Experience

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  Focalgate, Inc

  • Saint Paul, MN

  • Principal Consultant

    • Oct 2018 - Present
    • Saint Paul, MN

    Principal consultant in the practice areas of Technology, Marketing, and Strategic Management Consulting. We are a comprehensive consulting firm helping businesses, nonprofits, and government entities make the right choices, overcome obstacles, and successfully accomplish their goals. • Orchestrated the complete rebranding of the firm including addition of key new practice areas; oversaw creation of new collateral materials and re-write and re-messaging of firm web site.• Created meaningful immediate business growth as a direct result of these efforts. It's especially gratifying to help nonprofits succeed in their mission; the passion they feel for the work they do is real, and contagious. www.focalgate.com

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  Hastings Brew Works, Inc.

  • Hastings, MN

  • Owner

    • Jan 2014 - Present
    • Hastings, MN

    Successfully developed and launched a line of disruptive patented and patent pending hardware and electronics products for beer homebrewing currently distributed across North America and Europe. • Utilized voice of customer and experience to identify unsatisfied needs in the segment. Employed a hybrid development methodology, with simplicity and the laws of physics as a design philosophy.• Planned and implemented successful go to market/launch strategy for this highly specialized market; performed competitor and market analysis for pricing and promotion planning. • Directed all intellectual property protection activities resulting in two successful patent applications and one patent pending.• Filtration products utilize patent pending micronic stainless steel mesh layering with unique silicon polymer overmolding process and patented silicone/stainless components to solve boil kettle filtration issues. • Developed a unique IoT-enabled miniaturized digital CO2 flow meter for the beer carbonation processes. Designed system architecture, circuit board, and all embedded software including CO2 flow algorithms; created an innovative encapsulating urethane resin enclosure system for the product.• Attracted the industry’s leading retailer/wholesaler to distribute the products and sold them into retail accounts in the United States, Canada, and Europe with excellent results.• Implementing an exit strategy involving licensing company IP to a current major equipment manufacturer.

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  Life Stream Resources

  • Minnesota

  • President & Chief Innovation Officer

    • 2009 - 2014
    • Minnesota

    Led a highly diverse team distributed across three continents in the successful development of an intrinsically safe wireless communications and tracking system for underground mining. Succeeded in system development with limited resources in a technology start-up environment where over a dozen large corporations failed. • Designed regulatory compliant system architecture, assisted with component development, and created the product development roadmap for this highly complex intrinsically safe system.• Recruited and managed strategic ODM partner companies in North America, Europe, and Asia to participate in the development of critical system components dramatically reducing development costs while significantly accelerating time to completion; directed efforts of internal design team.• Designed and directed the development of a breakthrough active multi-gas hazardous gas monitoring system for underground mining and industrial applications.• Successfully managed the extremely onerous federal government regulatory and product approval process. • Directed multiple successful large-scale in-mine demonstration system deployments in the United States and Chile; conducted key sales presentations with top global mining corporations in US and South America.• Successfully lobbied members of US Congress and White House administration to keep and strengthen critical federal legislation necessary for business operation. • Prepared business and marketing plans, and all marketing/sales materials utilized by the company. • Responsible for personnel management, P&L, reporting, budgeting, and forecasting.• Oversaw creation of all legal documents for the company, including intellectual property protection, regulatory, joint venture, contracts, investor, and shareholder agreements.• Directed multi-million dollar investor funding efforts for the company, and resulting investor relations.

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  Freespace Systems

  • Minnesota

  • President & Product Champion

    • 2002 - 2009
    • Minnesota

    Directed all aspects of a company developing and marketing high performance wireless networking equipment used to build high capacity computer networks by systems integrators, government agencies, and internet service providers worldwide.• Created and directed a team that grew business significantly year over year globally through product innovation and market development. Responsible for all aspects of upstream and downstream marketing.• Inspired a product development group located in North America and Asia designing innovative high-performance single board computers, operating systems, outdoor enclosures, and accessory products.• Directed global sales and distribution to over 20 countries and inbound supply chain from Asia.• Managed relations with OEM/ODM partner companies in Asia, including joint development projects.• Regularly attended trade shows in Hong Kong and Taipei for sourcing, and vendor sites for reviews.• Responsible for FCC and international government regulatory approval and compliance for all products.

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  Marigold Foods

  • Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

  • Product Management

    • 1991 - 2002
    • Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

    Collaborated with the Director of Marketing and Vice President of Marketing in all phases of the ice cream business unit. Responsible for new product development, performing and analyzing ‘voice of customer’ and market research, TV, radio, and print consumer advertising, FDA & EU regulatory compliance, and package design. Established export operations and marketing/advertising to the EU through the UK. Redesigned entire branded and private label packaging portfolio to include new FDA nutrition labeling. Created several new successful product lines from concept through go to market planning and product launch.