About Me

Entrepreneurship:  Started four businesses, plus I currently run my own Vistage Chairing business as well as coaching and consulting businesses.

Family business ownership, transition, sale:  Navigated with great persistence the potential emotional landmines of combining family and business relationships.  Have a great deal of experience working with family businesses and partnerships.

Business plan creation and analysis:  For over ten years, reviewed over 150 business plans, analyzing, editing, and suggesting modifications to them in form and substance.  This includes the analysis of all financial statements.

Marketing:  A naturally strong marketing mind helps me to create marketing ideas for business people as well as generating ideas and implementing them in my own businesses.

Strategic thinking and strategic plan facilitation:  For years, not only have written and implemented my own strategic plans for my businesses, but have helped numerous companies in developing their own.

Executive Coach:  Caring, compassionate, deeply concerned about others’ well-being, able to hold clients accountable as mutually agreed upon, a commitment to co-designing what a coaching relationship is for each member as it is different for everyone.

Customer Service Speaker and Trainer: Passionate about excellent customer service, I love creating a “wow” experience for customers in my business and sharing best practices with others to create them in their businesses.

Continual learner:  A strong desire to continue to grow professionally, especially in areas of leadership.  I consider a Vistage group to be a leadership lab, for myself as well as my members.

Idea generator:  My mind just naturally generates creative ideas to help company leaders and their businesses be more successful.

Academic:  Teaching classes in management, entrepreneurship and leadership keeps me current with new ideas and thought leaders in these subject areas as well as a basis grounded in research and proven best practices.

Strength and resolve:  It is not always easy to ask a CEO the tough questions, but it is even harder to push below the surface to get at the true underlying issue and then have the character to “require” the executive to address the issue and be accountable for a solution.  These traits of mine are key to my clients finding real value from our one on one coaching and our group discussion being meaningful and relevant.

Having founded my own fine jewelry retail business in southern California, I successfully developed four unique marketing strategies for the business as it transitioned over time.  There were stores in Newport Beach, Irvine, and Scottsdale as the business grew over twenty years.  During this time, I hired my brother Oliver who later purchased the Scottsdale store which continues to successfully operate today.

In June 2011 I launched an internet jewelry business which originally featured exclusively hoop earrings until new jewelry designs began to be added, www.LooptyHoops.com This business has given me first-hand insight into the world of marketing through social media, blogs, SEO and web analytics.

Currently consulting with companies on creating competitive advantage, marketing plan development and strategic planning. I have coached executives of multinational corporations (like CSL, Behring, Instem, WebLinc, and Secant Medical) dozens of CEOs and executives of small and medium size enterprises, as well as the CEOs of several non-profit organizations (like National Liberty Museum and Boy Scouts of America). Due to my strong leadership, my Vistage groups had a track record of one of the highest retention rates in the country.

Executive Leaders Radio chose me to host its weekly radio show from 2013 to 2015 for which four CEOs were interviewed each week. In addition to its presence in the Washington DC area, Executive Leaders Radio is aired on six Philadelphia area radio stations, over 50 radio stations across the country including numerous internet sites.

In alignment with my personal life mission to help others succeed in business and live more enhanced lives, I taught students on the university level in entrepreneurship, management and leadership for 13 years.

Prior to earning a Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from The College of Wooster in Ohio. I also hold a Diamond Grading Certificate from the Gemological Institute of America. In January 2011, I graduated with a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach designation from the Coaches Training Institute.