Andrea Ponto
VP of Marketing at Merchology- Claim this Profile
Click to upgrade to our gold package
for the full feature experience.
Topline Score
Bio
Jayme Wisely, MBA
Rarely in one’s career do you come across individuals who can redefine a position and change the trajectory of a strategy or vision for a company. These unique and talented individuals are what CEO’s look for and hope to have the privilege of working with in an organization. Andrea Ponto is one of these unique talents and was instrumental in helping take a PE portfolio of regional companies and transform them into one national brand known as Game One®. Early in our strategy development we recognized that the company could not simply evolve from a house of brands to a national presence rather it had to utilize a disruptive strategy to modernize its approach and reposition itself for long-term success. This transformation required that we introduce many new marketing capabilities that were not present in the industry from Omni-Channel Marketing, Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Lead Generation, Formal Product Management, Technical Innovations and Strategic Partnerships that would leapfrog the competitors and reposition the company with innovative capabilities as a thought leader. Under Andrea’s leadership she established a Marketing team with unique and talented skills that we applied to the business and saw immediate results. The introduction of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence helped inform our strategies and guide our decisions. The use of Strategic Marketing is much more than creative output and requires a sophisticated leadership profile to maximize its full potential. Andrea possesses these skills and abilities which contributed to Game One’s success. It goes without saying that I am an Andre Ponto fan and would recommend her to an Executive Leadership role in any organization looking to advance their market or industry position. She is a quick student, has unending curiosity, and an extensive background to draw upon that converts to quick results. Andrea brings a strong strategic point of view, a servant-leadership style, and innovative capabilities to an organization. She will raise the water level for the entire team and would be an immediate asset for any organization she joins.
Kelly Morgan
I have had the pleasure of working with many talented teammates across three national brands over the last 25 years. Andrea Ponto ranks at the very top of the list - and not because she has the most recent association - but because my experience gives me the unique perspective to be able to objectively assess the players across time and environment. Irrespective of the industry involved, Andrea is a top tier marketer as a stand alone talent. But it is her cross-functional ability to quickly grasp every aspect of the organizational "story problem", and lead a talented and diverse team towards responses which achieve short, medium, and long term fixes that make the entire team stronger. Her "dirty hands" work ethic and lack of pretense, combined with an infectiously positive approach - make Andrea Ponto an ideal teammate and one that, "walks the walk" every day as a true servant leader. I have witnessed this first hand, as our collaboration to launch a national brand and align sales and marketing resulted in 33% top line growth over 2 years. Passionate. Smart. Tenacious. Curious. Selfless. Andrea Ponto is a 5 tool Coach and Player that makes your team better. Period. It would be a distinct honor and a pleasure to work alongside or for Andrea. She is a leader that knows how to win with honor, integrity, and amazing set of skills that attracts and retains top talent that naturally gravitate toward her singular energy. If I'm building a team - Andrea Ponto is my draft pick - every time.
Jayme Wisely, MBA
Rarely in one’s career do you come across individuals who can redefine a position and change the trajectory of a strategy or vision for a company. These unique and talented individuals are what CEO’s look for and hope to have the privilege of working with in an organization. Andrea Ponto is one of these unique talents and was instrumental in helping take a PE portfolio of regional companies and transform them into one national brand known as Game One®. Early in our strategy development we recognized that the company could not simply evolve from a house of brands to a national presence rather it had to utilize a disruptive strategy to modernize its approach and reposition itself for long-term success. This transformation required that we introduce many new marketing capabilities that were not present in the industry from Omni-Channel Marketing, Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Lead Generation, Formal Product Management, Technical Innovations and Strategic Partnerships that would leapfrog the competitors and reposition the company with innovative capabilities as a thought leader. Under Andrea’s leadership she established a Marketing team with unique and talented skills that we applied to the business and saw immediate results. The introduction of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence helped inform our strategies and guide our decisions. The use of Strategic Marketing is much more than creative output and requires a sophisticated leadership profile to maximize its full potential. Andrea possesses these skills and abilities which contributed to Game One’s success. It goes without saying that I am an Andre Ponto fan and would recommend her to an Executive Leadership role in any organization looking to advance their market or industry position. She is a quick student, has unending curiosity, and an extensive background to draw upon that converts to quick results. Andrea brings a strong strategic point of view, a servant-leadership style, and innovative capabilities to an organization. She will raise the water level for the entire team and would be an immediate asset for any organization she joins.
Kelly Morgan
I have had the pleasure of working with many talented teammates across three national brands over the last 25 years. Andrea Ponto ranks at the very top of the list - and not because she has the most recent association - but because my experience gives me the unique perspective to be able to objectively assess the players across time and environment. Irrespective of the industry involved, Andrea is a top tier marketer as a stand alone talent. But it is her cross-functional ability to quickly grasp every aspect of the organizational "story problem", and lead a talented and diverse team towards responses which achieve short, medium, and long term fixes that make the entire team stronger. Her "dirty hands" work ethic and lack of pretense, combined with an infectiously positive approach - make Andrea Ponto an ideal teammate and one that, "walks the walk" every day as a true servant leader. I have witnessed this first hand, as our collaboration to launch a national brand and align sales and marketing resulted in 33% top line growth over 2 years. Passionate. Smart. Tenacious. Curious. Selfless. Andrea Ponto is a 5 tool Coach and Player that makes your team better. Period. It would be a distinct honor and a pleasure to work alongside or for Andrea. She is a leader that knows how to win with honor, integrity, and amazing set of skills that attracts and retains top talent that naturally gravitate toward her singular energy. If I'm building a team - Andrea Ponto is my draft pick - every time.
Jayme Wisely, MBA
Rarely in one’s career do you come across individuals who can redefine a position and change the trajectory of a strategy or vision for a company. These unique and talented individuals are what CEO’s look for and hope to have the privilege of working with in an organization. Andrea Ponto is one of these unique talents and was instrumental in helping take a PE portfolio of regional companies and transform them into one national brand known as Game One®. Early in our strategy development we recognized that the company could not simply evolve from a house of brands to a national presence rather it had to utilize a disruptive strategy to modernize its approach and reposition itself for long-term success. This transformation required that we introduce many new marketing capabilities that were not present in the industry from Omni-Channel Marketing, Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Lead Generation, Formal Product Management, Technical Innovations and Strategic Partnerships that would leapfrog the competitors and reposition the company with innovative capabilities as a thought leader. Under Andrea’s leadership she established a Marketing team with unique and talented skills that we applied to the business and saw immediate results. The introduction of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence helped inform our strategies and guide our decisions. The use of Strategic Marketing is much more than creative output and requires a sophisticated leadership profile to maximize its full potential. Andrea possesses these skills and abilities which contributed to Game One’s success. It goes without saying that I am an Andre Ponto fan and would recommend her to an Executive Leadership role in any organization looking to advance their market or industry position. She is a quick student, has unending curiosity, and an extensive background to draw upon that converts to quick results. Andrea brings a strong strategic point of view, a servant-leadership style, and innovative capabilities to an organization. She will raise the water level for the entire team and would be an immediate asset for any organization she joins.
Kelly Morgan
I have had the pleasure of working with many talented teammates across three national brands over the last 25 years. Andrea Ponto ranks at the very top of the list - and not because she has the most recent association - but because my experience gives me the unique perspective to be able to objectively assess the players across time and environment. Irrespective of the industry involved, Andrea is a top tier marketer as a stand alone talent. But it is her cross-functional ability to quickly grasp every aspect of the organizational "story problem", and lead a talented and diverse team towards responses which achieve short, medium, and long term fixes that make the entire team stronger. Her "dirty hands" work ethic and lack of pretense, combined with an infectiously positive approach - make Andrea Ponto an ideal teammate and one that, "walks the walk" every day as a true servant leader. I have witnessed this first hand, as our collaboration to launch a national brand and align sales and marketing resulted in 33% top line growth over 2 years. Passionate. Smart. Tenacious. Curious. Selfless. Andrea Ponto is a 5 tool Coach and Player that makes your team better. Period. It would be a distinct honor and a pleasure to work alongside or for Andrea. She is a leader that knows how to win with honor, integrity, and amazing set of skills that attracts and retains top talent that naturally gravitate toward her singular energy. If I'm building a team - Andrea Ponto is my draft pick - every time.
Jayme Wisely, MBA
Rarely in one’s career do you come across individuals who can redefine a position and change the trajectory of a strategy or vision for a company. These unique and talented individuals are what CEO’s look for and hope to have the privilege of working with in an organization. Andrea Ponto is one of these unique talents and was instrumental in helping take a PE portfolio of regional companies and transform them into one national brand known as Game One®. Early in our strategy development we recognized that the company could not simply evolve from a house of brands to a national presence rather it had to utilize a disruptive strategy to modernize its approach and reposition itself for long-term success. This transformation required that we introduce many new marketing capabilities that were not present in the industry from Omni-Channel Marketing, Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Lead Generation, Formal Product Management, Technical Innovations and Strategic Partnerships that would leapfrog the competitors and reposition the company with innovative capabilities as a thought leader. Under Andrea’s leadership she established a Marketing team with unique and talented skills that we applied to the business and saw immediate results. The introduction of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence helped inform our strategies and guide our decisions. The use of Strategic Marketing is much more than creative output and requires a sophisticated leadership profile to maximize its full potential. Andrea possesses these skills and abilities which contributed to Game One’s success. It goes without saying that I am an Andre Ponto fan and would recommend her to an Executive Leadership role in any organization looking to advance their market or industry position. She is a quick student, has unending curiosity, and an extensive background to draw upon that converts to quick results. Andrea brings a strong strategic point of view, a servant-leadership style, and innovative capabilities to an organization. She will raise the water level for the entire team and would be an immediate asset for any organization she joins.
Kelly Morgan
I have had the pleasure of working with many talented teammates across three national brands over the last 25 years. Andrea Ponto ranks at the very top of the list - and not because she has the most recent association - but because my experience gives me the unique perspective to be able to objectively assess the players across time and environment. Irrespective of the industry involved, Andrea is a top tier marketer as a stand alone talent. But it is her cross-functional ability to quickly grasp every aspect of the organizational "story problem", and lead a talented and diverse team towards responses which achieve short, medium, and long term fixes that make the entire team stronger. Her "dirty hands" work ethic and lack of pretense, combined with an infectiously positive approach - make Andrea Ponto an ideal teammate and one that, "walks the walk" every day as a true servant leader. I have witnessed this first hand, as our collaboration to launch a national brand and align sales and marketing resulted in 33% top line growth over 2 years. Passionate. Smart. Tenacious. Curious. Selfless. Andrea Ponto is a 5 tool Coach and Player that makes your team better. Period. It would be a distinct honor and a pleasure to work alongside or for Andrea. She is a leader that knows how to win with honor, integrity, and amazing set of skills that attracts and retains top talent that naturally gravitate toward her singular energy. If I'm building a team - Andrea Ponto is my draft pick - every time.
Credentials
-
LEAN Certification
Manufacturers Alliance
Experience
-
Merchology
-
United States
-
Retail Apparel and Fashion
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
VP of Marketing
-
Nov 2023 - Present
-
-
-
CIX Solutions
-
Minnesota, United States
-
Business Owner | Marketing Consulting
-
Mar 2023 - Present
Influencing leadership, business strategy, and team success is what I do best. I am a leader and a marketer who drives strategy and business results. Throughout my career, I have committed myself to conceptualizing, defining, and successfully delivering business and marketing, and customer experience strategies that drive continued growth. I am passionate about leading team members to align for personal and organizational growth. The idea behind CIX, Connected Intentional Experiential… Show more Influencing leadership, business strategy, and team success is what I do best. I am a leader and a marketer who drives strategy and business results. Throughout my career, I have committed myself to conceptualizing, defining, and successfully delivering business and marketing, and customer experience strategies that drive continued growth. I am passionate about leading team members to align for personal and organizational growth. The idea behind CIX, Connected Intentional Experiential, is rooted in my purpose to impact the lives of others through positive influence and encouragement so that we all live our best life. I thrive when I am connecting with others leveraging my strengths in communication, relating, and restoring. These strengths coupled with my core values of curiosity, connection, integrity and teamwork allow me to create business and marketing solutions that deliver results. Show less Influencing leadership, business strategy, and team success is what I do best. I am a leader and a marketer who drives strategy and business results. Throughout my career, I have committed myself to conceptualizing, defining, and successfully delivering business and marketing, and customer experience strategies that drive continued growth. I am passionate about leading team members to align for personal and organizational growth. The idea behind CIX, Connected Intentional Experiential… Show more Influencing leadership, business strategy, and team success is what I do best. I am a leader and a marketer who drives strategy and business results. Throughout my career, I have committed myself to conceptualizing, defining, and successfully delivering business and marketing, and customer experience strategies that drive continued growth. I am passionate about leading team members to align for personal and organizational growth. The idea behind CIX, Connected Intentional Experiential, is rooted in my purpose to impact the lives of others through positive influence and encouragement so that we all live our best life. I thrive when I am connecting with others leveraging my strengths in communication, relating, and restoring. These strengths coupled with my core values of curiosity, connection, integrity and teamwork allow me to create business and marketing solutions that deliver results. Show less
-
-
-
Game One
-
Sporting Goods Manufacturing
-
100 - 200 Employee
-
Chief Marketing Officer
-
May 2021 - Mar 2023
Private Equity backed National Athletic Supply organization serving teams and schools with apparel, uniforms and equipment. Hired as Marketer #1 to develop and launch a marketing strategy and team from the ground up. I produced a successful disruptor strategy that consolidated eight independent organizations into one national brand and enterprise, Game One. Created a team of marketing superstars that pioneered Omni-Channel strategies and Product Marketing into a historically transactional… Show more Private Equity backed National Athletic Supply organization serving teams and schools with apparel, uniforms and equipment. Hired as Marketer #1 to develop and launch a marketing strategy and team from the ground up. I produced a successful disruptor strategy that consolidated eight independent organizations into one national brand and enterprise, Game One. Created a team of marketing superstars that pioneered Omni-Channel strategies and Product Marketing into a historically transactional based model. Now an end-to-end relationship based model. Our newly-formed executive team launched an organizational structure, rebrand, technology stack, manufacturing process, and footprint—including corporate vision, mission, and values—becoming the 2nd largest provider of apparel, uniforms, and equipment for schools, clubs, and organizations in the country. All within 24 months. Check out the powerful story of Game One in the attached Case Study supported by our brand partners, Sussner. Show less Private Equity backed National Athletic Supply organization serving teams and schools with apparel, uniforms and equipment. Hired as Marketer #1 to develop and launch a marketing strategy and team from the ground up. I produced a successful disruptor strategy that consolidated eight independent organizations into one national brand and enterprise, Game One. Created a team of marketing superstars that pioneered Omni-Channel strategies and Product Marketing into a historically transactional… Show more Private Equity backed National Athletic Supply organization serving teams and schools with apparel, uniforms and equipment. Hired as Marketer #1 to develop and launch a marketing strategy and team from the ground up. I produced a successful disruptor strategy that consolidated eight independent organizations into one national brand and enterprise, Game One. Created a team of marketing superstars that pioneered Omni-Channel strategies and Product Marketing into a historically transactional based model. Now an end-to-end relationship based model. Our newly-formed executive team launched an organizational structure, rebrand, technology stack, manufacturing process, and footprint—including corporate vision, mission, and values—becoming the 2nd largest provider of apparel, uniforms, and equipment for schools, clubs, and organizations in the country. All within 24 months. Check out the powerful story of Game One in the attached Case Study supported by our brand partners, Sussner. Show less
-
-
-
FOREST LAKE AREA SCHOOLS
-
United States
-
Education Management
-
100 - 200 Employee
-
Varsity Assistant Girls Basketball Coach & Mentor
-
Jul 2021 - Feb 2023
-
-
-
Sportsdigita
-
United States
-
Technology, Information and Media
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Vice President, Marketing & Operations
-
Nov 2019 - Apr 2021
Spearheading business and marketing strategy, leading marketing, account management and creative services (agency) teams for SaaS organization servicing 400+ sports and enterprise clients worldwide. Creating new digital marketing strategies, implementing new creative services revenue streams, and establishing new market positions. Spearheading business and marketing strategy, leading marketing, account management and creative services (agency) teams for SaaS organization servicing 400+ sports and enterprise clients worldwide. Creating new digital marketing strategies, implementing new creative services revenue streams, and establishing new market positions.
-
-
-
Lifetouch National School Studios
-
United States
-
Photography
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Vice President Marketing
-
Aug 2018 - Aug 2019
A member of the senior leadership team and Shutterfly integration team, charged with leading strategic marketing, change, ideation and execution for the company’s largest business segment with $750M in annual revenue generated from school portraits, yearbook, sports, and event photography from 50,000 schools and 20 million households.
-
-
Senior Director Of Marketing
-
Apr 2017 - Aug 2018
Department senior management role leveraging proven track record with customer journeys, e-commerce growth, product merchandise, go-to-market strategies, and team alignment to drive business strategies for brand, communication, product innovation, merchandising, design, customer experience, e-commerce, customer data, and business intelligence.
-
-
Director of Customer Experience Marketing
-
Dec 2015 - Apr 2017
Develop and lead customer experience and engagement strategies for Underclass portraits and Yearbook in North America. Leverage Omni-channel communication plan using personalization and segmentation to maximize digital marketing, e-commerce and print avenues. Develop and execute customer loyalty program targeting 15 million households.
-
-
Director of Business and Marketing, Underclass Portraits
-
Mar 2014 - Dec 2015
Lead marketing and business strategy for $480M underclass (K-11) portrait division including business to business and direct to consumer across both United States and Canada. Developed e-commerce strategy – Omni-channel plan supporting social engagement, e-mail, lead generation, user interface and mobile optimization driving increased e-commerce sales.
-
-
Director of Marketing, Senior Portraits
-
May 2011 - Mar 2014
Managed $130 Million high school senior and college photography business segment for United States and Canada. Established strategic direction to drive business improvement and innovation.
-
-
Assistant Marketing Manager
-
Sep 2010 - May 2011
Manage $450 million consumer business segment. Responsible for marketing strategy, new product development and merchandising for Elementary Underclass photography segment. - Go-To-Market Strategies - New Product Development - Pricing and Packaging Strategies - Social Media Initiatives
-
-
Consumer Marketing Associate
-
Aug 2008 - Sep 2010
Support Elementary Underclass school picture business with new product development and pricing and packaging strategies.
-
-
Marketing Associate
-
Oct 2005 - Aug 2008
Manage marketing and business functions for $32 million Sport and Special Event consumer and customer business segment. Lead multi-functional teams to develop business SOP across multiple operating groups. Analyze competitive conditions, conduct gap analysis and set market penetration strategies. - Project Management - Communication and Merchandising Strategies - Launch Brand Control Software
-
-
-
-
Program Director
-
Aug 2002 - Sep 2005
Developed strategies and tactics for company business plans. Managed over 60 youth sports events annually with over 50,000 participants. - Launched Ecommerce Website - Created new customer data warehouse - Advertising and Promotion materials - Implemented Multi-level Sponsorship Program
-
-
Program Coordinator
-
May 2000 - Aug 2002
-
-
Education
-
1996 - 2000
Bemidji State University
Bachelor of Sceince, Sport Management, Business
Community
