Experience

 

COLUMBIA HOSPITALITY

Business Development Manager 2017 - present

Guided vitalization of Columbia Hospitality’s business development function with new systems, processes and tools necessary for more effectively pursuing new business opportunities. Created a robust, highly usable Opportunity Pipeline Database to capture and track new business leads. Recommended and acquired proposal software with content library capabilities to facilitate more efficient and professional proposal development. Generated proposals in response to RFPs, RFIs and other identified opportunities. Results have included a nearly 100% increase in the total number of properties in Columbia Hospitality’s management portfolio and doubling consulting revenues since 2018.

 

AVANADE

Consultant     2015 to 2017

Contributing across groups and functions to provide project-specific expertise and assistance. Examples include: collaborating with User Experience/Experience Design on initiatives to drive internal awareness and adoption of mobile applications available to employees; working with Internal Communications and various Marketing stakeholders to develop a general Avanade overview deck incorporating information and brand updates; supporting ITS efforts to implement an effective and streamlined vendor management framework.

 

INHOUSE MARKETING

Marketing Consultant     1999 to 2017

Extended the power of clients’ in-house marketing teams on projects large and small by providing expertise and assistance on an as-needed basis. Projects ranged from intensive, multi-faceted brand development collaborations delivered over a span of months to simple content reviews accomplished over the course of an afternoon. Areas of specialization included identity and brand development/extension, market research, strategies for and execution of goal-specific promotion programs, and various types of marketing content creation. 

Examples of past projects:

  • Identity/brand creation "from scratch" for a variety of businesses, such as an online technical puzzle startup targeting both corporate human resources testing and educational markets, as well as a multi-family real estate development company vying for investor capital

  • Complete re-branding of a software company when market conditions forced shifts in focus and product lines

  • Development of brand guidelines for the manufacturer of a women's clothing line

  • End-to-end design, planning and execution of market studies in Australia and Mexico for a wood products association, in Argentina for a consortium of chocolate manufacturers, in China for a group of Eastern Washington hops growers, and in the United Kingdom for California wine producers

  • Marketing program planning and execution, such as a business-to-business campaign to drive free trial of a software management system, a push to enlist real estate developers as distribution partners for a home automation system, and an initiative to increase both online and brick-and-mortar sales of a gallery featuring high-end, large-format landscape photography

  • Development of winning proposals such as one on behalf of a newly-founded hospitality management company competing for a large, multi-year contract to open and manage a public conference center

 

WRQ

Product Manager     1996 - 1998

Provided support and continuity as part of a transition team following WRQ's 1996 acquisition of Express Systems. Assisted with integration of the Express line of software management products into WRQ's existing portfolio of host access software. Focused on re-branding and re-packaging Express offerings to achieve alignment with WRQ's existing brand and customer messaging.

 

COLUMBIA RESOURCE GROUP

Market Research Consultant     1993 - 1995

Designed, planned and executed market entry studies for a wide variety of clients and industry groups considering a range of international markets. Studies were conducted related to wood products, specific types of foods, wine and several commodities. Markets were considered in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, England, France, Sweden, Japan, Korea, China and Australia.

Each study required close client collaboration in its initial design and planning phases, then building and managing a team of in-country, industry-specialized service vendors during execution of the study. Each market entry study culminated in a comprehensive report detailing industry parameters, market conditions and competitive landscape, as well as analysis of that client's market entry prospects based on those factors. 

 

COLE & WEBER ADVERTISING

Account Executive     1990 - 1992

As part of an account team, contributed to advertising strategies, coordinated creative development, and executed advertising campaigns for clients including Cellular One, Group Health Cooperative, Nike, and Alaska Airlines. Supported business development by preparing dossiers of industry and competitor information specific to prospective clients in preparation for new account pitches.

 

FUN RAISING UNLIMITED

Owner 1986 - 1990

Special events fundraising consultancy established while in college as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization to serve other non-profits. Concepted and produced dozens of community fundraising events for a wide range of charitable organizations in Juneau, AK including AWARE (a shelter for women and children escaping domestic abuse) and MEN (Men Emerging Now - an anger management program for men involved in domestic abuse.) Managed a successful, summer-long project sponsored by a consortium of non-profits that employed young people as ‘Fun Cops’ to roam the streets issuing ‘tickets’ to tourists for invented violations such as ‘wearing matching jackets and sensible shoes.’ (Funds were raised by the optional fines paid by tourists who received ‘tickets.’)

 

REFERENCES AND WORK SAMPLES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST