Aspen Leadership

George Puype was a co-founder of Aspen Systems. He retired from his position as President/CEO and his outstanding shares of the company were purchased and retired as treasury stock. George continued in his role as Chairman of the Board and Director Emeritus until his passing in 2020. His vast experience in technology and the food industry continues to be a great benefit to the company. His pioneering efforts in establishing a vertical software company specifically for the needs of the food industry in 1988 are revolutionary. His early vision and direction continue as a guiding foundation for the company. George passed from this life on October 1, 2020. 

Click here to read Tribute to George Puype

Lisa is the current sole owner of Aspen Systems. She is a co-founder of the company and has been employed by Aspen since its inception. She began her career as a CPA working for Price Waterhouse and left public accounting to establish Aspen Systems with her father, George Puype. As President and CEO of Aspen, she oversees the Financial, Marketing, Development, and Operations of the company. Lisa takes a very hands-on approach to running Aspen. She is involved in all major decision making and is always accessible to both customers and employees. She believes that taking care of customers and employees is critical to the continued success of the company. Lisa remains devoted to providing the Food Industry with the best software and hardware solutions along with outstanding customer service.

Andrea, daughter of Lisa Lawrence and granddaughter of George Puype, has been involved with Aspen from an early age. Her education and talent were put to great use in the overhaul of marketing literature, creation of The Aspen Report, contemporary branding for new products, and assistance in creating additional departmental organization within the company. She oversaw the move to Aspen’s current headquarters and assisted with creating the office’s interior design. The spacious and ultramodern training room and demonstration area with nearby event space were all thoughtfully designed with Aspen’s customers in mind. Her managerial efforts have led to the establishment of Aspen Workshops and Executive Conferences, which have been an enormous success with Aspen customers. Andrea also plays a significant role on Aspen’s HR Board.  Her tireless efforts make certain that Aspen employees are being taken care of.

Justin joined Aspen as a skilled developer; his innovation and talent quickly earned him a promotion to Development Manager and later to Director of Development, overseeing both Development and Quality Assurance. Justin was promoted to Chief Information Officer, which involves oversight and input in the future of Aspen’s IT projects. Justin also contributes to Aspen’s sales efforts, allowing him to stay connected with industry leaders that influence software development. Justin has been a key contributor to Canopy’s design and development. His ability to engineer automated and efficient solutions, coupled with his outstanding communication, management, and interactive skills are of great benefit to Aspen and its customer base. His commitment to excellence and innovation has allowed Canopy to evolve into the most feature-rich, fully integrated software solution available to the food industry today.

Tim joined Aspen as a skilled programmer/analyst and has held senior staff positions in Development, Client Solutions, and Quality Assurance. His career has ranged from programmer/analyst to global development, implementation, and directing service teams focused on the grocery, food processing, and health care industries. Tim is a talented individual, possessing a variety of skill sets and is one of the senior designers of Aspen’s flagship product, Canopy. Tim has been a key contributor to all elements of Canopy, from design concept to the first go-live, and he continues to provide his valuable experience in ongoing enhancement. After serving as Director of Operations, Tim was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer, managing the growth, structure, and operation of the company as a whole while remaining connected with Aspen’s customer base.

Bonny joined Aspen Systems as a Quality Assurance Analyst. She thrives on challenges and was quickly promoted to the role of Quality Assurance Manager. Here she played the significant role of overseeing software testing and guiding development. Her working experience in the food industry at an animal feed manufacturer and a large pork processor before coming to Aspen provides an intuitive understanding of customer requirements. As a former CPA, Bonny’s expertise in accounting makes her a seasoned consultant on high-level accounting issues. Bonny’s many talents, especially her depth of knowledge regarding Canopy and its functionality, made her the obvious candidate for the Director of Product Design. She continues to share her abilities and guidance with customers and coworkers, ensuring that Canopy remains the most advanced ERP solution designed specifically for the food industry.

Misty joined Aspen as a Senior Implementation Specialist. Her previous work experience at an aerospace software company and as an accountant is put to good use in Aspen’s Implementation Department. In her role as Director of Implementation, Misty is responsible for and directs all aspects of the Implementation and Business Analysis efforts. Misty thrives in a challenging environment and has proven her adeptness while handling complicated installations, including multiple companies and multiple modules being brought live at the same time. She does a remarkable job of planning and overseeing installations customized to meet each customer’s unique operations. Misty handles each implementation with calm and intelligent direction. She has superb organizational skills and her methodical and professional approach to implementation has won her many successes.

Tony joined Aspen as an experienced developer with excellent management skills. This led to a promotion to Development Manager and later a promotion to Director of Development where he focuses his skills on building a strong, innovative development and quality assurance team. Tony refined processes and procedures, from specification writing to peer reviews and automated testing, ensuring that future Canopy releases are reliable and include features designed by industry leaders and Aspen’s accomplished team. Tony is committed to Aspen’s design of fully integrated software solutions that  offer more advanced capabilities pertinent to customer needs. This has allowed Aspen to continue to revolutionize software solutions for the Food Industry. Under Tony’s leadership, Canopy continues to evolve, taking advantage of advanced software development tools and latest technologies.

Mickey joined Aspen Systems as a Senior Implementation Specialist. Mickey has great in-depth knowledge of Canopy, particularly Data Capture and Production, and insider knowledge of the food industry. He got his start at a further processing meat plant, where he did everything from drive delivery trucks to accounting, steak cutting and sales. He joined Aspen Systems and worked in Client Solutions and Implementation. He possesses great management, communication, and interactive skills, and is a true team player. These qualities, plus his expertise in Canopy and background in the food industry, provide the foundation for his position as Director of Solutions. In this role, Mickey is responsible for and directs all aspects of Technology Solutions, Aspen’s hardware support department, as well as Client Solutions, the team which delivers support and training to all live Canopy customers.

John joined Aspen as a sales representative after spending many years working with a food distribution and processing company. He has worked in a variety of areas in the food industry, including shipping, warehousing, and production. He was an experienced route salesperson and spent time as an inside salesperson. Most of his years were spent selling to retail grocery chains, food processing, and food service companies. John’s broad experience in the food industry provides him with an innate understanding of the needs of Aspen’s customers. This has translated into many intuitive additions to the Canopy software to better meet the unique requirements of the food industry. John’s years with Aspen incorporate computer systems’ expertise from both a software and a hardware perspective. In his current position as Director of Sales, John’s comprehensive experience has translated into an optimum formula for guiding sales and marketing efforts to best meet the individual needs of Aspen’s customers.

Garrett joined Aspen Systems as a Developer. He caught onto Aspen Systems’ development style and processes very quickly and was promoted to Development Manager. Garrett has an extensive background in management and software development. He never shies away from a challenge and has a track record of getting the job done. He is particularly adept at mentoring new employees, and is a known advocate for frequent and open communication with customers, developers, and quality assurance personnel. Garrett is a team player and driven by the desire to cultivate and challenge individuals around him to reach their full potential. His motivation inspires his team to keep Canopy at peak performance.  

Stephanie joined Aspen Systems in the Implementation Department. She previously worked with several west coast produce food processing companies, bringing a specialized knowledge of food industry operations, production, and quality assurance. When a need arose in Quality Assurance for more analysts, Stephanie was a natural fit and worked her way up the ranks to Quality Assurance Manager. Working closely with the development team, Stephanie stays up to date on all new features of Canopy and tracks and tackles any known issues in the software. Stephanie is in charge of releasing all new versions of the Canopy software modules to Canopy customers and is passionate about not releasing software until it has been thoroughly tested.

Michelle joined Aspen as a teenager working for her mother, Lisa Lawrence, and Grandfather, George Puype. She spent time in both Client Solutions and Quality Assurance before moving to the accounting department where she currently fills the role of Accounting Manager. Thanks to her background, she has taken advantage of various areas of the system to help streamline day to day tasks, relying heavily on Document Imaging and Event Watch. She is also a member of Aspen’s HR Operating Board. She does her best to take care of all customers, vendors, and employees with equal importance and respect, and is proud to carry on her family’s legacy in the food industry.

As a sales and marketing professional with decades of experience and success, Carol joined Aspen Systems in the Marketing Department and was quickly promoted to Marketing Manager. Carol is a multi-talented member of Aspen’s sales team, contributing focus, passion, enthusiasm, and a talent for collaboration. She provides insight for her team on sales of Aspen’s full suite of Enhanced Modules to existing customers, plus assists them in providing strategy for prospective customers. Carol works on everything from marketing strategy, lead generation, target campaigns, and facilitating new customer acquisitions. Her ability to foster and maintain happy and healthy relationships with prospective customers through the progression to Canopy user is unmatched in the industry.

Pam has worked in many roles at Aspen Systems over her career. She gained experience and achieved success in Implementation and Quality Assurance, but found her true home in Client Solutions, the department she now manages. Throughout her history at Aspen, Pam has established relationships all across Aspen’s customer base. Many customers think of Pam as the heart of Aspen. Her knowledge of the Canopy software and inner workings of the food industry, plus her devotion to both Aspen and Aspen’s customer base has been instrumental in the growth and success of Aspen. Aspen’s great reputation for caring about its customers was built under Pam’s leadership and continues to thrive today.

Chad joined Aspen Systems as a Technology Solutions Specialist and was promoted to Technology Solutions Manager. He implemented new protocols to assist with organization to help ensure his department could gain recognition for their high level of service. After achieving great success in that department, Chad moved into the sales department as the Central Sales Manager. Chad is a natural leader and has a very successful background in sales, management, information technology operations, hardware, software, and networks. He has a natural aptitude toward technology and applying new technological capabilities for companies in the food industry to reduce costs and maximize growth. Chad is responsible for developing and cultivating Canopy prospects in the central United States.

Doug came to Aspen Systems as the Northeast Sales Manager and has a passion for the food industry, sales, and technology. Doug has deep roots in the food industry, with many years of experience as a salesperson for a protein distributor and then as the IT Director and Sales Manager for an east coast poultry processing company. Doug is very personable, hands on, and has a great knowledge of the Canopy software modules. He is very adept at recommending which Canopy modules will have the greatest and most lucrative impact for a company in the food industry based on their goals. Doug is responsible for developing and cultivating Canopy prospects in the eastern United States.

Tony joined Aspen Systems in the Technology Solutions Department as a Technology Solutions Specialist, was promoted to Lead Technology Solutions Specialist, and then promoted to Technology Solutions Manager. Tony has a background as a Service Manager and technician for a technology operations equipment company. At Aspen, Tony oversees the Technology Solutions Department, mentors other technicians, and visits customers to recommend scanning and scaling software and equipment solutions. Tony is Aspen Systems’ resident expert regarding in-motion scaling solutions with the integration to the Canopy software modules. Thanks to his amiable nature and quick and clever approach to providing solutions, Tony has received high satisfaction marks from Aspen’s customers.

David York has an extensive background of 20 plus years working with food ERP systems and joined Aspen Systems in its Technology Solutions Department. After becoming an expert in that department, David later moved to the sales department as the Data Capture Sales Manager. He designs inventory control systems using scanners, barcoding, labeling, and scaling using the latest technology that is available today. David has visited and made recommendations to hundreds of food companies and has a deep understanding of how they should utilize technology to gain maximum efficiencies and traceability. Some of his innovative ideas are proudly on display in Aspen’s demo area in the new building.