For 16 years \u2014 10 of which as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer \u2014 Chris led Tollgrade Communications Inc.<\/a> from technology startup to public company to being recognized as one of the Best Small Companies In America by Forbes<\/i>, Fortune<\/i>, Business 2.0<\/i>, Bloomberg Personal Finance<\/i> and Industry Week<\/i>. In the year 2000, sales of Tollgrade\u2019s centralized telephone test systems reached $114 million. That year, its value on the NASDAQ exchange also reached $2 billion. For his efforts, Chris was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, as well as by the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association. Chris was also named CEO Communicator of The Year by the Public Relations Society of America.<\/p>\n Now, Chris devotes much of his time to Allegheny College<\/a>. He teaches entrepreneurship and managerial economics as the college\u2019s Entrepreneur-In-Residence. He is also a member of Allegheny\u2019s Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Timesys Corporation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chris has also been a columnist for Pittsburgh Quarterly<\/i><\/a> since the magazine\u2019s inception in 2005. His column, \u201cTo Boldly Go\u201d deals with the subject of innovation. For his writing, he is a two-time nominee and one time winner of the Golden Quill Award by the Pittsburgh Press Club.<\/p>\n