Escapia Board of Directors
Escapia’s Board of Directors is charged with governing the corporation and brings decades of additional experience, success, and vision to Escapia’s leadership team, providing top level direction and advice on delivering the most value and impact to Escapia’s customers.
Steve Murch - Chairman
Steve Murch brings significant vacation rental industry experience to Escapia. Steve served as co-founder, President, CEO and Chairman of VacationSpot.com, a pioneer in the online reservation of vacation rentals, which was sold to Expedia in January 2000 for approximately $87M. At Expedia, Steve led the vacation package and destination services teams, creating two patents on the first dynamic vacation packaging system on the Internet, which now represents over $2 billion in annual transactions. Steve has keynoted on several occasions at the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) annual conference, is an avid renter of vacation properties, and has personally owned vacation rentals.
Steve worked for Microsoft from 1991 to 1997 in a variety of senior marketing and executive positions, and led the creation of the MSN Gaming Zone with several patents related to online multiplayer gaming. Steve holds an MS in Computer Science from Stanford University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was named a George F. Baker Scholar, and a dual BS in Applied Mathematics / Computer Science and Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Todd C. Marker
Todd Marker is a Principal at Buerk Dale Victor (BDV) and has over 12 years of investing and operating experience. He currently serves on the Boards of BDV portfolio companies Escapia and Sensaria, and is a Board Observer at Max-Viz. Todd joined Buerk Dale Victor from Sienna Partners where he analyzed private equity investments in the Pacific Northwest. Previously, in addition to several senior sales and marketing roles, Todd was Vice President of Acquisitions at Wash Depot Holdings, Inc. where he was part of a team that built the nation's largest chain of car wash facilities with over 70 locations and $100 million in annual revenue. Todd holds a BA from Dartmouth College.
Larry Gildersleeve
Larry Gildersleeve brings more than 20 years experience in a variety of marketing, sales and operations positions in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Escapia's board, he was Vice President of International Business Development and Senior Corporate Officer of Trendwest, and has held senior management positions with Hilton GrandVacations Company and MeriStar Hotels and Resorts, as well as major international exchange companies Interval International and RCI. Larry also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee member of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the timeshare industry's trade association. He is also a member of the Board of Directors and former president of the Washington, D.C.-based International Foundation for Timesharing. Larry holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and a BS in Government and Journalism from Western Kentucky University where he currently serves as a member of its Board of Advisors.
Bill Furlong - Chief Executive Officer
Prior to joining Escapia, Bill was Chief Operating Officer at Mpire where he was responsible for Sales, Marketing, Finance, HR, and Customer Service. Prior to Mpire, Bill was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Cranium, Inc., where he was responsible for driving the company's revenue goals and domestic brand development. While at Cranium, Bill expanded retail distribution from three accounts to all major toy retailers in the country, helping Cranium become the first company to win the toy industry Game of the Year for three consecutive years. Before his tenure at Cranium, Bill was the President and CEO of Mountain Travel Sobek, one of the nation's leading travel outfitters. He has also held several Group and Product Unit Management positions with Microsoft working on Expedia, CarPoint, HomeAdvisor, and Sidewalk. Prior to Microsoft, Bill held key marketing positions at Time Warner, and was a financial analyst with Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. Bill holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Dartmouth College.