WHO IS VERISTAR
Meet The Team
Successful organizations are built on the experience and expertise of their people.
Our team of experts is made up of industry professionals including talented project managers, knowledgeable attorneys and accomplished business executives who understand the demands of large challenging legal matters.
Rick Avers
Founder, CEO and President
Rick Avers founded Veristar in 2019 and serves as the company CEO and president. With more than 30 years of experience managing large-scale litigation matters for clients in a variety of industries and working closely with trial lawyers and general counsel on matters both nationally and internationally, Rick is highly regarded for both his professional and personal integrity. Before founding Veristar Rick most recently was president of CertaTech Solutions, prior to which he served in leadership roles at Clearwater Legal, TrustPoint International, Onsite3, Merrill Corporation, IKON and Pitney Bowes Management Services.
Sandra Chu
Chief Operations Officer
Sandra Chu is an attorney with more than 15 years of experience with e-discovery and document review. She leads all operations at Veristar’s Washington, D.C., e-discovery and 200-seat document review facility. Before joining Veristar, Sandra served as COO of CertaTech Solutions, prior to which she was a senior project manager at a top-tier Am Law 100 firm. Before her law firm tenure, Sandra managed complex document review projects for a leading e-discovery services provider, where she oversaw a multitude of projects, managing hundreds of contract attorneys and assisting various law firms throughout the EDRM process.
Rick Kaminski
Senior Director of eDiscovery Operations
Rick Kaminski has been elevating the world of eDiscovery for more than 15 years. Prior to joining Veristar, he was a senior manager for several of the industry’s leading e-discovery providers and top tier law firms. Rick’s various credentials include being a Relativity Expert, RCTP, Reveal Genius, and CEDS. He leads Veristar’s group of Relativity certified team members with a focus on customer service and efficiency.

Mark Plaehn
Senior Managing Director
Mark Plaehn has worked with corporate law and finance teams, law firm litigation, corporate and securities attorneys and paralegals and other corporate advisors for the last 25 years in the litigation, M&A and corporate financing fields. His experience advising and assisting corporations, law firms and their advisors, having partnered with his clients on more than 500 matters and transactions over his career, allows Mark to structure customized solutions tailored to the unique requirements of his clients’ needs and develop strategies to provide successful outcomes in high-stress, time-critical environments.
Ben Gardner
Vice President, Accounting and Finance
Before joining Veristar, Ben Gardner worked as senior associate for PricewaterhouseCoopers advising clients on acquisitions and divestitures with a focus on large-scale global transactions providing pre-deal valuations for buy- and sell-side clients. Prior to his time at PwC, Ben earned his MBA at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, majoring in finance. Before that he spent five years at Jones Lang LaSalle as a strategic financial consultant advising clients on their corporate real estate portfolios and the financial impact of their global real estate strategy.