Our Story & Our Team

Paul’s interest in manufacturing was born out of necessity when he worked at Eagle Can Co. in Peabody, Mass., in order to afford college. While there, he was promoted to MIS and learned to use early MRP systems to improve process. After graduation in 1998, Paul joined Lilly Software where he provided technical support and application training for hundreds of VISUAL ERP customers.

Paul joined Synergy Resources in 2005 as a leading Presales Engineer. With over 19 years of ERP experience, he applies his extensive knowledge to assist Synergy’s customers with improving their business performance. He does so by providing tips and tricks, creative solutions, discussing enhancements, and solving business issues.

Paul holds a BS in Political Science, a minor in business administration, and multiple technical certifications from Comptia and Microsoft.

Russ is a founder of Watermark Solutions and has served as its President since 2015. Before becoming President, Russ held leadership roles since 1992 with Watermark and the predecessor company. This includes Sales, Technical Sales, Professional Services, and Administration. Russ has been instrumental in the growth and development of the Company, including the creation of the Apptrix subsidiary in 1999. He has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and published articles related to the Infor SyteLine community. Russ possesses a unique combination of deep experience in the industry and extensive technical skills. He is excited to help lead Watermark to the next level thru both organic growth and acquisition. Prior to joining Watermark, Russ spent 13 years in the Manufacturing industry and during this time held various Management positions such as Plant Manager and Materials Manager. Russ currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of WM Synergy, a combination of Watermark Solutions and Synergy Resources under Potomac Equity.

Russ earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. Russ has also achieved certifications such as Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

Randy’s career started while attending the University of Texas at Arlington when he was hired as the youngest Regional Sales Manager by the Carrier Transicold division of United Technologies. After of a number of successful years there, Randy moved on to a career in Technology and soon became President of Benchmark Data Systems in El Paso, Texas.

After selling Benchmark in the early 1980’s Randy moved on to become Corporate Sales Manager at Cubix Corporation in Carson City, NV, and was instrumental in helping Cubix become a world leader in high-density, rack-mounted file servers for large corporations like Intel, Novell, Amdahl, and Deloitte.

After 14 years in hardware Randy made the move to Enterprise Software sales for manufacturers by joining Symix in the late 1990s. In 2008, Randy joined Russ Baxley at Watermark Solutions as Executive Vice President/Principal and the two have created a thriving Enterprise Software and Cloud Services company over the last 15 years.

Randy currently serves as Executive Vice President of WM Synergy, a combination of Watermark Solutions and Synergy Resources under Potomac Equity.

For over 30 years, Michael has been recognized for his accomplishments in successfully implementing programs that transform and improve all phases of the business enterprises he works with. He most recently led, influenced, and executed a lean enterprise strategy across the North American operations of a multi-billion, multi-national, multi-facility manufacturing organization.

A committed lifelong learner with a passion for sharing knowledge with others, Michael strategically applies various strategies, technologies, and methodologies to help Synergy’s clients develop and implement effective business strategies. The result has been improved operational performance.

Distinguished for dynamic leadership in driving transformative growth and exceptional value delivery for WM-Synergy Resources, Mr. Blackmon serves as the Executive Vice President for our VISAUL ERP group. A seasoned visionary with a track record of pioneering change, Mr. Blackmon spearheads WM-Synergy’s VISUAL Professional Services and Software Product Development divisions with unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction and business improvements opportunities.

Mr. Blackmon brings a strategic approach honed over 23+ years of IT industry experience, having guided multiple large software development and delivery organizations through a customer-centric metamorphosis. Under his leadership, the “Continuous Improvement” programs initiated at WM-Synergy have redefined our software and service delivery methodologies, delivering increased operational efficiency and elevated customer experiences.  Mr. Blackmon brings his specialty with building and guiding cross-functional teams across the software development and delivery lifecycles, establishing key performance indicators, quality best practices, customer improvement programs, and process improvement/automation strategies. Known for his servant leadership approach, Brent fosters collaboration across internal and client teams to build long-lasting, durable digital transformation and support services for our customers.

Notably at WM-Synergy, Mr. Blackmon has been instrumental in the introduction of innovative service offerings that have redefined Synergy’s service landscape. His strategic foresight led to the establishment of a dedicated service desk for our VISUAL ERP customers as we continually strive to “meet our customers where they are”. The introduction of this and other services improvements have contributed to a “shift-left” improvement mindset across the organization that we expect to continue build upon as our customers’ business demands grow.

Prior to joining WM-Synergy, Mr. Blackmon enjoyed long and productive tenures at CGI Technologies and Solutions, and Vitech Systems Group.

Outside of work, Mr. Blackmon enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa, and their three children, particularly outdoors at the beach where they reside in North Carolina.

After attending Purdue University in the early 80s, Ed started his career in the Enterprise Software Industry at ASK Computer System as a phone support representative. Within 3 years Ed became the Midwest Regional Customer Services Manager where he led a team of consultants in servicing the customer base from phone support to application education classes and short-term consulting engagements.

In the late 80s Ed then transitioned from the software industry to the manufacturing industry where he took a position as Director of IT at Juno Lighting. Ed’s responsibilities included the management of the IT staff, IT infrastructure, and was also the Project Manager for the implementation of the ASK MANMAN Enterprise applications within multiple divisions.

In the late 90s Ed returned to the software industry as a Solutions Consultant with Symix. Ed focused on the SyteLine (Infor CloudSuite Industrial) Enterprise application for the next 23 years. In the early 2000’s Symix was purchased by MAPICS and then in 2005 it was purchased by Infor Global Solutions.

In 2018 Ed joined Watermark Solutions as a Solution Consultant/Vice President of Sales & Marketing with a continued focus on the SyteLine Enterprise application. In 2023 Watermark joined forces with Synergy Resources to form WM Synergy where Ed continues to play a significant role as Vice President of Solution Consulting.

Jason’s ERP career began as an Infor customer working in Materials and Operations Management. His passion and ingenuity for helping companies define ERP strategies combined with an overall fascination with manufacturing led to a transition into ERP Consulting.  Throughout his career, Jason has helped hundreds of companies recognize the value of ERP. Today Jason services as Vice President at WM Synergy, a combination of Watermark Solutions and Synergy Resources under Potomac Equity.

Mike joined Watermark Solutions as Senior Vice President responsible for professional services in January of 2019.  Within his first year, he created an additional line of services business named Managed Support Services (MSS), which provides daily business support to Watermark customers through a new dedicated support team. Through Mike’s leadership, Watermark professional services have grown to record numbers. Mike’s team grew to be one of the largest groups in the Infor Partner Channel.

Prior to joining Watermark, Mike was hired by DXP Enterprises, a large distribution company based out of Houston, Texas to build and manage a new manufacturing facility to support their rotating equipment division.  Starting from an empty building, the $20M business was operational in a year.  Mike spent a total of five years with DXP before moving on to the Watermark opportunity.

For nine years Mike owned All Pro Alliance, an Infor SyteLine professional services firm.  The firm predominantly executed very large-scale Infor SyteLine implementations with one of the largest being a fifty-six site multi-national implementation.  His firm produced 3M in services revenue per year.

Mike’s 29-year career involves a healthy mix between professional services (19 years) and management positions within the manufacturing/distribution industry (10 years) in the areas of finance, operations, and IT.  He understands both the opportunity and challenges on both sides of the fence.

Over the years as a consultant, Mike was able to turnkey implementations providing consulting services in each area of the projects including project management, finance, operations, and development.

Mike currently services as Vice President at WM Synergy, a combination of Watermark Solutions and Synergy Resources under Potomac Equity.

Jessica Gadbois is Synergy’s Acumatica Practice Director. She fell in love with the Acumatica Cloud ERP solution during the five ½ years that she worked directly for Acumatica as a solution engineer. During her time there, she consulted with hundreds of manufacturing companies to deliver them a connected, digital solution in the cloud. She soon learned about the manufacturing experts of the ERP industry, Synergy Resources, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join them.

Jessica began her career at Oracle Netsuite where she was both a solution consultant and business development representative. She brings 8 years of cloud ERP experience with her to Synergy where she is committed to serving and delighting her manufacturing and distribution customers. She graduated from Bryant University in Rhode Island with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Jessica is based in Southeastern Massachusetts, close to Cape Cod, where she patiently awaits her days at the beach.

Lorin Schrader is a seasoned operations and financial executive with over two decades of experience spanning the aerospace, manufacturing, e-commerce, and retail sectors. Known for his strategic vision and operational acumen, Lorin has consistently driven transformational projects and operational excellence across diverse industries. His career is marked by his ability to lead complex projects, improve operational efficiencies, and drive financial performance.

Lorin joined Synergy in 2021 as the services manager for the Infor VISUAL business unit and quickly developed a passion for consulting and helping customers reach their true potential. He currently leads the Acumatica implementation team, the Center of Excellence, and the Customer Success team. When he isn’t helping customers, he can be found serving his local parish in youth and adult ministry or exploring the beautiful outdoors of Oregon with his wife Jacki and their five children.

Lorin holds a Master of Business Administration from Southern Oregon University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University. He is also a Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM).