About Us

History

When Copper Range was founded in 2001, its founders, Dr. Peter Kochevar and Randall Ray were searching for what the marketplace needed.
At that time they made two distinct observations:

Cloud and cellular systems were in their infant stages
Internet based business-to-business products were sorely lacking.

Both founders had experience in software and construction, so Copper Range was built on addressing this technology gap through solving problems in the construction industry. Thus, ProjectStore was born to eliminate the hassle of sharing essential paper-based documentation with all team members and to move business toward the Internet. Each subsequent product in our platform has been developed by finding solutions to problems that were solved by using Internet and cellular based technologies.

What's in a Name

The name Copper Range came about when both founders, born Michiganders, wanted to pay homage to their home state. Dr. Kochevar has family that mined copper ore in the upper peninsula of Michigan in a region nicknamed Copper Range Country, which was also home to the famous Copper Range Railroad (www.copperrange.org). Back in the day, railroads were the networks of connecting lines between people, and now this connection comes via the Internet. Our products harness the power of this instant connector, so what better way to give tribute to the original network?

Mission

Expand the Internet of Things (IoT) by creating cloud-based safety and authentication products to find solutions for problems our customers face by utilizing all available technologies at our disposal... and inventing technologies that are not available.

Vision

We will turn Copper Range into a world renowned company through guts, will, and determination. We won't do it alone, our customers will be part of the process, and supporting them will be just as important as our own corporate growth. We won't stop until every business, large or small, recognizes Copper Range by name as the market leader in cloud-based safety and authentication products. Period.

Management Team

Randall Ray - Co-Founder, President and CEO

Mr. Ray co-founded Copper Range in 2001 to create Internet based products and solutions for business. Under Mr. Ray's leadership as President and CEO, Copper Range has grown into a leading provider of cloud based safety and authentication systems with a focus on combining cellular data networks with the Internet. Working alongside Dr. Peter Kochevar, Mr. Ray created a platform of products utilized by hundreds of thousands of users and is listed as co-inventor on many Copper Range patents. Prior to starting Copper Range, Mr. Ray worked for various companies including Price Waterhouse and STAC. Mr. Ray holds a BBA from Walsh College.

Peter Kochevar, Ph.D - Co-Founder and CTO

Dr. Kochevar holds a BS in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, an MS in Mathematics from the University of Utah, and MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science from Cornell University. From 1992 until 1998, Dr. Kochevar was employed by the Digital Equipment Corporation but worked at the San Diego Supercomputer Center in San Diego, California as a Visiting Scientist. At the Supercomputer Center, he managed a group of researchers in developing interactive data visualization systems, and he structured collaborative research projects whose results benefited Digital's engineering teams. In June of 1998, he co-founded SharedPlanet, Inc., a company that developed Web-based collaboration software and services, and was SharedPlanet's Chief Technology Officer. In April 2000, SharedPlanet was purchased by SkyDesk, Inc., a storage services provider based in San Diego. Dr. Kochevar worked for SkyDesk as its Principal Software Architect until January 2001.

Amy Bastien - Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Bastien joined Copper Range in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Bastien began her career in 1996 as an auditor with Ernst & Young in Detroit, specializing in manufacturing and financial services clients. In 2000, Ms. Bastien joined Delphi as part of their accounting team. Over her 10 years with Delphi, Ms. Bastien worked in a broad range of finance areas, including 4 years in Germany as a divisional accounting manager. Ms. Bastien holds a BBA in Accounting from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University and is a CPA.

Kaitlin Girbach - Sales and Marketing Manager

Ms. Girbach joined Copper Range in 2015 and drives all aspects of strategic marketing and social media interfacing for the entire product platform. Ms. Girbach's strong passion for brand management brings fresh insight to the marketing team. Prior to joining Copper Range, Ms. Girbach was the Director of Publicity for the University of Michigan campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Girbach holds a BBA with an emphasis in Marketing from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.