Last month, a group of CPX executives traveled to Ecuador for a very special event: the opening of the B.U.D.S. Community Center in Guayaquil. The building of the center was a project first invested in by co-founders Mike Seiman and Carlton Hickman, and its name comes from the acronym they gave their initial business venture, B.U.D.S. Inc.  It stands for “Brothas Unda Da Skin,” and it represents Carlton and Mike’s close personal bond, despite different ethnic backgrounds.  At the time the center project became a reality, several other members of the CPX Executive Team became sponsors as well. They are COO & President, Rob Rasko, VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, VP of Sales-CPA Division, Jeff Reitzen, VP of Network Operations, David Zapletal, and Emily Seiman, VP of Creative Development.

Mike and Emily Seiman’s connection to Children International extends back 12 years ago. It was then that they began sponsoring children, and they have since sponsored more each year. It was on a trip to visit Yosue, one of their sponsored children, a few years ago, that Mike first learned about the need for a better community center in Guayaquil.

“They took me to the community center, and I could tell it was in need of much improvement. The center served nearly 6,000 children, and was not properly equipped to give them everything they needed. I  saw a real need for refurbishment and expansion, and I have really enjoyed helping Children International build a place that can truly serve the community in Guayaquil,” Mike said.

Watch below as Mike and Carlton talk about working with Children International at the center’s opening ceremony:

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When choosing a back end NoSQL database management solution partner to supply the database structure for its new proprietary ad management platform, CPX adROIt™, CPX Interactive was quick to select Objectivity.  With the platform well into testing, and a wider launch in the offing, Objectivity asked CPX CTO, Carlton Hickman, and EVP of Technology, Sid Fein, to discuss the selection of Objectivity as a key back end partner.

Check out what they had to say HERE. (Warning: It gets pretty techie!)

Check out this creative spoof put together by CPX CEO Mike Seiman and CTO Carlton Hickman to tell the (not so) true story of how they started CPX Interactive. It was originally shown at our Global Management Conference in December 2009.

You can find the real true story here!

CEO Mike Seiman and CTO Carlton Hickman, co-founders of CPX Interactive, will be honored for their achievements with the Young Alumni Award from their alma mater, Hofstra Univeristy. The award, first presented in 1995, is given to alumni who, “within 10 years of graduation from the University, have significant accomplishments in their professional life or rendered distinguished service to their alma mater.”

Mike and Carlton have certainly made significant accomplishments in their professional lives, creating and building an online ad network that has grown and succeeded tremendously in just seven years. CPX Interactive now delivers more than 30 billion impressions to more than 200 million unique users in more than 60 countries every month.

The ’01 alums have also made it a priority to give back to their alma mater.  They created the Hickman-Seiman Scholarship Fund to be awarded to a student of the new computer science/entrepreneurship program. In addition, both Mike and Carlton are members of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Their award will be presented, along with others, at a special Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday, October 9th. Congratulations to Mike and Carlton!

Find out more about Senior Account Manager, Chris Carnacchio, and how he’s watched CPX grow over the last three years.

1. Who are you, and what do you do at CPX Interactive?

I’m Chris, and I am a Senior Account Manager in the CPA division here at CPX. I work with Jeff Reitzen (VP of Sales-CPA Division) on Domestic CPA, and Oguz Goker (VP of International CPA) on International CPA, and I also manage a team of five account managers. My team and I are responsible for managing all of the clients Jeff and Oguz bring in.

2. One of the most important things to the leadership at CPX is the family-like atmosphere they’ve established here. Part of maintaining this environment is looking for new hires who come recommended by current employees. Did you know anyone here before you were hired?

Growing up, I was actually lucky enough to know (CEO) Mike Seiman, Jeff Reitzen, and (CTO) Carlton Hickman through my sister. As time progressed, I made an effort to stay in touch with them as much as I could.

3. What drew you to the field of online advertising?

It was actually getting to know Mike (Seiman) that peaked my interest. I was always asking him about the different websites he created and managed when he first entered the industry. I even tried to create my own websites when I was in high school in an effort to learn as much about advertising on the Web as I could.

4. How have you seen CPX change since you started in 2006?

I first started working for the company in “the Long Beach days,” when it was just a small group of people sitting in an office in an apartment building, and a handful of employees in the LA office. It’s been amazing to see CPX grow through the years, from a small company with a small staff and only two offices, to the second fastest growing ad network with almost 100 employees, and six offices worldwide.

5. Where is the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled with CPX?

I would say the most interesting trip I’ve taken since I began working at CPX was last summer. Oguz and I traveled to Munich, Berlin, Dusseldorf and Amsterdam. Unfortunately, we only stayed about one day in each place, and spent most of our time in meetings.  So, I didn’t really have a chance to see the different sites each place had to offer, but overall, it was definitely the most interesting trip I’ve been on.

Tonight, CPX Interactive Co-Founders, Mike Seiman and Carlton Hickman, will be in Los Angeles to attend a gala in honor of the First Ladies of Africa. The gala is sponsored by US Doctors For Africa, and is part of their first-ever Leadership For Health Summit, which will take place today and tomorrow.

Mike and Carlton are honored to attend the gala as guests of Mr. Ted Alemayhu, the founder and Executive Chariman of US Doctors For Africa, and someone with whom they share entrepreneurial and philanthropic interests.

By Carlton Hickman
CTO & Co-Founder, CPX Interactive

Carlton Hickman (CTO & Co-Founder, CPX Interactive) and Tyler Nelson

Last July, I had the honor of speaking at the 99th Annual NAACP Conference. I spoke to an audience of youth delegates about the importance of exercising the right to vote, and showed them the PSA from CPX’s “Vote For It! ’08” campaign. The room was filled with motivated, intelligent, young people, and I enjoyed meeting many of them. Before I gave my speech, I was introduced by Tyler Nelson, the President of the Cincinnati Youth Council. Tyler was poised and charismatic, and I remember being very impressed with him.

It comes as no surprise that he is now being featured in a new television series on MTV called “Taking the Stage.” The reality show focuses on students from the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts. I’m sure Tyler’s natural energy and vibrant personality will take him far, and I wish him the best of luck in the future.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u-vpZbNJ6M]

Progressive online ad network, CPX Interactive, continues philanthropic efforts through support of CTO’s donation.

Westbury, NY (Vocus/PRWEB ) March 13, 2009 — Carlton Hickman, CTO and Co-Founder of progressive online ad network, CPX Interactive, donated a limited edition Dodge Charger to the Child Rescue Network. The car was used in last year’s Fireball Run, a cross country race to raise awareness for missing children. Hickman was a member of the CPX Fireball Run team, and had the 2008 Limited Edition Dodge Charger SRT-8 customized for the 3500 mile race. After working with the Child Rescue Network as part of Fireball Run, Hickman decided to continue to support their efforts.

READ FULL RELEASE HERE

Carlton Hickman and Mike Seiman met in 1999 as students at Hofstra University. Beginning as classmates, they would quickly become friends as they joined in a business endeavor that would help craft the current landscape of online display advertising. Though both Hickman and Seiman had a background in computer science, Hickman’s passion was for graphic design. When he and Seiman started out nine years ago, the advertising industry was not in their plans, but today as the CTO of online ad network, CPX Interactive, Hickman is able to incorporate both of these elements (computer science and design) into his work, work that puts him at the cutting edge of online advertising development…

Read the rest of the story, and check out pictures and videos, on Squidoo!

Carlton Hickman, CTO and Co-Founder of online ad network, CPX Interactive, spoke to youth delegates at the NAACP conference in July 2008. Hickman addressed the topic of the conference: “Power, Justice, Freedom, Vote.”

See the video on our Tumblr page

Visit the NAACP