2013 Tower Awards Judges
Thank you to our judges:
Nadar Ashway, Principal, Creative Director at Moddern Marketing
Debbie Day, SVP, PMO & Business Office at ACTIVE Network
Patrick Grogan, VP, Marketing at ChronoTrak
Chad Hartman, Director of Marketing at Tropical Foods
Rick Julian, Chief Creative Officer at Quo Vadis
Kay Kienast, VP WW Marketing at Lexmark
Scott Magnus, Director, Marketing at Integrys Energy Group (Trillium CNG)
Phil Paranicas, Director of New Product Development at ThomasNet
Clint Poole, VP, Marketing at Lionbridge
Christine Searight, Director, Corporate Marketing at Gannett
Susan Spalding, Director, Marketing Communications at Newell Rubbermaid
Shawn Taylor, Associate Creative Director at Stein IAS
Michael Young, SVP at Access Communications
Nadar AshwayPrincipal, Creative Director |
Nader Ashway is principal and creative director of moddern marketing, a micronetwork of interrelated marketing agencies based in New York City. Prior to founding moddern, he ran Ashway Group, a boutique branding and marketing agency focused on small to midsize businesses and startups.
With more than two decades’ experience under his belt, Nader has developed award-winning strategy and creative programs for brands large and small including Advertising Age, American Express, BMW, Citibank, Samsung, UNICEF, WIRED and many others. Current clients include Jackson Hewitt, Reboot, Eight O’Clock Coffee, Tetley Tea, Municipal Credit Union of New York, Independence Care System, Alibaba.com.
In addition to his daily activities, Nader is currently a board member and former president of the Business Marketing Association of New York CIty. He has served as a creative judge for numerous awards shows, including BMA’s ACE Awards, ABM’s CEBA Awards, DMA ECHO Awards and AAF’s Addy awards on the local, regional and national levels.
Nader has written on advertising and creativity for The Gramercy Institute’s Journal of Financial Advertising & Marketing, is a contributing advertising blogger at Technorati.com and maintains his own marketing education blog at www.marketingthingy.com.
Nader is also a graduate professor of Integrated Marketing Communications at New York University.
Debbie DaySVP, PMO & Business Office |
Debbie Day is the Senior Vice President of the ACTIVE Network based in San Diego CA. ACTIVE is the leader in online registration software and event management software. In her role leading ACTIVE’s business office, she plans, directs, and ensures the successful management of ACTIVE Network's corporate programs, product deliverables and business solutions.
Prior to ACTIVE, Debbie spent 11 years with CCC Information Services based in Chicago. With CCC, Debbie held executive roles leading Marketing, Product Management, Sales, and Engineering. Her passion is driving growth through new product innovation, and as such has spent her entire career building and delivering great software.
Because of her formative time in Chicago, she is a long-time Cubs fun and Bears season ticket-holder… and is thrilled to have recently added the BlackHawks to her list of sports addictions.
Debbie’s earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Miami University and an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University.
Patrick GroganVP, Marketing |
16+ years of Saas and Internet start up experience. Managed teams, budgets, strategy and execution while contributing to NetSuite, Sabrix, TicketMaster Online/CitySearch and BazuSports IPO or acquisition.
In these companies I’ve focused on developing processes to scale, with specific focus on marketing and sales development, customer management, and partnerships.
Experience leading strategy and execution in following areas: digital marketing, lead generation and marketing automation, CRM/database marketing, sales process and pipeline management, product marketing, corporate communications, competitive analysis, customer service/account management, press/analyst relations, and strategic partnerships.
Chad HartmanDirector of Marketing |
Chad Hartman is the Director of Marketing at Tropical Foods in Charlotte, NC with responsibilities in all marketing activities. Chad spends most of his time focusing on product development and new product launches, digital marketing and branding. He also plays a major role in print design, B2B product promotion. Chad has worked for Tropical Foods for 16 years and has been on the B2B side of packaged food for 25 years. Chad is a Past President for the BMA Carolinas Chapter and has held numerous positions on the board, including the ProAd Awards chair for the Carolinas. He has judged B2B awards in Kansas City, Colorado, Milwaukee and BMA Nationals. Along with his staff, he has won GOLD at the Carolinas awards multiple times. Chad likes to travel with his family, play poker and garden.
Rick JulianChief Creative Officer |
Rick Julian is a creative force of nature. He has:
- Lent his brand strategies and creative direction to global brands like Coca-Cola, Miele, TOTO, SEEBURGER, The CDC, and Vanderlande Industries
- Led the creative development of a seminal retail concept in China
- Co-wrote "Be Beautiful" a song that became a #1 Billboard hit for Mindi Abair
- Helped Coca-Cola manifest its biggest global IT initiatives in inventive ways
- Led a groundbreaking print campaign for Hanson Brick that landed him in university textbooks
- Sung on 11 albums
- Written for and produced Aretha Franklin
- Had the world singing his jingles for The Bahamas, Coke, and McDonalds
- Begun branding an organization that pursues the release of wrongly incarcerated prisoners
- Written his first book, "The Red Pill"--now available on Amazon, http://amzn.to/YJnCbO
Rick also the CEO and creative force behind QUO VADIS--an award-winning branding agency that develops powerful strategies and creative campaigns for the finest brands in the world. They combine research, insight, art, and the ability to communicate complexity, simply, with a knack for knowing how to make people stomp their feet and reach for their wallets.
Some fun facts about Rick: He rides a scooter, yet fears no Harley, cooks the meanest paella this side of Seville, and believes Pappy Van Winkle is nectar of the gods. He enjoys making clients curse with delight.
Kay KienastVP WW Marketing |
Kay Kienast is an IT infrastructure management senior-level marketing executive specializing in global, systematic demand and lead generation, channel development, and branding focused on a range of vertical industries. Kay is known for increasing revenue and profits by expanding the customer pipeline, enhancing prospect reach, and deploying rules-based nurturing and retargeting for direct and indirect channels. She has experience designing and implementing digital marketing that enables a strong return on investment (ROI), profitability, and return on equity. Kienast has held international team leadership roles in technology start-ups to multi-billion dollar market leaders. She has a Track record of creating and building world class enterprise solution brands, and delivering ROI through integrated lead generation, demand generation, content, processes, people, and systems.
Kienast has held senior marketing and operations positions at some of the industry’s most innovative infrastructure companies, including Adobe, Cisco, Bell Atlantic Corporation, CDW, and Dell Computer Corporation.
Kienast has earned a doctorate degree in business, was the recipient of the 552 Leadership Development Award from the Department Health, Education and Welfare and was recognized as an industry leader by Computer Reseller News in July, 2007 as one of the 50 most powerful women in the channel. She was named Woman of the Year in 2012 by the National Association of Professional Women.
Scott MagnusDirector, Marketing |
Scott M. Magnus is the Director, Marketing for Trillium CNG, a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, since May, 2012. He is responsible for marketing strategy development for Trillium CNG, including branding, marketing communications and advertising as well as voice of customer and public relations. Trillium CNG is the second-largest provider of CNG fueling services in the U.S., offering a portfolio of CNG fueling solutions including facility design, construction, operation and maintenance.
Scott has proven marketing management experience in both the business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sectors both domestically and internationally building brands and growing profitable businesses for such Fortune 100 companies as FedEx, ThermoFisher and MillerCoors. Before joining Integrys, he was the Marketing Manager – Beer Category at Owens Illinois (O-I) where he championed a go-to-market strategy that repositioned commodity glass containers to a branded “value-added” products. He also successfully grew the company’s largest ($1.2 B) business segment in both volume and profits in a down industry. Scott also spearheaded the successful launch of the “Vortex” bottle for the Miller Lite brand; it was MillerCoors most successful new package introduction.
Throughout his career, Scott has held a variety of leadership and management roles within marketing including brand management, product management, new product development and commercialization, and marketing communications. He was also instrumental in the acquisition and rebranding of Watkins Motor lines to FedEx National LTL. For his contribution, Scott was nominated and received FedEx’s “5-Star Award” the company’s highest individual award given for superior leadership, performance and creativity. Being entrepreneurial minded Scott has also owned his own business. Purchasing a business near bankruptcy, he turned it into a profitable entity growing sales three-fold while improving margins and reducing costs.
Scott is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and currently serves as a member of the Integrys Diversity and Inclusion (D & I) team. Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He is currently working on his M.B.A. with an emphasis in internet marketing from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida.
Phil ParanicasDirector of New Product Development |
Phil thrives in the fast-paced world of digital media where ThomasNet is serving a new generation of B2B professionals by helping their businesses connect, collaborate and grow.
As the Director of New Product Development, Mr. Paranicas is responsible for creating new products and services that support the ThomasNet’s mission to help bring buyers together with sellers. His team is focused on innovating Internet-based solutions to address real-life business challenges.
Completely at home in this new role, Mr. Paranicas brings 20+ years of expertise in both traditional and online B2B marketing, quality management and communications.
Prior to this, Mr. Paranicas spearheaded ThomasNet’s Digital Media Team which develops effective social media, SEO and email marketing programs for the manufacturing community.
He is a well-known speaker and author on all areas of digital media.
Before joining ThomasNet, Mr. Paranicas was president of a leading digital marketing agency, specializing in website design, SEO and social media. Mr. Paranicas has a M.B.A. in Quality Management, and a B.A. in Management and Communications from Dowling College, Oakdale, New York.
Clint PooleVP, Marketing |
Clint Poole is a Vice President of Marketing for global services firm Lionbridge Technologies (NASDAQ: LIOX), overseeing the company’s revenue-generating Demand Center. Clint has over 15 years experience in the design and development of corporate branding and growth strategies for business-to-business services firms.
Immediately prior to Lionbridge Clint served as Marketing Director in the Talent Management business unit (formerly Global Novations) of Korn/Ferry (NYSE: KFY), responsible for the functional leadership and management of the GN’s global marketing department. Prior to Korn/Ferry, Clint managed the business-to-business marketing for Bright Horizons (NYSE: BFAM), a global employee benefit and consumer services company that has consistently been ranked a Fortune 100 Best Places to Work company over the past decade.
Clint Poole’s early experience involved entrepreneurial start-ups and boutique marketing and communications agencies, serving a diverse set of clients from technology start-ups to Fortune 500 consumer product companies.
Based outside of Boston with his wife and two daughters, Clint Poole actively searches for knowledge and balance on a daily basis. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.
Christine SearightDirector, Corporate Marketing |
Susan SpaldingDirector, Marketing Communications |
Susan Spalding, Strategic Brand Builder with a Digital First Mentality
Seasoned brand building expert with over 20 years of experience in delivering long-term, best-in-class creative, integrated solutions to boost brand’s viability and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Susan began her career with Gannett Publishing and transitioned to work on some of the world’s leading brands such as Rubbermaid Commercial, LENOX Industrial Tools, Craftsman, Porter-Cable among others. She excels in strategic brand planning, managing the ever changing digital landscape and creative communications. Currently, Susan is consulting for Chamberlain Group in Chicago. As a distinguished graduate, she received her MA in Marketing from Webster University graduating Summa Cum Laude and a BA from Western Kentucky University with a Journalism/Business degree.
She is married to Marty Spalding and has two sons, Alex, a sophomore at Virginia Tech, and Luke an 8th grade student at Aylor Middle School. The family currently resides in the Shenandoah Valley near Washington DC in the Winchester, VA area.
Outside of work, in addition to spending time with family and friends, Susan enjoys biking, Pilates, reading and watching movies.
Shawn TaylorAssociate Creative Director |
Shawn Taylor is an Associate Creative Director at Stein IAS, where he works on campaigns spanning many industries, such as finance and education, and across many platforms, including print, environmental and online. He is a passionate advocate of the belief that the best work comes from the intersection of great design, user experience and narrative.
Although he spends most of his time working in digital, he loves design in all forms. He began his career as an animator where he created mini ‘webisodes’ at Pseudo. He then moved on to design and development of websites and online advertising at the Meredith Corporation.
Shawn is also an accomplished fine artist and has taken part in several one-man and group shows throughout the 5 boroughs. He maintains an art studio in Brooklyn, where he lives.
Michael YoungSVP |
Michael Young is Senior Vice President at Access Communications in San Francisco where he heads the firm's Enterprise Technology practice.
Michael is an accomplished communications practitioner with extensive experience in helping market-leading companies articulate vision, engage stakeholders, secure influencer endorsement and lead markets through high-impact public relations.
Michael's background in communications, analyst relations and executive communications spans 20 years working with leading technology and B2B companies, including: Microsoft, Experian, CoolPlanet Energy Systems, Ecologic Brands, Foundation Capital, Legal Zoom, CA Technologies, FICO, Juniper Networks, WMS Gaming, TRUSTe, Trend Micro, Intuit, Amdocs, Wily, HP, Cars.com, Navigation Technologies, Schneider National and The Dow Chemical Company.
Prior to joining Access, Michael was Managing Partner of Agency Analytics, LLC, a consulting group he co-founded focused on helping clients and agencies maximize the return on PR investment. Previously, Michael served as Technology Practice Leader in the Chicago office of Porter Novelli. His other PR agency experience includes leadership positions as Vice President at Ketchum and Vice President at high-tech PR boutique Tech Image, Ltd.
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