Russ Whitney Steps Down as CEO of IdeaRoom, Dan VanOrden Appointed as Successor

After 12 years as CEO and founder, Russ Whitney has decided to transition away from his operating role within IdeaRoom. Dan VanOrden, co-founder and current CRO, will be moving into the CEO position.  

Whitney & VanOrden founded IdeaRoom in 2012 with the goal of growing a software company in the greater Boise area. Under Russ’ leadership, IdeaRoom evolved from a custom 3D configurator business to a comprehensive SaaS sales platform for customizable structures. Today, the business boasts over 550 customers across four industry categories, and is backed by investment capital from Arthur Ventures. 

IdeaRoom is Whitney’s third successful entrepreneurial experience. The previous two (Extended Systems & ProClarity) culminated in an IPO and an acquisition by Microsoft. Following the ProClarity acquisition, Russ quickly became a General Manager responsible for Microsoft Office business intelligence capabilities and the management of a large, multi-geographic team. Whitney began IdeaRoom as a way of bringing together his passion for solving hard problems, building software, and driving innovation. Whitney is a member of the Boise State Computer Science Industry Advisory Board, and looks forward to expanding his presence as an advocate and mentor in Boise’s tech startup scene. He will remain involved in IdeaRoom as the Chairman of the Board.

As IdeaRoom enters a new phase of product-led growth with a focus on adding both payments and additional industry categories to its platform, Whitney plans to pass the torch to VanOrden. 

VanOrden is a capable software engineer who spent his early years at IdeaRoom architecting the infrastructure for the onboarding and 3D modeling of IdeaRoom’s SaaS sales platform. 

As the new CEO, VanOrden envisions an exciting future for IdeaRoom. His strategic vision includes providing a centralized purchasing platform for the sale of all customized buildings, delivering unparalleled experiences for both buyers and sales teams, enabling workflows across the entire sales lifecycle for enhanced operational efficiency, and allowing businesses to diversify and scale their product lines for new revenue growth.

"We are committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence," said VanOrden. "Our goal is to create seamless, efficient, and highly satisfying experiences for our clients and their customers, while building a competitive software company here in the Treasure Valley."

IdeaRoom looks forward to expanding its team in the near future.