We live in a culture where most people feel uncomfortable talking about death—and because we don’t talk about it, we aren’t prepared when it’s time to make funeral arrangements. What most people don’t understand is that a decision typically needs to be made within hours following a death, making an already emotional time even more stressful.
Solace set out to revolutionize the funeral industry, offering a simple, modern, and honest experience for families. What set Solace apart was its digitally enabled, human-powered approach, which ensures that families receive the care and attention they need during a difficult time.
Between its launch in 2019 and its acquisition by Foundation Partners Group in 2022, Solace grew revenue by more than 200% every year while reducing acquisition costs by 50%.
Work completed as CMO, Solace Cremation
Between 2010 and 2016, Burgerville had become heavily reliant on discounting and promotions. With deep roots in the local community, a commitment to the humane treatment of animals, an industry-defining supply chain, and a passion for its people, the company should have had a lot to feel good about.
The three-year turn around put the people, taste, and place of the Northwest at the center of the brand.
In an independent 2018 market research study, Burgerville was rated "highest quality of ingredients" among ALL national restaurant chains.
Work completed as VP/CMO, Burgerville.
In 1991, the US Women’s National Soccer team took the first-ever Women’s World Cup, and almost no one knew about it. In 1999, 99,000 people went to the Rose Bowl, and millions more watched on TV cheering for Mia, Brandi, Julie, Michelle! This pivotal moment launched professional women’s soccer in the US—and is acknowledged by the 2019 US National Team as an inspiration to their soccer journey.
Work completed as US Women’s Soccer Advertising Manager, Nike.
If you clicked on this image, it might be because you have a pet--or long for a pet friend? You'd probably agree that the experience of having a pet in the family is just about one of the best feelings ever. And shopping for pet food? Perhaps one of the most frustrating experiences ever.
Laura Amiton, founder of The Filling Station, had a vision for something different—Laura wanted to create a business built for pets AND their people—making doing right by your pets as easy as possible.
That vision started with a brand strategy that allowed Laura to
-Build a business plan
-Secure financing
-Curate a brand identity
-Design a culture of service
-Support the learning and development of her employees
-Construct an integrated physical and online experience for customers
-And open the Filling Station Pet Supplies
Work completed as Brand Strategy Advisor, Diving Allowed.
Nike in partnership with the LiveStrong Foundation had created one of the world’s most iconic tributes to hope and inspiration with a simple yellow wristband. The wristband was never just about Lance, with one in three people diagnosed with cancer, it was about all of us. In 2009, using a massive street printer and social media, the roads of France became our roads.
Over the course of 22 days, the LiveStrong Facebook community grew by 77% and twitter followers grew by 37%.
Work completed as LiveStrong Marketing Director, Nike.
Burgerville is known for its fresh, local seasonal products. Asparagus from Yakima Valley. Strawberries, raspberries, marionberries from Boring, OR. Walla Walla Sweet Onions from, of course, Walla Walla, Wa.
Regular customers plan their summer road trips to coincide with regional arrivals.
Beginning in 2016, Burgerville implemented a go-to-market system to align supply chain, operations, service, and marketing to be ready when Mother Nature was.
Since the go-to-market implementation, every product launch exceeded the previous year's popularity.
Work completed as VP/CMO, Burgerville.
Every January, fast-food restaurants up-date their value menus, unleashing a deluge of discounts. To stand out in an industry of sameness Burgerville asked, “What is the real price of a value meal?”
Work completed as VP/CMO, Burgerville.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Prostitution, Sex Work, the World’s Oldest Profession. No matter what the label, most people get uncomfortable when the subject mentioned.
Peter and Jennifer Buffet, through their foundation, NoVo, realized that it was this discomfort that often ended a conversation before it could get started. And, how could they achieve their mission of fostering a transformation from a world of domination and exploitation to one of collaboration and partnership if there was no conversation?
The NoVo Foundation set out to understand how this incredibly complex and nuanced issue is seen by peer organizations, how progressively-minded members of the public speak about the subject, and how typical campaigns communicate the story. From this immersive learning experience, NoVo is executing a long-term strategy that builds new on-ramps for conversations and reshapes cultural norms.
Work completed as a collaborator of brew advisors.
Malaysia has never fielded a World Cup team and maybe never will. It doesn’t mean that every football crazy kid doesn’t dream of one day, just maybe, seeing their name on the back of a national team jersey. By signing the Malaysian National Football team, at the time, the only sports team in Southeast Asia sponsored by a global sports company—Nike Malaysia grew its football business by 40% in 2 years.
Work completed as Marketing Director, Nike Southeast Asia.
To refresh its training category with a new generation of young athletes across every sports category, Nike decided to kick off its digital innovation in an unexpected way—by holding 65 live events across the US on the same day. More than 3,000 new consumers registered in program while at the events.
Work completed as Brand Initiatives Director, Nike.
In 2008, Nike launched the LiveStrong collection with 100% of all of its profits going to the fight against cancer. The collection became Nike’s fastest growing brand at retail, securing over 50,000 sq. ft. in additional retail space and raising over $14,000,000 for the LiveStrong Foundation.
Work completed as LiveStrong Marketing Director, Nike.
Hillsboro in one of the fastest growing and most diverse cities in Oregon. To cultivate a future of inclusion, they wanted to uncover the threads that unite the community and build a community brand.
Hillsboro has a long heritage of being a farming community. While crops may have changed, the people of Hillsboro agree that “together, we are growing Oregon’s future.”
Work completed as a collaborator of Weinstein PR.
My mother always said I taught myself to swim.
Actually, the story goes that when I was three, maybe four, and I saw my brother and sister in their swim lessons, I stripped down to my underwear and dove in.
Some chalked it up to a lack of patience or that I just didn’t understand that swim lessons were for the big kids.
Now I can’t say for sure what exactly motivated me given it was a few years back yet I can wager a pretty solid guess:
Everyone else was in the pool, and they were having a great time--so why wouldn’t I want to be in the pool too?
You might be thinking, I got lucky and you’d be right.
I’m not saying that we should all dive into the pool when we haven’t had any swim lessons.
So what am I saying?
I’m saying that we often miss out on some inspiring adventures when we try to plan for everything that could go wrong. Sometimes, we have to look out at the end of the diving board, not knowing if we can stick the landing and go for it.
Yes, look out for rocks and the shallow end. Know your territory. Respect the water. And then trust yourself.
