Leadership Team

Joseph P. Urso, Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Joseph P. Urso is the Chairman & CEO of Aerus Holdings LLC. Aerus Holdings LLC has invested capital and expertise in a variety of companies where it has complete or significant operating control. A primary investment of Holdings is Aerus LLC, which was known as Electrolux from 1924-2003. Aerus has been a leader in floorcare and home health products for over 85 years and has served more than 50 million homes in North America.

Mr. Urso has led Aerus Holdings to success using the Four Corners of Every Successful Business™ model, which he created. He planned the entry of Aerus Holdings into network marketing for over ten years. He believes in the explosive power of this industry to change lives in a positive way and dedicates his full-time efforts to company business.

Mr. Urso is very involved in the Direct Selling Association and serves on its Board of Directors.

Bill Coyle, Executive Vice President, Sales

Bill Coyle joined Aerus Canada, Inc. in 1972 as a sales rep in their college program, and held various managerial and executive positions in Sales, Finance, Marketing and Administration until January 2003. At that time, his employment was transferred to our U.S. affiliate Aerus LLC, where he serves as the Vice President of Training and Education. Mr. Coyle is also the Executive Vice President of Sales of DBG Group Investments, LLC. Bill graduated from Dawson college in Montreal, Quebec with a Business Administration degree, and has completed additional course work at Concordia (Montreal) and York (Toronto) Universities in marketing and accounting. Bill is fluent in English and French and speaks some Italian, Japanese and Mandarin as well.

Kevin Hickey, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Kevin Hickey is the EVP and COO of Aerus LLC and DBG Group Investments, LLC. He is also the Vice President and a director of Aerusco, Inc. (the managing member of Aerus Holdings, LLC). Mr. Hickey joined the Aerus business in December 1977. Since that time, Mr. Hickey has held various management and executive positions such as Vice President of Field Administration and Executive Vice President of Administration, most recently. Mr. Hickey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia State University, and has completed course work toward an MBA at Kennesaw State College.

Bret Holland, Chief Financial Officer

Bret Holland is the CFO of Aerus Holdings LLC. Mr. Holland joined the Aerus team in November of 1998. Since that time he has held the positions of Director of Finance and VP-Finance, as well as his current position of Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his tenure with Aerus, Mr. Holland held the position of Controller for Interceramic, Inc., a Dallas, Texas based manufacturer of ceramic floor tile. Prior to that, he worked in public accounting for the national firm Coopers & Lybrand. Mr. Holland has maintained a CPA license since 1992. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Business Administration. Mr. Holland lives in Garland, Texas with his wife Melissa.

Carl C. Christoff, President & Chief Legal Officer

Carl C. Christoff joined Aerus LLC in January 2002 and is currently Aerus' President and Chief Legal Officer. He is also the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of DBG Group Investments, LLC. From April 2000 to 2004, he served as Vice President of Engles Urso Follmer Capital Corporation, a Dallas-based investment firm. From January 1984 to March 2000, Mr. Christoff was an attorney with Stutzman & Bromberg in Dallas, Texas, where he served on the firm's management committee. Mr. Christoff obtained his undergraduate degree from Mount Union College and a law degree from Tulane University. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

Mark Battista, Executive Vice President

Mark Battista has twenty years of experience with start-up ventures in the telecommunications, construction, environmental, manufacturing, and gaming industries. He received his BS in electrical engineering from Michigan State University. He currently holds a masters degree in business administration from SMU.

As founder and Vice President for L. Battista Electrical Construction he managed a 300-employee, $25 million organization for 10 years. After acquiring Voice Retrieval & Information Services in 1989, he has been instrumental in developing one of the largest local real estate networks in the country. Voice Retrieval also provides electronic and web-based voting services for state and local governments. In 1987, he established National Waste Inc., a non-hazardous liquid waste treatment facility in Dallas, Texas, which was later sold to a large waste company in Houston Texas. Mark recently joined the Aerus Holdings team as EVP, and will be responsible for manufacturing, engineering, IT, distribution, and other key areas of DBG Group where he also serves as EVP.