Our Executive Team

Kellie Owens – Founder/Co-Owner

Ms. Owens has been in the telecommunications industry since 1987 and has enjoyed learning many facets of the industry itself.  She started in the operations department of Teltrust Operator Services, then moved on to become the Vice President of USP Communications and VP of Contact Center.  While working in that role, she was recruited and hired to work for Access Long Distance to manage their Directory Assistance call center and later moved into their Network Design and Provisioning Department.  It was there that she started to really understand and take an interest in how billing and networks were formed and the how to efficiently put a network together at the least cost to the carrier and customer.  In 1998, she began selling for Nextlink (a/k/a XO Communications, now Verizon) and rose to the top of her field, making the National XSellers group every year while working at XO.  In 2003, Kellie formed Innovative Telecom Solutions and began consulting with integrity and the true desire to form long lasting relationships and earning the trust of her customers, which is a motto that the entire Innovative team lives by every day.   Ms. Owens  was honored as one of 2016’s "30 Women to Watch" featured in the Utah Business Journal.  She enjoys spending time with her husband, their four children, grandchildren and fur babies.   

Steve Morphis - Chief Revenue Officer/Co-Owner 

Steve Morphis has been working in the telecommunications industry since 1997 starting as an entry-level account executive at Salt Lake based, Access Long Distance. It was there that Steve fostered a relationship-oriented approach to selling and maintaining those relationships to create life-long partnerships with key contacts. Over the years, Steve has excelled in various roles from Account Executive to Sales Manager and Director levels in various markets including Salt Lake, Las Vegas and the Seattle/Portland NW regions. He was a six time Presidents Club winner at his previous company before moving to the agent world. Innovative Telecom attracted Steve in 2012 due to its reputation and passion of putting the customer first and its agnostic approach to providing the best fit and solution to the end-user. Innovative also differentiates itself from the other telecom agencies by providing in-house account management to help provide the additional post-sales support many carriers lack. This provided the perfect career path for Steve to do things the “right way” without the complications of corporate agendas and back-pocket thinking. With access to over 300 carriers to choose from, Steve has become an expert at vetting the best providers and network solutions for Innovative customers. Steve became a Partner and the Chief Revenue Officer for Innovative in 2019. He enjoys the outdoors, traveling and exposing his family to different culture and art. He attended the University of Utah as a Music Major and is married with two daughters.

Krista Saumsiegle - Strategic Partner

Krista Saumsiegle has been working in the telecommunications industry since 1997, starting at Nextlink in Salt Lake City as an Account Executive.  In 2000 Krista moved to Boston and was hired as the Channel Manager for XO Communications, a position which she held for eleven years.  After leaving XO, she took her extensive knowledge to Clover Communications and worked as a Network Design Engineer for the next five years. In 2016 Krista founded 212 Communications and has been working as a successful telecommunications consultant since that time.  Krista’s approach of building life-long customer relationships aligns with the mission of Innovative Telecom and in 2019 the two organizations established a strategic partnership.  Krista loves the outdoors, traveling for business and pleasure and raising her three amazing children.

Bryan Frayser - Regional Sales Director

Bryan Frayser joined the team in September of 2022. Prior to joining, he had focused in on Cybersecurity Consulting as well as 7 years of SAAS sales. That being said, he still holds a number of records today within those organizations. He spent a lot of his time within his Sales Career, not only making sure his clients had their needs met but also training new hires as they were on-boarding. Apart from that, Bryan was a Director and Coach in 3 different Gymnastics Gyms, both in TX (where he calls home) and also WA state upon arriving back in 2015. He has an immense passion for people, and it carries into his everyday with how he works with his clients. One of the reasons why he stepped into consulting in the first place was due to the transactional nature that most organizations develop that leads to a terrible customer experience. Upon joining, Bryan is adamant about providing the best experience to navigate the ever-changing landscape of Cybersecurity while also saving time in the research phase. Bryan got married back in February of 2022, lives outside of Seattle, and loves anything active. Whether it is hiking, working out, cooking with friends and family, or just being outside, he knows that the most important thing about life is to live it. 

Matt Ciaramella - General Manager

Matt Ciaramella has worked for Innovative Telecom Solutions as General Manager since 2008. Prior to working at Innovative, Matt spent 4 years playing professional baseball in the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs organizations. After his professional baseball career ended, Matt returned back the University of Utah where he completed his Bachelor's Degree in Finance and began working for Innovative. Since joining Innovative Telecom, Matt’s role as General Manager has grown from handling all things financial, back office & HR to also being responsible for working with the Master Agency’s and Telecom Carriers at Innovative’s disposal gathering and putting together pricing requests and proposals for both new and existing clients for Innovative’s sales reps and subcontractors. His constant work ethic and drive are a key component to the overall success of Innovative Telecom’s day to day business operations. Matt is an avid CrossFitter, loves spending time with his family, and playing golf. He is married and has two beautiful daughters.

Roni Smith - Senior Account Manager

Roni has been with Innovative Telecom Solutions for over 10  years. She serves as the main point of contact for the accounts she manages and prides herself on availability, responsiveness and quality overall support. Since arriving at Innovative she has assumed responsibility for maintaining positive customer relationships, coordinating cabling projects and service delivery as well as post-sales support, escalations, cost reductions and account growth. Prior to Innovative she was fine-tuning her organization, leadership and communication skills by raising 4 children and a husband while heading up many fundraising events. Roni is married with 4 grown children and 9 (soon to be 10) grandchildren, she enjoys running, camping, event planning and all things creative.

Kaysie Knox - Senior Account & Billing Manager

Kaysie Knox serves as an Account Manager at Innovative Telecom Solutions. She manages all post sale aspects for her clients from installation coordination to outages , billing disputes and contract renewals. Kaysie has worked in the customer relations field for 10 years and has been with Innovative for 8 years. She specializes in cabling and billing management for Innovative clients, along with creating our marketing content. Prior to Innovative, Kaysie graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and worked for a high-end Custom Wedding Dress Designer in California before returning to Utah.  She worked as an Event Coordinator while attending Westminster college in Salt Lake City, Utah, earning B.S. degrees in Business Management and Marketing. She enjoys traveling, eating, reading, and spending time with her husband, daughter and their two dogs.  

Pete Owens - Senior Telecom & Infrastructure Engineer

Pete has over 30 years of experience working in the telecommunications industry starting as a payphone technician with Teltrust Communications in 1987.  In 1992 he began working for Access Long Distance as a Field Engineer where he installed and managed their DMS 100 CO switches and DC power.  Pete has an extensive background in AC/DC Power and low voltage cabling,  and is also experienced in the design and installation of high-end home audio systems.  He has served as Innovative’s lead engineer since 2010 installing and maintaining phone systems and managing complex cabling jobs for our customers.  Pete is married and has four children and five grandchildren.  He enjoys boating, snowmobiling and spending time with his family.  

Katie Benns - Billing Manager

Katie has over 25 years of experience in the telecom industry. She began her career at Access Long Distance where she held the positions of Customer Service Manager, Director of Support Services, and ultimately Director of Enhanced Services. While at Access, Katie was instrumental in the development of Access’s proprietary billing platform. Katie later held the position of Director of Client Services for inContact, Inc. Katie joined Innovative’s team in 2010 and brought with her a distinguished record of gaining customer confidence through excellent service follow-through and quick resolution of complex issues. She handles billing issues for Innovative’s clients, including audits, disputes, and quarterly or monthly reviews. For select clients she also manages their monthly telecom invoicing, which includes coding and approving all of their telecom invoices and providing monthly billing reports. Katie is also a professional voice talent and provides voice recordings for many of our customers.  Katie earned her Masters Degree from Westminster College and is a Clinical and Mental Health Counselor.   Katie enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her family.  

Quick Contact

 

Innovative Telecom Solutions
546 West 8360 South
Sandy, UT 84070

Phone/Fax
Phone: 801-858-2010
Fax: 801-858-2011