About Us
It Takes a Village to Grow a Business
Founded in 2003, the Gilead Group takes a unique approach to investing. We have no traditional exit timelines or even set investing criteria. We invest where we see opportunity and strive to establish long-lasting businesses. We are truly active investors, often times establishing a new business when we see a need. Other times taking front-line, operational roles in our businesses when we believe we can create synergy or boost results.
The Gilead Group is made up not just of the Gilead employees who provide centralized services to portfolio companies, but of all the management teams and staffs that populate the Gilead Group portfolio companies. The result is a collaborative, supportive environment for new companies where each team can lean in, learn from each other and benefit from combined experiences. When starting a business, it’s difficult to go it alone. Our approach provides a built-in support network featuring years of start-up experience and expertise.
Our Team
Howard Wood
Chairman
As Chairman of Gilead Group, Howard Wood brings broad experience gained through a distinguished career. That experience began in 1961 at Arthur Andersen & Co, where he served as a CPA and eventually became a Regional Tax Partner responsible for eight Midwestern offices. During that time, he assisted with financing the building of the cable television systems of Telcom Communications. Howard was instrumental in the formation of Cencom Cable Associates, which he ultimately joined in 1987 as CEO.
After the sale of Cencom to Hallmark in 1991, Howard, along with his partner Jerry Kent, formed Charter Communications in 1993. Charter eventually grew to be one of the largest cable systems in the world. In January 2002, Howard and Jerry founded Cequel III. The Cequel III team built AAT Communications into the largest privately-owned cell tower company in the United States before selling that enterprise in 2006. Cequel III also managed Suddenlink Communications, building it into the seventh-largest U.S. cable company with operating results among the best in its industry before it was sold to Altice Group in 2015 for an enterprise value of $9.1 billion.
Howard serves on the board of directors for the following organizations: Gilead Group, Gilead Fleet, Customer Choice, C4 Connections, and Realtime Results. Howard has a B.S.B.A degree and an Honorary Doctorate from Washington University.
Kent Kalkwarf
President and
Chief Executive Officer
Prior to founding Gilead Group, LLC in January, 2002, Kent Kalkwarf was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Charter Communications, Inc. Kent was promoted to that position in July 2000, having previously served as Senior Vice President-Finance and Acquisitions. Kent joined Charter in July, 1995 to head up the mergers and acquisitions department. From July, 1995 through his departure, Charter grew from an MSO of approximately 500,000 customers to the third-largest MSO with approximately 7 million customers.
Prior to joining Charter, Kent was employed for 13 years by Arthur Andersen LLP, where he attained the position of senior tax manager. He has extensive experience in cable, retail and international tax issues. Kent serves on the board of directors for the following organizations: Gilead Group, Gilead Fleet, Customer Choice, C4 Connections, Realtime Results and Archlogix. Kent has a B.S. degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and is a certified public accountant.
Kim King
Managing Director
Since joining Gilead Group in 2005, Kim has taken on increased responsibility and roles leading to her current position as Managing Director. Her work includes deal evaluation and execution, as well as working closely with portfolio company management teams in developing and executing their strategic plans. Kim also serves on the board of directors for two Gilead Group portfolio companies, Joink, and Realtime Results.
Prior to joining Gilead Group, Kim served as accounting manager at Reuters America. In this role, she provided communication cost support for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America markets. From 1999 to 2003, Kim served as a cable programming account manager at Charter Communications. In this role, she managed relationships with national cable programmers and conducted a variety of audit work. She has a B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Ann Regan
Principal
Ann joined the Gilead Group team in 2004. For over 15 years, she served as VP-Controller, overseeing the Accounting, Payroll, and Human Resource departments for the Gilead Group and our Portfolio companies. With the support & collaboration of Ann and her team, our Portfolio companies have been able to focus their time and efforts on growth. In 2020, Ann was promoted to Principal. In this role, Ann uses her extensive experience to locate investment opportunities and assist our new management teams in growing their business.
Prior to joining Gilead Group, Ann spent five years as an Accountant for Sterling Direct, a direct marketing firm, and over three years as a Senior Accountant for Charter Communications in the cable industry. Ann earned a B.A., with honors, in Accounting from Webster University. Ann serves on the Board of Directors for PenPath, LLC; Realtime Results, LLC; and J.K. Business Holdings, LLC.
Nicole Schlanger
Vice President
Since joining Gilead Group in 2009, Nicole has taken on increasing roles in Gilead Group and the portfolio companies’ Human Resources functions. In 2022, Nicole was promoted to Vice President and now works in deal flow origination and assists in due diligence and onboarding of new investments. Nicole also consults on all HR functions for Gilead Group’s portfolio companies. She oversees a variety of HR functions including recruitment, employee relations, training, compliance, policy creation, and benefits administration. Nicole serves on the Board of Directors for PenPath, LLC.
Prior to joining Gilead Group, Nicole served two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Saint Louis area. As a VISTA, she worked with a local nonprofit that provided services to older adults to keep them engaged in the community, help them lead physically and spiritually active lives, and remain safely living in their own homes. Nicole studied Marketing and Management at the University of Central Missouri.
Paul Inman
Managing Director, Board Member, and Advisor
Paul Inman joined the Gilead Group in 2003 and serves as a Managing Director, where he provides strategic and operational support to the firm’s portfolio companies. Over the course of his career, he has held leadership roles across a range of software and Internet businesses, including most recently serving as CEO of Linxup, a leading provider of GPS fleet and asset tracking solutions.
Earlier in his career, Paul spent a decade at Hallmark Cards, where he was the first employee of Hallmark.com and led the company’s initial foray into web and e-commerce initiatives. He holds a BS from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
Naeem Bari
Advisor
Naeem Bari is a seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of experience driving innovation across SaaS, IoT, and enterprise software platforms. He currently serves as President and Chief Product Officer at Linxup, a leading GPS fleet management and tracking solutions provider for small fleets, where he leads strategy and product vision. As one of the founders of the company (formerly Agilis Systems), Naeem has been instrumental in its growth into a nationally recognized IoT solutions provider.
Previously, Naeem held senior technology leadership roles at Cequel3 and Meridian Enterprises, where he oversaw large-scale application development and enterprise software systems for Fortune 500 clients including Sony, Toshiba, and Dupont. Earlier in his career, he founded and successfully exited a web hosting company and served as Manager at both Grant Thornton and Hitachi Consulting, delivering enterprise-grade technology solutions and guiding clients through digital transformation. Naeem holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis, where his work focused on distributed multimedia systems, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences.
Josh Zuerner
Advisor
Josh Zuerner served as President and CEO of Joink, LLC from 2012 to 2024, leading its transformation into a leading regional provider of fiber and fixed-wireless connectivity, IT services, and data hosting across Indiana and Illinois. He began his career in technology at a young age, earning national recognition for software development while still in middle school.
Josh remains active in civic and industry leadership, serving on the boards of Wabash Valley Goodwill and Hometown Savings Bank, and supporting various Rotary initiatives. He has received numerous awards for both professional achievements and community impact. Josh is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Industrial Management and minors in Management Information Systems and Finance. While at Purdue, he represented the university in national entrepreneurship competitions and was a finalist in the Burton D. Morgan Business Plan Competition.