Leadership
James Kohler - CEO
James Kohler is the Chief Executive Officer of OmPay, LLC, a company with business solution expertise currently focusing on cashless payment in the on-street parking arena. The OmPay team is currently working with the Philadelphia Parking Authority to implement a smart card system. Lead by Kohler, the team was able to identify the market potential in Philadelphia and then research, develop, and deploy a custom program. That program, which launched in October 2003, currently boasts the most reliable on-street parking transaction process in the nation and uses a fully automated cashless payment system.
OmPay is Kohlers second start-up venture. He knows the entrepreneurial environment well, and has worked on equity infusion, business model development, and financial analysis during his experiences in those ventures. He has also conducted financial operations for both start-up organizations and collaborated on marketing strategy for the rollout of services. In addition, Kohler is well versed in conducting distribution channel analysis for potential service offerings.
Before launching his own ventures, Kohler spent time with a leading marketing firm based in Center City, Philadelphia. During his time at that firm, he served as a Marketing Field Manager, overseeing staff and the implementation and execution of client-directed marketing initiatives. He worked with Fortune 500 companies including AT&T and TOSCO as well as major retail chains such as Acme.
Kohler Graduated from Drexel University with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. His education and experience has given him a passionate approach to business model and channel development, brand image awareness, product placement, and financial analysis. Kohler currently resides in Philadelphia.
Nitin Khanna - President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Nitin J. Khanna is the President and Chief Operating Officer of OmPay, LLC which he co-founded in 2001. Mr. Khanna is responsible for technical strategy and operations of the company and has close to a decade of engineering experience. In 2003, he designed one of the country’s largest on-street smart card implementation in Philadelphia by striking a partnership with the Philadelphia Parking Authority. He also provides technical advise to parking authorities and has been involved with the RFP process for new technologies in garages, on-street parking and taxis.
Before forming OmPay, he was working with various Fortune 500 companies such as Rohm and Haas, Cisco Systems and Verizon Communications. While at Cisco Systems, Mr. Khanna was responsible for two state-of-the-art laboratories that displayed the company’s latest technologies. He also worked to support enterprise business accounts and, during his tenure, was appointed to the 2000 Republican National Convention Technical Team. As a network engineer at Verizon, Mr. Khanna provided managed network services to medium and large enterprises, banks, government organizations, and hospitals.
Mr. Khanna has a deep understanding of the business process and combines his technical expertise with that knowledge to create powerful, business-friendly solutions. He played a key role in the selection, implementation, and launch of the technology for the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s smart card program and OmPay;s newest OmPass “Tap Technology” which is being implemented in garages, taxis and in on-street parking kiosks.
Mr. Khanna graduated from Drexel University with a degree in Computer Engineering. He was named to the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list in 2006. He volunteers with the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) where he coaches high school students on entrepreneurship. Mr. Khanna currently resides just outside of Philadelphia with his wife Shivani, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Paul DeJoe
Paul DeJoe joined OmPay as Director of Retail Distribution and has developed the largest on street parking distribution network in the Country. He was responsible for the partnerships formed with Wawa, 7-11, Shop-Rite, Conestoga Bank, and the Fresh Grocer.
Paul’s previous employers have been UPS, Wawa, and the YMCA where he gained valuable experience in process management, financial analysis, and customer acquisition strategies. Paul is currently employed at OmPay as the Vice President of Business Development.
Paul’s undergraduate work is from Neumann University where he was a dual major in Criminal Justice and Psychology. While at Neumann, he served as a Presidential Ambassador to the Institution, was awarded the Sister Helen Prejean award for outstanding Criminal Justice student, was an academic All-American, a three sport Athlete and a three year captain of the NCAA Ice Hockey Team. He continued his hockey career playing professionally in both Italy and Belgium for two years.
Paul continued his education at Drexel’s Lebow College of Business earning an MBA with a dual concentration in Investment Management and Entrepreneurship. He also is working towards an Master of Science in Accounting and is a CFA Level 2 candidate.
Paul lives in the Manayunk area of Philadelphia and is active in consulting for other entrepreneurial companies in the area. He enjoys live music, traveling and scuba diving.