Chris Rimple

“Chris has helped Groupanizer in many ways, providing great advice and opening doors. He's recommended a number of business development ideas, has reviewed our investment plans, and has connected us to potential investors. Not to mention investing on his own behalf. ”

“I've worked with Chris at three different companies and I've always been impressed with his ability to lead a team and focus in on a common goal. He's very driven and his ability to tackle all issues in a calm and confident manner is what makes him successful. I would happily work with him again and highly recommend him for future positions.”

“Chris is a strong and effective leader who understands the software development process and the needs of engineering teams. He created a fantastic working environment for my team at OSB Consulting. Chris is open and honest about company and client matters, and is very adept at managing and balancing the demands of clients against the realities of product development. His breadth and depth of knowledge across the entire spectrum of business matters is superior. Chris treats his employees as his most valuable asset, going the extra mile to ensure they are treated with respect and fairness. I very highly recommend Chris for a leadership position.”

“If you need big talent, that's not complicated, just pay top dollar. But if you also want hard working, happy, dedicated employees who will come to work energized and motivated, hire Chris Rimple to lead them, and then relax, because now you can. Chris has the emotional intelligence, integrity, and ability to deliver what everyone needs in order to be at their best, moreso than any other leader I've come across in technology and product development. Of course this man knows his business like Dr. Dre knows the Chronic. But what's truly phenomenally rare is his ability to take care of, motivate, mentor, and cultivate loyalty and equity out of everyone in the organization—all while moving the ball forward at lightning speed towards the goalposts. He was a blast to watch and truly a class act who defies the norms of bland and inauthentic corporate leadership, while gently and transparently raising the standards of everyone—from CEOs on down—who have the good fortune to work with him. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying I'd follow him anywhere, and to be completely honest, I kind of wish he was my dad.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with and reporting directly to Chris several times over the past 10 years. First at Real Networks, and then as part of two digital music start-ups. Chris is a strong leader on many fronts, but what impresses me most about Chris is his ability to mobilize teams to build products customers really want. Leading the product team at Beyond Oblivion, Chris was able to diplomatically navigate the challenges of limited funding, tight deadlines and disparate opinions on the product the executive leadership wanted to ship. Our team was energized by Chris’ clarity of direction and objective approach to decision making, and the results were validated by very positive consumer feedback. Chris has a very keen understanding of the product development lifecycle as well as strong technology know-how, and I’ve watched him effectively build and lead teams on both fronts. In addition to all that, he is a great guy to work for, bringing out the best, most creative work from his team, keeping people focused and excited about the work they do. I highly recommend Chris for leadership in a software team or other technology endeavor.”

“Chris is one of the best and brightest people I have had the pleasure of working with. We worked together for almost 2 years where Chris was responsible for delivery critical items for my company Muve Music. Chris built an amazing team of technology professional and managed that team to deliver against all of our expectations. I found Chris to be insightful, personable, honest, bright and driven to deliver with excellence. I would work with him again in a heartbeat and would recommend him to anyone that needed a leader to deliver amazing results.”

“I strongly recommend Chris as a business and product leader, and I'd work with or for him again in a heartbeat. I worked for Chris at two companies in succession, the second of which he founded. He is analytical, data-driven, talented, and genuinely interested in others' development and success. Chris would be a valuable contributor to any organization in any capacity.”

“I was fortunate to work with Chris three times: first at Real Networks, secondly at Beyond Oblivion, and after Beyond Oblivion closed I happily followed him to One Step Beyond. Chris is a deeply experienced product person with the chops and temperament to make a highly effective executive. He runs his ship fairly, smoothly, and is always accessible to advise on product and user experience issues. I have enormous respect for his leadership and management skills. To top it off, he is a blast to work with! I welcome the chance to work with him again someday.”

“Chris is one of the strongest C-level executives that I've had the privilege to work with. He came into the company and brought order to what could have been chaos prividing the neccessary process to create a brilliant product in a very accelerated timeframe. As a leader and manager he built one of the strongest and most productive teams in this young company. I would be honored to work with him again, and would highly recommend him to any company looking for strong, decisive leadership and a wealth of product experience.”

“Chris always puts the interests of the company ahead of his own, and is a clear and rational thinker and strategist. Chris' focus and determination make him incredibly efficient at whatever he is setting out to accomplish. These qualities are what make him an excellent leader, and resonate well with the teams he worked with. Chris created an environment where massive amounts of work could get done in a relatively short period of time. He has tons of industry experience to draw from, and I had a great time working with him.”

“Chris was a really awesome boss and I felt that it was an honor to be his direct report. I was continuously amazed at Chris' extensive product knowledge and passion for the Beyond product. Chris is a seasoned executive with a fair amount of Customer Care knowledge. Working with Chris was unique in that he delegated the entire Global Customer Care buildout and responsibility to me and my management team. This was a breath of fresh air and was very much appreciated by me and my leadership team. However, Chris was always available to help out with SLA docs or financial modeling. It was an honor for me to work with Chris for the past year and I believe that I learned a lot about how to be a better leader from his great example. I would love to work with Chris again in the future, if given the opportunity.”

“I’ve worked with Chris for several years across two companies and have found him to be an exceptional leader in consumer software. I've been very impressed with his ability to deliver products that are valuable and usable for consumers, as well as technologically feasible. Not always easy criteria to meet in the rapidly evolving and resource constrained environments we’ve worked in. Chris is very bright, positive and also demanding, consistently getting outstanding work from his teams. Chris applies a very sound business sense to his work so that the value equation is strong for both the customer and the firm. I’ve enjoyed working with Chris and believe he is a product management executive of the highest order. I recommend him very highly.”

“I've had the privilege to work with a number of business people and managers in my career who exhibit combinations of desirable traits - be they technical, personal, moral, or operational. But I have never dealt with anyone who has shown the rationality, technical wherewithal, and, most importantly, altruism for those around him that I witnessed while working with Chris Rimple. In a company already known for compassionate leadership, Chris managed to stand out and excel as someone who truly and completely cared about the well being of those around him. Meetings with him (I was his junior) were meetings of enablement, always. As my manager, Chris's concerns were forever about how he could help me better do my job. I have never seen someone with such little self interest and ego and so much desire to empower those around him to succeed in whatever it is they're doing. Adding him to any mix of people could only ensure their success - Chris's personality makes that a virtual guarantee. Our collaboration on Linden's technology was not long (several months), but it showed me a rare glimpse into what an ideal boss-employee relationship could be like. He only made my work easier and my time better by working to see how we could best move the ball downfield, and I don't recall him ever once making a decision, statement, or taking any action that wasn't in the *direct* interest of those who- very gladly -called him their boss.”

“Chris came to Linden Lab about a year ago and was able to accomplish a previously impossible task--get our product team organized and marching to a single product backlog. He brought rigor and process to a chaotic and process-averse company and guess what? We liked it! His attention to detail, thoughtful approach to business, practicality, and can-do attitude is highly valued by me--and across the Lab. I can recommend Chris without any reservations.”

“Chris was the business partner and product owner on a project where I was the engineering lead. Chris is very smart, collaborative, has strong engineering and agile knowledge. He gets it. He was easy and enjoyable to partner effectively with. Chris is also well suited to run engineering and project management organizations. I would definitely work with him again.”

“This is the second time I've had the pleasure of working with Chris, and my respect has only grown. Chris is professional, hard-working and insightful. He is a force of clarity and calm for all who work for and with him - while driving hard to get things done. Completely ethical and human-centered, he creates a great space for his team. I highly recommend him.”

“Chris brings energy, professionalism and process to the most dynamic of environments. At Linden Lab, where he managed product management for our platform, Chris tackled some tough challenges while bringing focus and clarity to our processes for defining and delivering products. In addition, Chris's understanding of engineering and product development processes, honed by his experiences at Real and Microsoft, are world class.”

“Chris brings clarity, crispness, diligence, and a passionate focus on improving everyday processes to attain big-picture goals. He cares about getting the product right -- from definition through execution -- and making sure that resources are applied to the proper priorities for the greatest overall gains. It is a pleasure to work on his team.”

“Chris is one of the most professionally accomplished executive management leaders I've had the distinct pleasure to work with in my career. He has a depth of knowledge and understanding of Program Management principles and practices, and has successfully combined that extraordinary skill set with sharp business acumen. I’ve been involved with numerous complex projects with Chris is the past, and his leadership, team-building and technical skills were in many cases the tipping point to project success. The executive leadership skills that Chris has honed are representative of the best of what software management can be.”

“Chris has a knack for troubleshooting the most complex of issues while keeping perspective of core business objectives. His tireless energy contributed greatly to the success within Rhapsody and RealNetworks alike and was one who never shied away from challenges, nor asking the difficult questions.”

“Chris is that rare individual who is as comfortable presenting to the board of directors as he is investigating technical nitty-gritty. I worked with him on numerous e-commerce and platform projects, and he effectively communicated to the team both the overall goals and objectives of the project as well as the concrete steps necessary to realize those goals and objectives over the respective (and usually tight) time frame. His work style exhibits confidence, and instills it in his team. Chris is an asset to any team.”

“It is my pleasure to recommend Chris. He was an excellent partner to my team in the Music group. He is highly intelligent, exceptionally well motivated and has superior analytical and communication skills. Chris always focused on doing the right thing for the customer, and he was a passionate advocate for service quality. Chris was a pleasure to work with and he would make a superb addition to any company's leadership team.”

“Chris is an excellent manager with deep technical expertise, a well developed understanding of business needs, and an impressive analytical mind. Chris has the ability to decipher, troubleshoot, and resolve extremely complex technical and business problems in realtime. Chris did a masterful job balancing the line between business and technology driving his team to excel.”

“Chris became my supervisor after our department GM passed away, an unusually challenging situation for everyone. He impressed me immediately as he stepped into the breach with sensitivity and professionalism, quickly identifying what was needed to stabilize the team. Chris is a thorough and detail-oriented thinker and an adept manager. He does his homework, asks careful questions up front, solicits recommendations for solutions from those on the front line and then follows through with clear and purposeful direction and follow up. In all circumstances Chris maintains his cool and his focus on success, keeping the team on task. He is skilled in monitoring progress, keeping the lines of communication open and staying available to troubleshoot as needed. I have also found his advice to be invaluable – his tactical thinking combined with his organizational insight makes him a strong strategic partner. I’m delighted to write this recommendation for Chris, and would be happy to work for (or with) him again!”

“Chris Rimple is a consummate professional whom I have had the pleasure to work with for the past 2 years at Real Networks. As a Manager, Chris challenges his managers through challenging assignments and the appropriate level of guidance to ensure a rewarding experience for those working with him and results delivered to the business in a timely fashion. Chris has also been a great mentor by sharing his knowledge and insights of the music business, along with sharing his institutional knowledge so that you gain greater insights into the decision making process at the executive level. Chris is highly detail oriented, and sees the “big picture” when approaching a problem. I look forward to working with Chris again in any capacity.”

“Chris doesn't just work, he cares, he's responsible and never sits on the sidelines. He applies himself with integrity and a highly balanced appetite for detail and well-thought technical and business solutions. He's never shy of taking on the big daunting issues. He's also a great team leader, well-respected by his team, his peers and senior management. Think focused energy and you've got the picture.”

“Chris is one of the best managers I ever had. In addition to being very clear-thinking and articulate, he had a singularly compelling interest in my career development. That is to say, he worked WITH me to find my strengths and motivations and helped me to do quality work. It's always a compliment to any manager when those reporting to them actually *want* to do projects well. He'd be a superior asset to any team and I'd be glad to work with him... anytime.”

“Chris cares deeply about making the right product and technical decisions for the company. He voices his convictions, shows leadership on hard issues, and drives the team to solve them. He understands methodologies and how to make them work for cross-functional teams. Chris drives product teams with business goals firmly in front. He is a great colleague and I hope to work with him again.”