SO’s Catalyst

Jeff Walters
Catalyst

Exploration. Discovery. Innovation. These are the reasons I “navigate the marketing frontier” in search of new and better ideas. My focus is on building brands, strategies, solutions and ideas that create enduring value by applying marketing strategy, marketing and media technologies, and financial analysis to build brands and businesses.

With a background that includes c0-founding two leading digital marketing services firms (see “Background” below), I enjoy working on a portfolio of companies in technology, e-business services, health care and marketing services. Some of this work is in partnership with the private equity firm True North Companies in Scottsdale, AZ, or as a member of the Arizona Technology Investor Forum (ATIF), though I also enjoy taking on other especially challenging business building assignments from many corners of the globe.

In addition to my business building and consulting interests, I’m a founding Board member of the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) where I work with local universities to provide education and training, career development and entrepreneurship mentoring in the field of interactive marketing. My work with Arizona’s universities has also expanded to include my role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Thunderbird School of Global Management where I work with students preparing to build their own businesses upon graduation from this top-ranked school of international business. Finally, I’m a Charter Member of TiE, the world’s largest network of entrepreneurs, where I enjoy working with entrepreneurs to help meet their business challenges.

Background

With the soul of a pioneer, I’ve been a catalyst for value creation in the fields of marketing communication, marketing measurement, digital marketing and CRM. In the process, I’ve enjoyed creating my own businesses and providing brand strategy and relationship marketing counsel to some of the world’s leading brands. As an entrepreneur, investor, consultant and catalyst I have built brands and businesses large and small. As a result, two of the companies I co-founded are now leaders in marketing with data. One is known for its strengths in business analysis and creative (Targetbase), while the other combines vertical industry solutions with a cloud-computing platform for multichannel marketing (ClickSquared).

My experience includes developing brand, relationship and digital marketing strategies and capabilities for organizations and brands such as Microsoft, Nestle, IBM, Volkswagen, HP, Jack Daniel’s, Coca-Cola, the state of Hawaii, HomeAway, Molson, Coors and Marriott. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of authoring a variety of published works, lecturing in venues on five continents and co-authoring the ANA-commissioned “Measuring Brand Communication ROI” with Don E. Schultz Ph.D., considered the father of integrated marketing.

I spent my college years in Georgia earning a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Valdosta State University and a Masters in Marketing Research from the University of Georgia. I’m likely to be found roaming the Rocky Mountain West from my base in Scottsdale, AZ when not outfitting brands with innovative strategies elsewhere in the world.

For more on me and my affiliations, check out my “Affiliates & Friends” links to the right, and my profile on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffwalters
Email: jeff_at_jeffwalters_dotcom