I’ve spent the past quarter century (wow!) creating and implementing strategic marketing and sales plans for organizations of all sizes in both the public and private sector.

It’s been an amazing career path because I love helping people make a difference.

If my ideas on pricing strategy  help you make more money, I’m happy. If my introduction to just one person opens up new opportunities for you, I’m thrilled. And if my advice on your marketing plan creates a breakthrough, well then, I’m at a loss for words.

I write articles to inspire smarter business practices. I host networking events to connect like-minded people. I teach workshops to pay forward what I’ve learned. I consult to create positive change.

That’s why I started my own firm, Definitive Marketing, in 1999 and haven’t looked back since.

But if you’d like to, here’s a bit of my history.

Back when the size of your shoulder pads and hair overshadowed the size of your brain, I graduated with honors from Grinnell College with a liberal arts degree in English and minors in French and Art.

From there, I became a National Accounts Manager for Human Synergistics Inc., marketing management consulting services to Fortune 500 companies. This was better than business school!

I later joined the headquarters of Little Professor Book Centers, Inc., a national bookstore franchiser, as their Marketing and Sales Director. Over the course of seven years, I directed the marketing efforts of 150+ retail bookstores, as well as the development of new franchises nationwide. Deep in the book world, my brain got bigger and my hair got shorter.

After leaving Little Professor, I became the Executive Director of the State Street Area Association, a 170+ member business organization located in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In 1997, I helped launch Michigan Live, a Newhouse-owned news and information web site with comprehensive marketing that helped make it the state’s most visited site. It was like getting paid to go to internet school.

And from here, I launched Definitive Marketing. Voila!

When I’m not working, you can find me riding my bike, reading good fiction, laughing with friends, running by the water, talking with my mouth full, lifting heavy weights, listening very carefully, drinking strong coffee and writing about whatever’s on my mind.