Built by Bakery People, For Bakery People
We're not a tech company that stumbled into bakeries. We're bakery veterans who build software - and that makes all the difference
The Team That Runs BakeSmart
Mike Clements
Owner & CEOSecond-generation and all-in on bakeries, Mike has spent his entire career serving bakeries through software. He leads sales (every demo), sets vision, partners with product on roadmap, and keeps BakeSmart pointed squarely at what operators need next.
Jerred Sydnor
Head of Product & Co-OwnerNearly 20 years at BakeSmart, Jerred is the bridge from bakery floors to our dev team. He leads onboarding, oversees support, and translates real user requests into the features we build next - prioritizing what moves the needle for operators.
Shellie Slove
Head of Bakery SuccessShellie grew up in a bakery and has spent her career helping owners run smarter and reclaim time. At BakeSmart, she turns real-world bakery needs into clear systems - aligning software, process, and people so operators see less chaos and better margins. With a marketing degree and a practical tech mindset, she partners across sales, product, support, and engineering to deliver improvements that stick
Heather O'Connor
Chaos WranglerFresh from 15 years running a three-location, multi-million-dollar bakery brand in Austin, Heather documents our product, co-leads onboarding, and keeps the operator's reality front and center. She's whip-smart on customer service and business ops - and she turns complexity into clean, usable steps.
Arie Bates
Sales LeadA bakery industry veteran with deep experience across retail and wholesale, management, product and system design, and consulting, Arie leads sales and is the first person most operators meet. A Michigan native and graduate of the pastry program at Johnson & Wales University, he pairs hands-on bakery knowledge with a consultative approach that helps operators find the right fit. Outside work, he's a lifelong Detroit sports fan with a soft spot for breakfast food, motorcycles, and a someday trip to Scotland to meet a highland cow.
The Team That Builds BakeSmart
Nick Kirkes
Fractional CTONick Kirkes brings more than two decades of software engineering and product leadership to BakeSmart as our fractional CTO. He got his start in the Indianapolis tech scene, including a stretch as a development manager at Salesforce following its acquisition of ExactTarget, and later helped build and scale engineering teams at Zoom, 120Water, and Shiftlab. He has also served as CTO at BirdDog and co-founded Bountiful. That mix of big-company rigor and early-stage scrappiness is exactly what BakeSmart needs as our platform grows.
Megan Fonde
Full Stack Software EngineerOur cloud ace. Megan brings a modern stack mindset plus years in food service, shaping features that feel intuitive on the counter and in the kitchen. She sweats the details - function, design, and the "this is how it really works" of bakery life.
What We're Building Together
A platform that handles custom orders, production, eCommerce, and wholesale without duct tape. Tools that protect margins, reduce mistakes, and give owners back their evenings.
Most of all: software that respects the craft - and the people - behind every great bakery.
Ready to See BakeSmart in Action?
Schedule a demo with Mike and see how BakeSmart can work for your bakery.