Bill “PhoneBill” McClain

You can call Gates, Joel, Murray, or Clinton…but only this Bill has the answer 💪 UCaaS Provider - VoIP- ☎️

Pioneering the intersection of AI and business communications as a 3X founder. 

Currently revolutionizing voice technology through UponAI while leading innovative UCaaS and CCaaS solutions at StratusDial, backed by extensive experience at Networking Solutions.

At StratusDial, I've transformed business communications by:
• Implementing cost-saving solutions that reduce operating expenses by up to $9,000
• Developing seamless Office365 integrations and advanced VoIP systems
• Building a 24/7 technical support infrastructure that maintains 99.9% uptime
• Creating custom UCaaS/CCaaS solutions for diverse enterprise needs

Through UponAI, I'm pushing the boundaries of:
• AI-powered voice recognition and natural language processing
• Intelligent call routing and automated customer service solutions
• Machine learning algorithms for enhanced communication efficiency
• Voice-enabled business intelligence and analytics

My entrepreneurial journey spans:
🔹 Advanced Telecommunications
🔹 Enterprise Network Architecture
🔹 Cloud Communications
🔹 AI/ML Implementation
🔹 Business Process Automation

Proud to be recognized by industry leaders, including Eric Hernaez, Founder & President of SkySwitch, for maintaining exceptional service standards and driving continuous innovation in business communications.

Specialties:
#AIVoice #UCaaS #CCaaS #CloudCommunications #NetworkingSolutions #VoIP #BusinessIntelligence #EnterpriseNetworking #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalTransformation

Looking to connect with:
• Business leaders seeking communication solutions
• Technology innovators in AI and voice tech
• Enterprise clients exploring digital transformation
• Fellow entrepreneurs in the tech space

Let's discuss how AI-powered voice solutions can transform your business communications. Open to partnerships, collaborations, and innovative ventures.


Founder -

Networking Solutions 29 years
StratusDial 13 years
UponAi 2 years

3X Founder - 0X Exits

Founder President & CEO

Does the idea of switching phone providers for your business sound like a permanent migraine? Here’s what’s worse:

Turning your customers away because you’re unable to provide a good phone customer experience because of lousy support from your business phone provider.

When you entrust ☎️PhoneBill (& the team at StratusDial) with your company’s new voice, here’s what you get:

✔️ Pre-installation audit to locate savings (sometimes $9000!) & lower your operating costs
✔️ Take care of allllllllll the prep, installation, routing, testing… everything done-for-you
✔️ Hold your hand through set-up & advise you on phone experience best practices
✔️ Latest phone features for maximum efficiency (hello, Office365 integration!)
✔️ Custom set-up the big providers won’t do (e.g. overhead paging system)
✔️ 60-day and 90-day check-ins to make sure you love your new system
✔️ Eager-to-help technical support, 24/7

As a smaller (but mightier!) provider, we can deliver the type of boutique service that the large competitors wish they could deliver. 😉

Ready to have your business phone system work for you (not against you) in bringing more clients to your business?

Message ☎️PhoneBill on LinkedIn. I’ll sort you out.

Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

Thank you for registering your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. 

You successfully registered your phone number ending in 6500 on November 19, 2010. Most telemarketers will be required to stop calling you 31 days from your registration date.  

I remember reading that message and feeling hopeful.  

Peace.  

A quiet phone line.  
Fewer dinnertime interruptions.  

That was the dream.  

Here is the dry truth.  
Registering a phone number with the Do Not Call Registry tells legal telemarketers to remove that number from their call lists.  

It does not stop scammers.  
It does not stop every robocall.  

The Registry gives people a choice.  
People can say no to many sales calls.  
People can gain some control back.  

In my world, voice and AI can help.  

Smarter call routing.  
Better spam detection.  
Clear rules for teams that want to stay trusted.  

Business needs to reach people.  

Respect needs to reach them first.  

Thoughts on how the Registry works for you today?

#PhoneBill ☎️

You can call Gates, Joel, Murray, or Clinton…but only this Bill or AI from UponAi has the answer ☎️🤖

No alternative text description for this image

Last fall, StratusDial brought on two new automotive dealerships running their phone system with another provider.

That sounded like good news we know the NetSapiens system they had inside and out. We’ve been running it for over ten years.

But within minutes on site, we learned how bad things had gotten.

Calls dropping. Delays connecting. Terrible voice quality.

The dealerships had been on the system only about six or seven months and it had been a disaster. 
Multiple tickets opened with the previous provider and their IT support team.
 No resolution.

The buy/sell of those dealerships went through on a Monday. 

My team was onsite immediately to handle the migration and full acquisition of all technology.

As they went desk to desk setting up our complete tech stack, nearly every employee had the same question:

“Can you do something about our phones?”

We were patient and empathetic, but knew the priority 👉 the migration and new tech stack came first. 
My team was absolutely slammed but we were up for the challenge.

I arrived on Tuesday to assist wherever I could. 
Our team leader, Eric asked me to look into the phone issue.

So I called the provider for access to the system. 
And what I found was very disturbing.

Here’s the thing:
 Voice traffic must always come first. 

Browsing, streaming, and file downloads come second.
 That’s called Quality of Service (QoS) - and one of the best ways to achieve it is through a VLAN (Virtual LAN).

Picture your network like a six-lane highway. 
Each type of traffic gets its own lane. 
And guess which one gets the fast lane? 
Voice 👍

Now, remember this is a car dealership. 
A big customer waiting area. 
Customers streaming music, video, and social media on the dealership Guest Wi-Fi.

So what happens when that customer traffic ends up in the same lane as voice traffic? 
Big problems. Dropped calls. 
Bad audio. 
Delayed connections.

Within two hours, I’d confirmed the issue. The network desperately needed a traffic cop.

So I installed one - and called it #PhoneBill 🤣

After implementing QoS, separating traffic with VLANs, and making targeted improvements, voice calls immediately sharpened up.

Dropped calls disappeared. Connections were instant. Quality was crystal clear.

In less than a day, we proved our expertise and earned the client’s trust.

That’s the power of understanding what matters most: 
Voice traffic always gets the fast lane.

Do you need a traffic cop?

#PhoneBill ☎️


Networking Solutions, Inc. 
StratusDial 
UponAI

Most CIOs juggle 3+ phone platforms.

I run them all through one brain…UponAI.

In my world, single-platform purity is rare.  

Real companies grow by merger, region, and vendor.  

Result:  
One team on UCaaS A.  
Another on UCaaS B.  
A contact center on a third CCaaS stack.  

As founder of StratusDial, I learned early that forcing everyone onto one phone system creates risk.  

Vendor outage.  
Contract fight.  
Feature gap.
Buy / Sells.
Equity Investors.  

When all calls live on one platform, one bad day can shut a business down.  

So we built StratusDial around a different model:  

Risk mitigation!

No emotion, just strategy.

Multi-platform UCaaS and CCaaS for resilience and choice.  


Then I added one simple rule from UponAI:  

Many phone systems, one AI brain.  

Here is how it works in practice:  

1. StratusDial supports multiple call platforms for one client  
→ UCaaS from multiple suppliers  
→ CCaaS in a remote center  
→ A legacy PBX still in place in one branch  

2. UponAI connects to all of them through flexible SIP  
→ SIP trunk, for whole-system connection
→ SIP endpoint as a dedicated AI extension  
→ SIP URI for routing only certain calls  

3. The AI voice agent handles the heavy lifting  
→ Answers first, in any language the business needs  
→ Understands intent with natural language  
→ Uses sentiment to adapt tone  
→ Passes full context when a human must step in with a WARM transfer

4. The business keeps one AI playbook  
→ One prompt strategy  
→ One routing logic  
→ One integration into CRM, POS, ticketing systems  

The platforms stay diverse for safety.  
The AI stays unified for simplicity.  

That is how we see up to 60% of calls move from human agents to AI  
without ripping out phone systems  
without new chaos for IT  
without customers feeling lost.  

Many platforms for risk management.  
One AI brain for control.  

Thoughts on running many phone systems under one AI brain?

#PhoneBill ☎️

Unfortunately #PhoneBill will not be attending but Jody & Sean will do a great job 🙌

Make sure you stop by to see and support them 👍

See you at ITExpo! 🎤

Jody is joining the CEO Insights Panel: Agentic Voice AI in the Real World to discuss ROI, Trust, and Scaling.

🗓️ Thursday, February 12, 2026
🕐 1:00 – 1:45 PM
🎯 CEO Insights Panel

Sean will also be on-site to answer questions and chat about our AI voice solutions.

UponAi is at the cutting edge of AI, and we're excited to be back again this year to share what we're building.

Stop by and say hi! 👋

Jody Gonzales Sean Henning Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

#ITExpo #ITExpo2026 #UponAi #VoiceAI #AgenticAI #CEO #AIPanel #ArtificialIntelligence #TechConference

Businesses today don’t just need to communicate-they need to connect smarter.

I see the same pattern in companies of every size.

Teams feel busy.
Phones ring all day.
Costs keep going up.

Yet customers still wait on hold.
Messages still fall through the cracks.
Leaders still lack clear insight.

AI in business communications changes that.

Here is how we set it up at UponAI:

→ Improve communication  
AI voice agents listen, understand, and respond in real time.  
They speak in natural language, stay calm with every caller, and never forget key details from past interactions.

→ Boost efficiency  
AI handles the routine work:  
- Simple questions  
- Balance checks  
- Password resets  
- Status updates  

Your people focus on complex cases and human moments where empathy matters most.

→ Scale without new headcount  
Call volume grows?  
AI does not need more desks or parking spaces.  
You add capacity in the cloud, not on the org chart, while service stays fast and steady.

Under the hood we use:

- AI voice agents  
- Intelligent call routing  
- Analytics that show trends, sentiment, and gaps in your customer experience  

The result is a system that works 24/7, keeps quality consistent, and gives leaders clear data instead of guesswork.

I have spent my career at the crossroads of phones, networks, and now AI. I believe the next big gains for business come from how we connect, not how loud we shout. 

Actually delivering today what others promise in the future.

What is your take on using AI to handle the front line of customer communication?

#PhineBill ☎️

Yes 🙌 another AI post from #PhoneBill ☎️

Is it just me, or did every phone platform suddenly launch their own “AI voice agent”?

Here’s the thing… 
We’ve been building our ecosystem for 3 years - not weeks.

Yes, we can spin up an AI receptionist in 5 minutes. 
But then what?

💡 What if your business needs something more complex? 💡 What if you need a real solution that goes beyond just a “hello”?

Most platforms stop at simple use cases. 
We built one platform that lets you: ✅ Launch simple AI voice agents instantly ✅ Scale seamlessly to advanced, fully customized agents ✅ Integrate with any voice platform

And here’s what we’ve learned from experience -
 The second you deploy a simple solution, your customers will want more.
 We’ve seen it firsthand. We’ve built for it.

That’s why UponAI isn’t just another AI tool -
 It’s the ecosystem that grows with your business into the future.

#PhoneBill ☎️

Leverage Up, LLC

"I know my clients are there, I just don't know how to reach them." 

People come to us when they aren't sure how to use LinkedIn to accomplish their goals and they walk away not only seeing a boost in visibility almost instantly using the methods we teach, they also tell us they feel more confident in how they can use the platform to get what they want.

Regardless if the pain point is how your LinkedIn profile should look, where to find the people that you want to start conversations with, or creating good content that gets traction on LinkedIn™ and brands as a thought leader, or all of the above, we can help with our triangle strategy.  

We've worked with our clients to take their LinkedIn profiles from Drab to Dynamic!  We go section by section, explaining what each part is supposed to look like in order to brand properly here on LinkedIn.

Using our UNIQUE engagement strategy, we teach our clients how to engage with the professionals that they want to be connected to by exploring under-utilized avenues of LinkedIn.  Picture a face-to-face networking event that has signs hanging over the conversations that you want to be part of.  That's the best metaphor to use for going to those conversations and strategically engaging with the people you want to be seen by.   

Do you hear crickets when you post on LinkedIn?   We work with our clients to create value-added content and creates conversations, and enhancing that content to be seen by the masses within your industry.

The goal, no matter what you do on the platform, is to build relationships.  

When you work with us, you get someone with experience on the platform, who did it independently, and now works with her clients to customize the game plan.  

We've spoken on global stages and at in person workshop style events, whatever the format, Deanna brings her Leverage Up Triangle Strategy, energy, enthusiasm, and know how!

LinkedIn™ Strategist, Coach, and Global Presenter 

Podcast and LinkedIn Live Guest

Totally Buffalo

Totally Buffalo is a website that celebrates Buffalo.  I was one of only two people who wrote business-centric articles for the site.

Before the pen hit the paper, I sought out those businesses for this inexpensive and extensive advertising opportunity.

That piece was written exclusively by me then distributed to the masses via social networks and email blasts.

Contributor and Sales Representative

Dash Technologies Inc

I took a "cold call" sales opportunity and transformed it into "find out who I am on LinkedIn".  Using the engagement and content strategy, I opened my network and connected with companies across Columbus, Ohio and around the US in regards to introducing the businesses to staffing strategies through Dash.

Primarily, we worked on IT positions from Help Desk positions to web developers to engineers.

After the client expressed interest in working with Dash Technologies, I would then connect them with our recruiting department where the process to fill the positions started.
I began creating content - videos, text posts, and articles on my personal LinkedIn in order to generate leads and engage with my network.

I grew my network from hundreds of followers to thousands in about a year.

Sales Manager

EduKids Early Childhood Centers

I increased EduKids’ social media engagement and presence by 25% during my tenure.

Managed the planning, development and implementation of the organization’s marketing strategies targeting community involvement, events and increasing enrollment at 14 EduKids locations.  

Coordinated two Pay Per Click campaigns for company, managed all social media accounts and weekly, monthly email marketing campaigns that were distributed to hundreds of staffers and parents.

Marketing Manager

Wgrz TV Channel 2

Combined my digital marketing “know how” with sales.  Knocked on doors of Buffalo businesses, made numerous cold calls, and successfully reached quarterly sales goals.

Created custom digital marketing solutions for each of my clients based on their company’s goals and needs.

Not only acquired clients, but retained them for multiple quarters through excellent customer service.

Digital Account Executive

Crusade Against Impaired Driving, Inc.

Created this organization from scratch in memory of my sister who was killed by an impaired driver in 1998 because a WNY organization dedicated to the cause was absent.  

Successfully orchestrated six major fundraisers for CAID that brought in thousands of dollars for the organization.

Spoke to thousands of young adults each year regarding the dangers of DWI using a real life victim perspective with a first hand account of life before and after the crash.  

As Executive Director and chair of the board of directors, I managed all aspects of CAID - from public relations to financial, online and volunteer efforts.

Founder

The Buffalo News

Successfully helped to launch the first citizen journalism and user-generated website for The Buffalo News!

Launched MyBuffalo.com in the summer of 2009 and served as content manager for Buffalo.com.  While at the site, I’m proud to say I wrote numerous articles, blogs and I produced edit photo and video content.  I also co-managed the MyBuffalo viral marketing campaign.

Recruited, supervised and managed 30 volunteer contributors and interns and co-managed the KickApps social network platform integration team.

Online Interactive Manager

Time Warner Cable

Breaking news took on a whole new meaning in this role!  R News is the 24 hour news channel and I produced the late night news, from assigning news crews to stories to writing and orchestrating 8 hours of news, it was a great learning experience!

Television News Producer

WSPA 7News

Produced the morning show at this CBS affiliate, from assigning news crews to stories to writing news stories and teases and also producing breaking news live events.

WKBW-TV

Produced the morning show at this ABC affiliate, from assigning news crews to stories to writing news stories and teases and also producing breaking news live events.

Do you need a simple game plan and strategy for reaching your goals here? 


I can help with that.  

At Leverage Up, my clients understand the power and the necessity of building relationships online and want to build their brand and grow their networks.
 
I teach my clients the foundation pieces necessary for organic growth. 

My services are founded on proven methodologies and processes.  I teach people how to optimize profiles for growth, have strategic conversations that increase visibility to the target audience, help grow relationships, and create content that builds trust.

Here's how I connect "Know, Like and Trust" to LinkedIn: 

People get to know you through your profile.

People get to like you through strategic conversations in the comments. 

People get to trust you through your content.  

Results? Profile views go up and clients come in.  My clients have gone from 10 profile views to 850 a month.  

My clients get inbound clients, "I'd love to see what it looks like to work with you!"

I grew my network on LinkedIn™ , using that triangle strategy, from 400 to 31,200.   

I showcased my triangle strategy in Chapter 17 of The Complete Small Business Growth Guidebook.  It's entitled “Leverage Up on LinkedIn”.  Here's a link to buy it:  https://shorturl.at/oYR6Y

My services:

LinkedIn profile review - One 30-minute session on Zoom to give you advice on every single part of your profile 

1 on 1 triangle strategy - Three sessions on Zoom where I teach you each part of the triangle strategy - Profile, Strategic Engagement, and Content 

Team Consultations - I work with companies to ensure every person on the team is on the same page when it comes to LinkedIn.   I offer 1 on 1 Profile Reviews for every person on your team and group sessions on Strategic Engagement and Content.

Speaker Available - Enthusiastic and informative too! I speak about my LinkedIn™ triangle strategy in a presentation that's gotten rave reviews. 

I'm happily married to my husband (so no need to DM or email me with the "You're beautiful" line), AND the proud mom of 3 kids.  We LOVE to cheer on our Buffalo Bills.

Here’s my gift to you, a free LinkedIn profile checklist: 
https://leverageupllc.kit.com/linkedin-checklist

To book a Zoom call to talk about working with me:
https://calendly.com/deannaatleverageup/30mins

To check out one of the nearly 50 podcasts that I’ve been a guest on and to get more info on my services and my strategy head to leverageupllc.com.

DM me or email me at deanna@leverageupllc.com

Deanna Russo

Being a Buffalo Bills fan is tough.  I'll argue it's tougher than being a fan of any other professional sports franchise.


We’ve had ups and downs and year after year we fall short.

There are heart stopping games.  

There are second half come from behind wins.

There are games like today when we turn the ball over five times.  

There are four super bowl losses.  

Resilience, determination, perseverance…they are traits that I'm made of and all Bills fans have ounces of them in their veins.

Yet it boggles my mind because we keep getting knocked down and we keep getting back up again.

If you need me, I'll be nursing my latest wounds.  I'm allowed to.  

But in the end…

Never say die.

Go Bills!

#Bills #purplesquirrelmagnet #linkedin

➡️ I'm looking for my next opportunity!!!  

I'm very interested in Director of Marketing/Communications roles.  I’m also applying for content marketing, digital marketing strategy leadership positions.

If that hiring manager would love to have someone who built her personal brand here and grew from 400-32,000+ here, coached 200+ professionals, presented to numerous groups big and small, and appeared on 60+ podcasts, I've got that too!

Director of Content and Growth Expert | Strategic Marketing Leader Leveraging Content, Community, and AI to Drive Measurable Revenue Impact

My minivan hit 180K miles yesterday.



My husband and I are hoping to get another 100K miles out of it. 

We recently retired another car this fall, it had 250K, when we donated it.  

A vehicle is one of the biggest wastes of money.  You build wealth by not wasting money on cars.  We'd rather take that money and invest it elsewhere.  

My teenage daughter was driving our minivan when we hit that milestone .  She was two years old when we bought it.  

What's the mileage on your vehicle?  

#car #purplesquirrelmagnet #leverageup 

➡️ I'm looking for my next opportunity!!!  

I'm very interested in Director of Marketing/Communications roles.  I’m also applying for content marketing and digital marketing strategy positions.  

If that hiring manager would love to have someone who built her personal brand here and grew from 400-32,000+ here, I've got that too!

Go Bills!!!!!!!❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙

I don't care if this is LinkedIn.  There is nothing else worth discussing right now, in my mind at least.  


The Buffalo Bills fired their head coach after nine years.  I think the GM should go too.

Thoughts?

Hey job seekers!!!!  Even if you're not looking for your next opportunity, you might want to read this too.  



Your LinkedIn profile is NOT your online resume.

Your headline is not just a job title.

Your profile picture is not an opportunity to say “look how young I used to be!” 

Your Banner image is not the three shades of gray template.

Your Experience section is not a list of roles or job descriptions.

Your Recommendation section should not have years in between testimonials.  

Want to know what you should do on your LinkedIn profile?

Change how you think about it.  

Toss out that online resume mindset.  

Instead…

Think of it as your online billboard.

It's the best way to brand yourself.

It’s what you want to use to get the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.  

As a job seeker myself, I've updated my profile quite a few times over the past year.  You should never “set it and forget it”.

One more thing…

Your profile SHOULD be combined with strategic engagement and a content marketing plan because what good is that billboard if you don't have cars driving past it?  You have to be visible!  

If you have a really good LinkedIn profile but no one sees it, then what’s the point?  

How can you tweak it today to make it even better?  

#linkedim #jobseekers #leverageup #purplesquirrelmagnet 


➡️ I'm looking for my next opportunity!!! 

I'm very interested in director of marketing/communications, content marketing, and social media roles. I’m also applying and interviewing for digital marketing and commercialization strategy positions. 

If that hiring manager would love to have someone who built her personal brand here and grew from 400-32,000+, coached 200+ clients, and appeared on 60+ podcasts talking about her unique triangle strategy, I've got that too!

"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."


Martin Luther King Jr. said that, and it's a quote that is so appropriate in so many circumstances.

Join me for my latest LinkedIn newsletter, won't you?

I have to start with this visual because ever since I chose this month's LinkedIn newsletter topic, I've had the song in my head. Now it can be in you

Open article: Little Steps Can Be Big Leaps by Deanna Russo • 3 min read

When the clock struck midnight last Wednesday, did you resolve to exercise more?


If you did, so did nearly half of the US population.

That's what inspired me to share my story.  Hopefully, it will inspire you.

On March 16, 2020, when COVID shut everything down, I made my own resolution.  I resolved to exercise.  I could feel the anxiety creeping up (seeing the possibility of EVERYONE being home from school and work - UGH!), and I wanted to take an action that could keep my mind focused.

I found YouTube videos helpful for over a year....until my brother-in-law introduced me to the Nike Training Club.

That's when everything got even better. I was able to adjust my workouts based on what I needed - physically, mentally, and emotionally.  

One of the things I like best about doing the FREE NTC app is the variety of workouts.  I can filter for strength, for mobility, and yoga workouts.  I can choose based on equipment - full, basic, or none - and based on the time I have to exercise.  I rarely do less than 30 minutes a day.

I also love how it keeps track of what I'm doing.  It tracks milestones, how many workouts I get in per week, and streaks.   Accountability is everything.  I love that it tracks what I'm doing and how often I'm doing it.

Since 7/14/21, here are my numbers:
805 total workouts
23,362 total minutes
5x a week - 60 times
4x a week - 100 times
3x a week - 180 times

While my weight has gone up and down (within 5-8 pounds, nothing too big) over the past 6 years, I know that my muscles, joints, and bones are stronger than they were when I started.

I'm 50 years old, and my mother had mobility issues beginning in her 60s after a series of falls.   That's one of my motivators.  I'm committed to being mobile and active for years to come.  No, not just years, decades.

So if you're looking to be more active, I recommend finding a routine that offers you a variety, a way to keep you accountable, and will track your progress.

For me, it's the Nike Training Club app.  Have I mentioned it's free?

P.S. This is a very stressful time for me.  Job seeking is not for the weak of heart, so exercise is a great way to deal with that stress.  

What was your New Year's resolution?  

What's your exercise routine?

#exercise #leverageup #purplesquirrelmagnet

➡️ I'm looking for my next opportunity!!! 

I'm very interested in Director of Marketing/Communications roles. I’m also applying and interviewing for digital marketing and commercialization strategy positions. 

If that hiring manager would love to have someone who built her personal brand here and grew from 400-32,000+ here, I've got that too!

taplio

The Battle

Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

Deanna Russo

Followers

Posts

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Performance ScoreBill (PhoneBill) McClain's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDeanna Russo's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Bill (PhoneBill) McClain

Deanna Russo

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Bill (PhoneBill) McClain's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDeanna Russo's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreBill (PhoneBill) McClain's LinkedIn Performance