The #1 most deployed ePaper digital signage solution in the U.S.

Rick Wood

Executive Vice President

Rick Wood founded CHK America, Inc. in 2000 to meet the growing demand in public transportation for clear, concise, and consistent customer wayfinding solutions. In response to evolving industry trends, he launched CHK’s digital division, Connectpoint^®, in 2014. As demand for its solar-powered digital signage surged, the division was spun off into a standalone entity, Connectpoint, Inc., in 2018.

Connectpoint^® leads the market with the first solar-powered ePaper digital signage solutions in the U.S. Its cutting-edge digital products include a suite of solar-powered products including the Digital Bus Stop^®, the Falcon, an ADA text-to-speech device, and lighting, as well as AC powered high-resolution LED displays. The tools provide real-time rider alerts, schedule updates, and live departure information.

Under Rick’s leadership, Connectpoint now serves over 35 leading transit agencies, reaching 2 billion public transportation customers—20% of all U.S. riders. Through customized digital solutions and purpose-built hardware, Connectpoint partners with major transit agencies including some of the largest US transit agencies in the U.S. including Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Pittsburgh, PA; King County Metro, Seattle; TriMet, Portland; VIA, San Antonio, TX; SEPTA, Philadelphia, Virginia; GCRTA, Greater Cleveland, OH; SMART, SE Michigan; RTCSN, Las Vegas, NV; FWTA, Ft. Worth, TX; GRTC, Richmond, VA; Seattle Streetcar, Seattle, WA;, Seattle, WA; and Portland Streetcar, Portland, OR.

In July 2025, after leading Connectpoint through a period of significant growth and innovation, Rick transitioned to the role of Executive Vice President. In this capacity, he continues to work closely with CEO Patton and the leadership team, overseeing sales in existing markets and spearheading strategic initiatives and long-term growth. He is also focused on business development in new markets, identifying opportunities aligned with the company’s mission to enhance the company’s vertical markets.

Rick is a regular contributor to industry-leading publications such as Mass Transit, Passenger Transport, and Metro Magazine. He has played an influential role in shaping passenger information standards through the Transportation Research Board and served as Vice Chair at APTA, helping establish best practices in customer information and wayfinding.

Brian Beynon

Vice President of Field Operations and Customer Success

Brian oversees all projects for the company, serving as a primary point of contact for customers and internal teams to ensure customer success. He interfaces with transit agencies and stakeholders, coordinating necessary actions to implement customers' job specifications. Brian manages and coordinates deployments across the country working with our agency clients, our installation teams and our fabrication partners. He authorizes any necessary actions to address customer concerns, participates in new project scope meetings, and collaborates closely with both internal and external teams to ensure smooth project structuring, implementation, and completion.

Brian is a seasoned project manager with over a decade of experience leading complex initiatives with a proven track record of driving successful outcomes for businesses across multiple industries.

John O’Conner

Director of Engineering

John is the Director of Engineering at Connectpoint. In this role, he manages the software development team and deliverables. John’s responsibilities include feature development, team management, incident resolution, backend development, and software infrastructure management. John has over 30 years of experience developing software and leading teams. He has had successful roles at Sun Microsystems, Yahoo, and Intuit.

Stefan Marks AICP

Director of Business Development

Stefan Marks AICP is Connectpoint’s Director of Business Development, joining Connectpoint in October 2017 after working as a consultant to transit agencies and previously serving in senior planning positions at the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority and North County Transit District in San Diego. Stefan approaches working with clients from their perspective, having worked as a planner and in Operations within US transit agencies for 30 years. Stefan cares deeply about how we create tools to make public services like transit better and more equitable. Stefan Marks earned a Master's degree in Community Systems Planning and Development at Penn State University.

Oran Viriyincy

Project Manager

Oran Viriyincy leads the original design effort for Connectpoint® and CHK America’s new clients. As a well-respected designer in the transportation industry, Oran develops design fundamentals that apply across multiple products, strengthening each client’s brand identity while affirming Connectpoint® and CHK America’s uniquely integrated approach to customer information.

Rob Deacon

Software Support Technician

Rob provides technical support to customers using our industry-leading cloud-based software CPAM™, working closely with our development and quality assurance teams to identify and resolve customer issues promptly. He also prepares pre-delivery solar site assessments, and organizes deployment efforts between Connectpoint, transit agencies, and installation teams. He provides asset monitoring services for thousands of deployed smart devices.

Rudy Vargas

Electronics Manufacturing Specialist

Rudy’s day-to-day responsibilities include programming, assembly configuration, product assembly, device repair and maintenance, and general device evaluation for various digital display technologies and solar packages. He also assists the engineering team in testing and qualifying new parts, products, and prototype builds.