to produce and manage. She’s nicknamed “Enforcer,” due to her continued goal of not only meeting but exceeding sales targets.
AGR Florida:
Steve Upham
Vice President Call Center Operations
Steve has over 16 years of call center experience, and has run AGR’s East Coast operation since 2003. As a seasoned veteran, he’s able to monitor and guide all aspects of his operation, from technical aspects to team training and sales techniques. He’s a great relationship builder, as well, and his cool efficiency keeps AGR Group’s clients at ease.
Steve also keeps employee production running at peak efficiency. His frequent sales-floor challenges contributes to a positive work environment and drives the sales reps’ competitive spirit.
Jim Warrick
Senior Director Sales
Jimmy joined AGR in 2003, and played a key part in the establishment of the residential campaigns for AGR in Florida.
His exceptional ability to motivate the sales agents, along with his superior knowledge of the energy industry, make him an essential contributor to strategic planning and market entry.
Gary Cronin
Director of Operations
Gary joined the company in 2003 to oversee all aspects of the sales floor including training and monitoring for adherence to regulatory guidelines and program requirements.
Gary’s calm and reassuring manner helps resolves possible disputes before they escalate. His attention to detail and his ability to see and correct errors quickly and effectively make him a valuable asset to our clients.
Ryan Holbrook
Residential Sales Manager
Ryan joined AGR as a sales rep in 2004, and quickly showed leadership and ability to produce quality sales. He was elevated to team supervisor, and ultimately, Sales Manager in charge of all inbound and outbound residential programs. His positive attitude and excellent motivational skills make him a great asset to the sales force.
AGR Nevada:
Jose Rubio
Executive Director of AGR Nevada
Jose started on the phones for AGR in 2002, and has continued to rise through the ranks with increased levels of production and productivity. When AGR opened its Nevada office in 2010, the choice for on-site leader was clear.
Nicknamed “the Sarge” for his strict adherence to quality control standards, Jose brings a long history of sales and motivational success to his current post.
Jeff Parker
Director of Quality Las Vegas
Jeff’s early success as a telesales rep at AGR quickly brought him into managerial positions, first as HR manager and then as shift manager and team . Most recently he was the Director of Quality in the verifications division, and transitioned to Las Vegas when the new center opened.
Prior to joining AGR Group in 2003, Jeff held management positions in the telecom and verifications industries, gaining recognition for his ability to improve statistics and lead others.
Jenny Sanchez
Quality Control Manager, Nevada
Jenny oversees the Nevada Quality Control division, including training, monitoring and corrections, ensuring the level of quality is up to AGR standards. She joined the company as a sales agent in 2005.
Account Management
Krista Roe
Senior Account Executive
Krista is the liaison between the company and our clients for all program details, including reporting, scripting, and order processing.
Krista joined AGR Group from college in 2005. After an impressive production record as a commercial sales agent, she worked as Director of Corrections in our Quality Control Division. She became an account manager in 2006.
Krista’s complete understanding of AGR’s internal processes makes her a valuable contact point for our clients.
Javier Ponce
Account Manager
Javier joined AGR Group in 2005 and quickly demonstrated his competence and knowledge of the energy Industry, including all aspects of telesales, direct mail and door-to-door marketing.
.
In his current role, he manages the day-to-day interaction between AGR Group and our clients, including scripting, marketing material, and order processing functions. He works closely with clients to address and rapidly resolve any issues, always with a high level of care and concern for what the client needs and wants.