Design, brand & marketing strategy; product development, marketing communications management. Extensive business development, presentation, client relationship and project management experience. Strong problem solving and communication skills.

Professional Skills

  • Brand Strategy & Communications
  • Design thinking and strategic processes
  • Copywriting and concept development
  • User, market research & strategy
  • Integrated marketing communications (advertising, PR, direct, Web)
  • Product design and development
  • Packaging and merchandising
  • Retail environments

Information Technology

  • eCommerce
  • Web & mobile communications strategy
  • CRM & multi-channel marketing
  • SEO/SEM & Social media marketing

Experience

Principal Making Design Matter, Columbus Dec 09 ~ Design, brand & marketing analysis and strategy.
Owner The German Village Guest House was the #1 ranked Bed & Breakfast/Boutique Hotel in Central Ohio on TripAdvisor.com, and was a popular alternative to downtown Columbus hotels in an acclaimed historic neighborhood. Modern design, cleanliness and luxury details differentiated our innovative hotel brand. Named the 'Best Hotel in Columbus' by 614 Magazine in the 2012 ~ 2020 reader polls and had been named a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence (Top 1%) and Hall of Fame (Top 1% for five consecutive years) recipient 2011 - 2020. Closed by Covid-19, Summer 2020.
Partner, Think-Brand llc, Jan 08 – Dec 09. Think-Brand was a strategic marketing group using design thinking as a core competency. We used consensus building, customer/stakeholder alignment, and internal resource allocation to make change simple, smart and successful. www.think-brand.com.
Director, strategic development, Fitch, Jan 04 – May 06. Fitch is an international multidisciplinary design firm (user research, brand strategy, product development, retail environments, interactive experiences), and a WPP Group (NASDAQ: WPPGY) marketing services brand. Lead major client pursuits, presentations & relationships, exceeded individual / team multi-million dollar annual sales goals by 25%.
VP/Mgmt supervisor, HGA Advertising & Design, Inc. Apr 02 – Jun 03. HGA provides in-depth, multiple media marketing, advertising and creative services. Won major new clients, created winning brand and marketing strategies. 
Director, brand & technology strategy marchFIRST (USWeb/CKS), Columbus Aug 99 – Nov 01. Business development & strategic leadership for Fortune 500 clients.
Director, client strategy & services MC2 Interactive, Feb 97 – Aug 99. Account leadership for Fortune 500 and ‘Big brand’ companies in B2C, B2B and e-commerce web development.
Senior associate, business development Fitch, Columbus Nov 93 – Feb 97. Brand strategy, communications, product development and interactive offers.
Account executive SBC Advertising & PR, Columbus Nov 92 - Nov 93. $17M Frigidaire brand major appliance account. Managed integrated delivery of national communications systems, including Print, Broadcast, Consumer- and Dealer-collateral, POP, Merchandising, Promotions, PR & Direct.
Advertising director/business manager Campus Press, Univ of Colorado at Boulder Jun 90 - Sep 92. Full P&L responsibility, managed sales, operations, production and distribution for award-winning, twice-weekly 11,000 distribution student-laboratory newspaper published by the School of Journalism & Mass Communications. Increased sales by 50% over two years, set new single issue and yearly sales records and regained market share in highly competitive environment and new sales and production staff every semester.
Vice president Workshop Design Consultants, Columbus Mar 84 – May 90. Developed strategy, directed creative, wrote copy, managed client and vendor relationships, produced radio and television, media events, bought printing and media, press relations and media events, new business.
 
Academics
 
MA Journalism & Mass Communications, Univ of Colorado at Boulder 1992. Thesis: Integration of Design and Marketing in Higher Education. Published in Journalism Abstracts, 1992.
BA Journalism, The Ohio State University 1989. Major: Advertising.
Instructor Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, 2009. Adjunct teaching Marketing & Logistics 755: Promotional Strategies to senior marketing majors.
Instructor Franklin University, 2004 ~ 2009. Adjunct teaching Integrated Marketing Communications, Marketing & Media Research, Audience and Consumer Behavior to students enrolled in the MBA/MCM program; Market Behavior, Advertising & Integrated Brand Promotions, Principles of Marketing to undergrad Business Admin and Marketing majors.
Instructor Univ of Colorado at Boulder, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, 90 – 92. Graduate Adjunct, designed and taught Advertising Practicum to senior advertising/business majors.
Instructor Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Denver, 91 – 92. Adjunct, taught Advertising copywriting to senior graphic design and advertising students.
 
Conferences
Selected in juried competition to present research on Integrating design and marketing in higher education: a longitudinal study, at the IDSA National Educators Conference, San Diego, CA (Jun 98).
 
Selected in judged competition to present paper on Integrating industrial design into the medical device development process at Medical Device Manufacturer’s Conference, Orlando, Florida (Mar 97).
 
Creative recognition
  • American Advertising Federation
  • Columbus Society of Communicating Arts
  • American Marketing Association
  • Mid-Ohio Direct Marketing Association
  • Public Relations Society of America
  • Business Marketing Magazine
  • Web Marketing Association
  • New Media Magazine (Invision Awards)
  • International Web Page Awards (Webby Awards)  
Other
  • Fred and Howard Ambassador Award from the German Village Society, 2008
  • Public speaker on topics in Advertising, Marketing, Internet and eBusiness.
  • Business First 40 Under 40, 2002.
  • United Way, Young Leadership Group
  • Volunteer Mentor , YMCA Future Leaders of America program, 2003, 2001.
  • Executive Board, Columbus Chapter American Marketing Assn, 03-05.
  • Organizing committee, Digital-Cocktail, 2000.
  • Chair, Columbus chapter Industrial Designer’s Society of America (IDSA), 94-95.
  • Board seat, National IDSA, 1994-95.
  • Chair, Columbus Design Tour 1994.
  • Media relations committee, Greater Columbus Arts Festival, 1993.
  • Captain, The Ohio State University National Student Advertising Competition team, 87-88 (3rd in region), 88-89 (4th in region).