
Chris Baird
Chris is a seasoned leader with over 15 years of combined B2B sales and general management experience emphasizing Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) industries. He currently serves as President and CEO of Graham Partners portfolio company, OptConnect, a one-stop-shop provider of managed wireless connectivity solutions. Chris also serves on Graham Partners’ Technology and Innovation Council.
OptConnect, a Utah-based company, is one of North America’s leading managed service wireless connectivity providers and provides a secure and reliable monitored wireless connection to the internet for unattended equipment that is easy, low-risk, and convenient – all supported by superior customer service infrastructure. Today, OptConnect serves an ever-expanding list of industries and markets, including various applications within Retail and Payments, Cash Automation and Security, Agriculture, Industrial, and Energy, to name a few.
Through Chris’ leadership and tenure, OptConnect’s exponential growth has landed the company on the Inc. 5000 list four years in a row. The company has also been named by Mountain West Capital Network to the “Utah 100” for a fifth time, making it one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the state. Chris is also the recipient of the 2021 “CEO of the Year” award by Utah Business Magazine.
Chris attended Western Governors University with an emphasis in Business Administration and Management, Weber State University for Business Administration, and a minor in Spanish.