Employment Responsibilities

Responsible College Advocates, LLC. (RCA) / The Responsible Brand (Jan. 2019 – Jan. 2024)

21415 Civic Center Drive, Suite 207, Southfield, Michigan 48076            https://theresponsiblebrand.com/

As Principal, CEO (external), and Integrator (internal), I co-founded and built an entire enterprise from the ground up. We architected a new FinTech/SaaS platform, built a national marketing engine, and scaled a national sales force from a blank page, leading all legal, finance, and operational strategy.

• Engineered a multi-channel lead generation engine (Webinars, SEO, Google/FB Ads, DRIPs) that produced over $1M in new business opportunities per quarter with a 35%+ conversion rate.
• Architected and oversaw the third-party development of the proprietary Pay-for-College© SaaS platform, driving UX/UI, Advisor Dashboard, CRM, and calculator design.
• Scaled a national College/Financial Advisor force from 0 to 44 certified advisors marketing in 48 states.
• Directed all B2B and B2C marketing strategy, content creation, and advisor personal branding (via Hootsuite).
• Built a comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS) and automated onboarding workflow, creating hundreds of hours of training content on finance, tax, and sales.

Education Planning Resources, Inc. (Oct. 2016 – Jan. 2019)

21415 Civic Center Drive, Suite 201, Southfield, Michigan 48076

This role was the genesis of RCA. I joined the future Co-CEO of RCA to build the Michigan team from 0 to 20 agents, acting as a key producer, mentor, and training manager to scale the local operation and refine the sales model.

• Served as Lead Advisor and Training Manager for 20+ agents, mentoring 4 new recruits directly.
• Drove local revenue as a lead producer and sales manager, supervising financial services professionals.
• Advised families directly on wholistic college planning and FAFSA strategies, honing the future RCA methodology.

The Hantz Group            (Sept. 2010 – Dec. 2016)   

22919 Eureka Road, Taylor, Michigan 48180              https://www.hantzgroup.com/

As Branch Manager for a 25-rep, 1,500-client, $20M revenue family office, I served as the 'integrator,' driving adoption of new products. My core function was leading a mandatory weekly 'case design' class to build a culture of collaboration, educate advisors, and drive cross-functional revenue.

• Co-managed a $750k GDC practice, driving a 25% revenue increase through strategic new product adoption.
• Co-managed a $500k GDC practice, driving a 25% revenue increase the prior year.
• Led a mandatory weekly "case study" class for 25 RIAs to drive collaboration, education, and revenue.
• Acted as Training Manager for new advisors and office-wide Specialist for Portfolio Analysis, Social Security, and Business Development, leading high-net-worth services meetings for the branch.

Financial Summit Ventures, Inc. (Sept. 2002 - May 2009)                      

1636 3rd Avenue, Suite 405, New York, New York 10128

Co-founded a boutique "packaging" firm to engineer growth strategies, financial models, and expansion documentation. We translated complex C-level opportunities for investors and strategic partners, acting as management consultants and financial strategists.

• Authored financial documentation and led institutional outreach for a 510(k) medical device, resulting in three $50M strategic acquisition/funding offers from Becton Dickinson, Bayer, and J&J.
• Engineered the corporate consolidation, advanced revenue modeling, and offering documentation for a national entertainment brand, securing $100M in financing commitments.
• Designed the integrated revenue model (micro-payments, float) and partnership materials for a national loyalty technology program.
• Featured in the New York Daily News for launching one of NYC's first speed networking events, generating syndicated press in 127 newspapers.

My entrepreneurial momentum was halted by a life-altering skiing trauma. A multi-year recovery taught me true resilience. During this "gap," I strategically re-tooled, acquiring my Series 7, 66, Life, Accident & Health, and P&C licenses to re-emerge stronger and more technically proficient.

3rd Millennium Management, LLC  (June 2001 - Aug. 2002)                

One Newark Pompton Turnpike, Wayne, New Jersey 07470

Following an acquisition, I co-developed this new IR & Comms practice, specializing in high-stakes crisis and change management for public companies. My role was to design and execute the campaigns that would save the clients.

• Executed a crisis comms/IR campaign for a NASDAQ-delisted client, successfully lifting trading volume to enable a $100M debt refinance.
• Directed the public emergence (reverse merger) of a national brand, hosting 6 events with 1,500+ unique investor visits to facilitate a management buyout.

MikeWorldWide (The MWW Group)              

Sept. 1999 - June 2001                        1212 Avenue of the Americas, 24th Floor, NY, NY 10036  

https://www.mww.com/

I served as the primary "translator" between Wall Street and high-profile tech/retail clients at a top-tier national communications firm, guiding teams on market sentiment and messaging during bankruptcies, acquisitions, and high-growth runs.

• Managed $65k in monthly retainers, acting as the institutional liaison for clients like PetSmart (during its 3-to-14/share run), Trans World, and Zany Brainy (through bankruptcy).
• Pioneered and sold new project-based revenue streams: perception audits, valuation studies, and Private Placement Memorandums (PPMs).
• Designed and budgeted comprehensive IR programs, including roadshows, conference participation, and analyst relations campaigns.

Marcus Evans (ICM Conferences) (Apr. 1999 - Sept. 1999)        

380 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY York 100117  https://www.marcusevans.com/conference

I "Learned to speak geek" on Madison Ave, producing high-tech executive education. My job was to translate complex engineering concepts into compelling content for a C-suite audience and support the sales teams.

• Created targeted content and sales data that supported sales teams in generating $10M in revenue and $2.5M in sponsorship across my four conferences.

Prudential Financial                      

March 1998 - April 1999                     100 Enterprise Drive, Suite 150, Rockaway Township, New Jersey 07866     https://www.prudential.com/

In my first "real" job, I rejected the standard sales playbook. I built my own 3-channel marketing strategy, authored my own seminar, and proved my data-guided, solutions-first model.

• Recognized as a Top 10 First-Year Producer in a multi-state region.
• Authored, produced, and marketed a new college planning seminar, building a system that generated 15+ qualified client meetings per week.

Erasers & Crayons, Inc.        

 January 1989 – December 2015                      15225 Dix Toledo Road, Southgate, Michigan, 48195      – No longer in business

Like many small businesses, family involvement is critical. From initial set-up to seasonal management; it’s part of my origins story. And influential to understand retail, specialty markets, and general business. I got the opportunity to watch my Dad open new distribution/purchasing methodologies; these became an anchor to my intellectual curiosity of channel development.