Patrick McAvoy
Patrick McAvoy has been providing valued strategic marketing counsel and solutions to leading technology companies large and small for more than a decade, both in the corporate and agency settings.
Highlights of his career include representing global semiconductor giant LSI Logic, acting as a core member of the team that executed the global launch for ON Semiconductor, and serving as a chief architect of the nine-country, three-region global public relations infrastructure for Fortune 200 electronics distributor Avnet, Inc. This success led to a corporate position within Avnet serving as director of marketing for a then-$2 billion global operating group, driving all internal communications and external marketing initiatives for the business.
McAvoy then left Avnet to re-enter the agency world as president of boutique marketing firm Angeles Marketing Group (AMG) based in Glendale, Calif. and Phoenix, Ariz. He and his partners built up the agency’s core of technology and channel clients, while also broadening the firm’s services into the retail, legal and real estate industries. The firm was successfully sold to then-client Palladeo in August of 2005, where McAvoy took over as vice president of retail strategies & business development, calling on the most well-known and largest brands in retail to sell Palladeo’s services.
After nearly a year in that role, McAvoy left Palladeo to form Sierra Creative Group, now known as Sierra, recruiting members of his design team from AMG as well as top-tier strategic marketing professionals and copywriters to deliver high-performance marketing solutions for B2B technology-driven companies across the Southwest.
Peter Cohen
Peter Cohen helps companies define, develop and communicate their strategic business advantages to all audiences, specializing in the development of corporate and product branding and positioning, and communications strategies. Cohen draws on more than 30 years of communications experience in his work with clients, including 13 years leading PR agencies in Boston and Phoenix and eight years of independent counsel.
From 1999 to 2001, he was a member of Brodeur Worldwide’s Corporate Strategies Group. His services to clients of this high-tech communications consultancy included counsel on integrated marketing communications, communications strategy development, electronic marketing, marketing public relations, and relationship marketing.
Cohen began his marketing communications agency career in 1982 at Boston’s Quinn & Johnson/BBDO, with responsibility for founding and building a PR agency within an established advertising company. After four years of growth, Quinn & Johnson merged with Ingalls Associates to form Ingalls, Quinn & Johnson, New England’s third-largest advertising agency, and one of the largest PR agencies in the region. In 1993, he relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, as Executive Vice President and Director of Public Relations at EvansGroup, one of the largest agencies in the West.
During his 13 years with both IQ&J and EvansGroup Public Relations, Cohen worked with more than 100 clients, from virtually every segment of the business world. His national clients have included Parker Brothers games, Braun appliances and personal care products, Steinway & Sons pianos, NEC Technologies, Computervision, Scitex America, Freixenet sparkling wines, and T.J. Maxx stores.
Jonathan Bonghi
Jonathan is a seasoned entrepreneur, pioneer and vision-oriented executive who has founded several profitable Web/Software firms, served as an executive for some notable Interactive companies, and sat on the Boards of a few well-known technology organizations.
Throughout his career, he has worked directly with hundreds of worldwide Interactive Agencies and Advertising Agencies, Fortune 1000 firms, Software 500 companies, and the Media Metrix Top 100 websites/networks on corporate development, marketing, online programs, and M&A.
Jonathan started his career with the 400th website on Web, and soon began crafting some of the first ever content licensing, online advertising, cobrand microsite engines, and CPL/CPC models that are today the very backbone of most successful Internet businesses. And today, he owns several Interactive firms, is an active consultant and speaker, is well known and respected within the technology and Internet business communities, and is recognized as a true industry expert.
Mark Nageotte
Mark has more than 17 years of experience in marketing, communications, and community relations and a wide variety of skills including media relations, speech writing, editing, layout, and production management.
He has an extensive background in developing, managing and implementing marketing and communications strategies for clients in the high-tech, healthcare, financial services, hospitality, and other industries. His clients have included PCS Health Systems, First Interstate Bank, and QCM Technologies (an IBM Premier Business Partner). Some of his technology proficiencies include Bluetooth, WCDMA, broadband, power management and storage (e.g. SCSI, Fibre Channel).
Brigitte Macdonald, creative director
Brigitte Macdonad is an award-winning brand development expert with deep understanding of the global marketplace and the impact that consistent messaging has in moving sales forward. She has worked extensively in traditional print media for more than 15 years and new media since the early ‘90s. She has real world experience and understanding of social media and integrating these various platforms for a unified brand and message.
Her past work has included design of identities, logos, brochures, Web sites, and packaging for a range of Fortune 150 companies from tech to healthcare. She draws from her deep experience leading and creating branding initiatives to every project for designs that connect and build business and rocks Wordpress customization with code that is semantic and validates.
Layne Polzin
Layne Polzin has over 21 years of extensive marketing, development & design experience ranging from VP of and Advertising Design Agency to Executive Producer of one of the top webcasting and streaming companies in the world. He has served as the Executive Producer for World Wide Events for iBeam Broadcasting a publicly traded international webcast company offices in London, Tokyo and throughout the US.
His development and video production business experience has exposed him to the multi faceted knowledge needed for running a “New Media Company”. Polzin has served as the Vice President/Board Member for Graphics 4 Design Agency. Polzin had a successful career as recognized Lead Designerand Trainer at QwestDEX one of the largest Telephone Directory company.
Lane has produced both live and archived events for companies ranging from pharmaceutical firms, software giants to entertainment moguls. High profile clients include Lotus, WWF, IBM, Bristol-Meyer Squibb and Hard Rock Café. He holds the distinction of producing the first live interactive webcast in history (the Atlantic Coast Conference 1999 (ACC Tournament 1999) as well as the first international interactive webcast Lotusphere Berlin 1999.
His creative and knowledgeable training and production skills gained Lane international recognition as an innovative producer and Executive Producer. Mr. Polzin has received a number of awards for his design work and has written articles for national publications. He’s a published poet for the Readers Digest and Time Magazine and has held a number of Board Seats including a position on the Advertising Curriculum Revue Board for the NEC.
