Leadership Team
Kevin Krone
CEO
Kevin Krone is an experienced senior executive, board director, and advisor to global companies. Currently, he is Chief Executive Officer of Builder Homesite Inc. in Austin Texas. Builder Homesite is a technology company focused on connecting the home building industry with those looking for a new home. Prior to this current role, Kevin was the Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Southwest Airlines Co.
Kevin brings extensive experience in leading marketing and advertising strategy, digital marketing, social channel marketing, innovation, mobile strategy, and operations. Kevin’s tenure as an experienced marketing expert is based in over 24 years building, growing, and deepening one of the world’s most respected brands. His leadership and professional experience spans beyond airline travel into other categories and industries.
In addition, Kevin serves on the Board of Directors of UpLift, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, Builder Homesite Inc. in Austin TX. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors of RVshare and Board of Directors and chaired the Nomination and Governance Committee of HomeAway, Inc. prior to their sale to Expedia Inc. in 2015.
Kevin earned a MBA in Marketing and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Illinois.
He has been named one of the Top 50 CMOs to Watch in 2015, one of the World’s Most Influential CMOs by Forbes, Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing, and awarded the Advertising Innovation and Leadership Award. His leadership and innovative approach to Marketing have been featured in Forbes, The Hub, Mashable’s “The Future of Marketing” series, and the book he co-authored, “Implementing a Successful Sales Strategy.” Kevin is also the holder of two patents.”
Steve Darnell
VP & Chief Financial Officer
Steve Darnell currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for BHI and affiliated companies managing finance, accounting, HR and facilities.
Prior to BHI, Mr. Darnell was Chief Financial Officer for Malauzai Software, Inc., a digital banking software company based in Austin, Texas that was acquired by Finastra in 2018. During his 30+ year career, he has served in a variety of roles at the executive level including CEO. He began his career with time spent at Seagate Technology, Compaq Computer and Cisco Systems.
Mr. Darnell also serves as a volunteer board committee member for University Federal Credit Union based in Austin, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University and his MBA from the University of Houston.
Krishna Murthy
VP & Chief Technology Officer
Krishna Murthy brings over 15 years of experience in technology management and implementation to the BDX/BHI/NHT team. Before joining Builder Homesite, Inc., he was the Chief Technology Officer of Rx.com, a technology driven start-up firm engaged in e-commerce in the online pharmacy arena. Prior to that he managed technology at MCC, a premier research consortium; Danka Omnifax, an office equipment sales and service company; and an environmental information services company. Mr. Murthy has significant experience in technology architecture, technology project management, business process re-engineering, set up and formation of a technology team and implementation of relevant technologies for a businesses.
Since joining BHI, Mr. Murthy has overseen the development and operation of NewHomeSource, including integration with several large builders, development of an XML standard for new home data transport, development of a platform to support private-labeled partner sites and development of custom real estate-related enterprise web applications. He is also supervising the definition of product requirements for Envision, an integrated options management solution.
Mr. Murthy holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, with specialization in Knowledge Based Systems, from the University of Houston.
Alpana Arora
VP, Client Experience & GM, Tech Solutions
Alpana Arora brings over 30 years of Management and Leadership experience in the high-tech world, including digital marketing, ecommerce, and web development. Alpana is a long-standing member of the BDX family, serving in various roles over the last 20 years, most recently as the GM of our portfolio of Technology Solutions, including Websites, Envision, and Dreamweaver, the ultimate online shopping experience platform in the new construction space. She also serves as the VP of Client Experience, overseeing most all delivery and account management teams across the company.
Before joining BDX, Alpana was with IBM/Tivoli for several years in the Software Group, serving as the Digital Leader responsible for their corporate CRM initiative across the Americas, EMEA and AsiaPac. Early in her career, she was at Edify Corporation, a start-up out of Silicon Valley as the Web Manager for the first banking self-service platform in the mid-90s. Alpana was part of the core team that took the company public as well as during the S1 acquisition. She began her career in the Education industry, first as adjunct faculty and then as a 4th generation language developer, bringing state-of-the-art technology to classrooms via software and educational tools. Alpana studied at the University of Texas at Austin, with majors in Computer Science and Pre-med.
Alpana is an industry leader who often consults with builders of all sizes and business models on technology and digital marketing strategies. She is on a quest to take new home construction to the next level in commerce enablement and digitization of the buyer journey.