Congratulations to the Volunteers of 2008!

It takes a team of people develop and manage the great events that the Cincinnati AMA offers. Each member below received special recognition for going above and beyond to serve the chapter and its members.  We thank all of our volunteers for their outstanding efforts.

November, 2008 – Mary Beth Berberich

Mary Beth Berberich serves on the Volunteer committee and has been a member since she joined the AMA in March of 2006. Mary Beth has shared responsibilities with her invaluable committee members to help every AMA member maximize their membership. Believing whole-heartedly that involvement is the quickest way to a return on the investment, she lends her graphic design talents and marketing knowledge to further the growth of the chapter.

Mary Beth is an adept graphic designer with over 6 years experience applying her creative genius to develop targeted design solutions for a number of clients. Newly, employed as a member of the Retail Design team at RGI, Inc., as a Senior Retail Designer/Strategist, Mary Beth brings an enthusiasm for all aspects of the marketing and creative process. Prior to RGI, Inc., Mary Beth was a Senior Graphic Designer at Intrinzic Marketing + Design, Inc.

Mary Beth earned her B.F.A. in Visual Communications from The Art Academy of Cincinnati, in 2002 and recently completed her M.S. in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati, College of Business.

October, 2008 – Sandra (Sandy) Jenkins-Smith

Sandy is a skilled marketer with over 7 years experience applying her talents developing, executing and managing marketing plans, including reporting and analyzing program results.  She approaches all that she does with high energy, creativity, responsibility and an open mind.

Sandy earned her B.S. degree in Marketing from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.  She has been a member of the AMA Cincinnati Chapter since 1997 and actively serves on the Marketing Communications/PR committee.

September, 2008 – John Fox

John Fox has been associated with the AMA Golf Outing since its inception in 1990, handling all golf-related responsibilities for the annual outing. Over the years, the event has grown significantly in both participation and money raised for the AMA.

John is Principal of John Fox Marketing Consulting, specializing in research-based consulting and all types of marketing research. Prior to that he was a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble, Sr. Vice President of Marketing at Stockton-West-Burkhart Advertising, and Sr. Vice President of MATRIXX Marketing – Research Division. He is also a musical entertainer, playing guitar and singing as a solo act and in several area rock bands.

August, 2008

In 2007-2008, Andrea served on the AMA Board of Director’s as VP Professional Development. A member of the chapter since 2003, Andrea previously held the following Board positions: VP – Special Events (2006-2007) and VP – Marketing/Communications and Public Relations (2005-2006).

Andrea has over 13 years of experience in marketing management, marketing communications, merchandising and sales. She earned an MBA from Thomas More College and a bachelor’s degree from Hanover College.

Andrea holds the position of Marketing Communications Manager at Burke, Inc., a 100% employee-owned, full service marketing research and decision support company.

July, 2008 – Mark Miller

In 2007-08, Mark served on the AMA Board of Director’s as VP Technology. Mark has been working with successful middle market companies and not-for-profits for almost 20 years. Mark uses his broad business and technology experience to recommend strategic business and technology solutions that help his clients grow their businesses.

Prior to entering the technology industry, Mark had over 10 years of consultative sales and business development experience at three commercial banks, where his primary focus was working with middle market businesses located in the midwest. Mark has an MBA from The Ohio State University and bachelor’s degree from Miami University.

US Digital Partners, a Cincinnati-based web development firm helps companies capitalize on the Web. As an employee owned company, we make world-class capabilities available and affordable. Our “back to business basics” approach has helped some of the most recognizable companies in the world develop sound business strategy, world-class execution, and dependable ongoing website management. For more information, visit USDigitalPartners.com.

June, 2008 – Lisa Muvich

Lisa Muvich is a Web/eCommerce manager at Luxottica Retail—part of Luxottica Group, a global manufacturer and retailer of premium and luxury prescription eyewear and sunglasses. Luxottica’s brands include LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical, iLori and EyeMed Vision Care. Lisa manages the LensCrafters and Sears Optical websites and online initiatives.

An AMA member since 2004, Lisa has served as Secretary on the AMA board for the last two years (2007, 2008). Her responsibilities on the board have included assisting with special projects and helping to develop and manage the chapter scorecard. Through monthly updates, Lisa keeps the board informed on how the chapter is doing in terms of meeting its annual goals. In addition, Lisa also maintains our website, cincinnatiama.org, keeping events and overall content fresh.

May, 2008 – Jessica Lima and Christie Melzer

Jessica Lima (left) and Christie Melzer (right), communications manager and marketing coordinator, respectively, of Best Upon Request, serve on the Special Events Committee. Starting with the AMA Golf Classic last August, the two have contributed their time to planning and volunteering at AMA events. Christie and Jessica are currently working on the Marketer of the Year Awards Reception (mark your calendar for Thursday, May 15!).

At Best Upon Request, a national provider of on-site concierge services as an employee benefit, Christie coordinates marketing initiatives and generates leads for the business development team. Jessica manages the communications department, including customer communications and external affairs. The two of them enjoy participating in the committee and attending AMA’s valuable luncheons and seminars.

April, 2008 – Carol Shea

Congratulations to member Carol Shea of Olivetree Research. Carol has been named Cincinnati AMA Volunteer of the month and the American Marketing Association Volunteer of the Year!

Carol was recognized for her continued commitment to AMA nationally and at the local level. Carol was Cincinnati Chapter President in 1992-93 and later was instrumental in helping to establish AMA’s national market research bootcamp. Carol has also been a very engaged part of the local chapter’s Past President’s Council in advising the current board regarding ongoing issues.

As part of this honor, Carol will be presented the award at the National Leadership Summit Saturday, April 26th and will receive a lifetime complimentary membership. Carol beat out more than 30 nominees from around the country. Please pass on your well wishes. She is extremely deserving of this honor.

March, 2008 – Rob Bunting

With a passion for Internet marketing and over nine years of Internet industry experience, Rob Bunting has earned a reputation as the “I-marketing Czar” – one of the most knowledgeable Internet marketers in the Cincinnati area. He also runs the Cincinnati I-marketing Group, an informal networking group focused on Internet marketing that meets quarterly and has a group blog at http://cincyimg.typepad.com.

While earning his MBA from the University of South Florida in 1998, Rob entered the Internet marketing industry managing the multi-million dollar online advertising program at Bid.com, an online auction site that earned a NASDAQ listing during his tenure. In 2000, Rob moved to Cincinnati and became an Internet marketing manager at PlanetFeedback.com (now a division of Nielsen BuzzMetrics), the largest consumer feedback service on the Internet, where he managed PlanetFeedback’s search engine marketing, banner advertising and affiliate programs.

Since working at PlanetFeedback, Rob has managed client online marketing programs for two Cincinnati website development firms: ViewSource Media, which handles primarily manufacturing and non-profit clients, and DMinSite, which specializes in designing and marketing e-commerce websites in the catalog industry. Since 2004 Rob has expanded his consulting business, the Cincinnati I-marketing Group, into a full-service Internet marketing agency serving firms looking to generate more sales or sales leads from their websites but not large enough to take on a full-time Internet marketing manager.

Rob is a co-facilitator of the Word of Mouth Shared Interest Group (SIG) and serves on the Technology committee.

February, 2008 – J.C. Reaguer

J. C. Reaguer of SpringDot currently serves on the Ambassadors Team, which is part of the Membership Committee. In this role, J. C. is focused on encouraging and developing networking opportunities for AMA members while attending the various functions. “What a great job, meeting and getting to know other marketing professionals.”

Still fairly new to the AMA (since April 2007), J. C. quickly joined a SIG and volunteered for the Membership Committee. However, his lasting reputation will be as “the guy with the air horn.”

A 29 year veteran in the print industry, J. C. has been with SpringDot for one year. SpringDot is a brand new, 104 year old company located on the west side of downtown Cincinnati. Formerly Sidney Printing, SpringDot’s core competency in commercial printing has expanded to include digital offset printing, fulfillment, and E-business solutions to drive variable and customized printing. J. C.’s role with the company is to develop customized programs for clients in order to effectively deliver their marketing messages.

January, 2008 – Pete Healy

Pete Healy has developed and led brand-marketing programs noted internationally for their innovation and dynamic engagement with consumers.  At Perfetti Van Melle USA, maker and distributor of Mentos® mints and AirHeads® candies, Pete guided his marketing team in building strategies that used an integrated mix of media and promotions to create a new generation of Mentos and AirHeads fans.  This paid off in the “Mentos Geyser craze” that marked popular culture and media in the U.S. and globally in 2006, and in the online “Mentos Intern” that garnered international kudos for the brand in the summer of 2007.

Pete joined Perfetti Van Melle after 16 years at Jelly Belly Candy Company, where his responsibilities grew from management of the famous candy manufacturer’s International Sales division to his last position as VP of Marketing.  Pete built an in-house marketing team for Jelly Belly that developed and brought to market new advertising and promotional campaigns, new packaging and merchandising programs, and several major product launches, including JBz® chocolate candies and Sport Beans®.

Prior to joining Jelly Belly, Pete was a partner at Trade Pacific International in San Leandro, California, where he advised American producers of food and agricultural products on entering and building their brands and business in international markets.

Pete serves on the AMA Volunteer and the Professional Development Committees, and frequently attends the various SIG meetings.  He is the Director of Crowbar Marketing, specializing in integrated marketing and strategic brand development.