I’m driven by one core principle: growth is not just a goal - it’s a disciplined process rooted in purpose, insight, and bold execution

Always ask yourself: What would need to be true?

I thrive on helping brands discover their “why” and translating it into actionable strategies that drive meaningful results. Whether it’s building irresistible storytelling, assembling and leading high performing teams, or executing metric driven marketing across performance marketing, e-commerce, social media, digital, experiential, SEM, and PR, I ensure that every initiative is rooted in strategic intent and operational excellence. My approach is further amplified through strong partnerships, breakthrough innovation, and cross-functional collaboration, particularly with Sales, ensuring alignment that drives sustainable success.

Enterade: Giving Cancer Patients Back Their Lives

I often think about how deeply connected I am to the brands I've worked on. I still buy them, I still notice when the packaging changes, and I still follow their marketing efforts as passionately as when I was running them. The deepest connection of all is with Enterade, a product clinically proven to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment. Whenever anyone I know is diagnosed with cancer, I immediately send them a month's supply even though I no longer work on the business. It's my way of "paying it forward."

Working on Enterade was the most rewarding experience of my career. And it remains deeply personal. The first video ad on the right was sung by my 10 year old niece. The next video is a compilation of some more of our team's best work. The second ad in the montage features my brother and his remarkable fight with cancer. In it he says he is "going to win his fight." Miraculously he did. And that is why I pay it forward.

Helping Families Have One More Meal a Week Together

While there are many successful examples, I believe we are at the start of a broader shift to cause based/purpose driven marketing. We created the Family Dinner Night movement to help families eat dinner together more often. Currently the US is at the lowest level of eating dinner together ever recorded, with some studies showing it's less than 3 times per week. Families that eat dinner together frequently have better mental health, better grades, lower levels of drug abuse and many other benefits. But it can be hard. Family Dinner Night was created to provide recipes (many of which feature our products) and tips & tricks to make it easier. Learn more at www.familydinnernight.com.

We have been going out to communities across the country to surprise people at grocery stores and gas stations by paying for their groceries and gas to make it easier and more affordable to have family dinner together. In return, all we ask is that people sign the pledge to commit to have one more dinner together a week. The results have been inspiring. Recently, we surprised the construction workers next door to our office who are building a new pediatric hospital with a home cooked lunch and gift certificates (see the short video on the right) to show our gratitude for the dangerous work they do. The emotional reaction, and the stories we heard about how important family dinners are to them, has further inspired us to keep growing the movement. Please join us and take the pledge!

Stand Out From The Crowd

Marketing your products at a trade show doesn't have to be a Vegas production to get results. Our booth brought to life our brand DNA of natural fruit goodness, wholesome ingredients, unique flavor mash-ups, and small family farmer values. It also helped us win a Best in Show award at Expo West. Best of all, the footage of the mob of attendees raving about our products fueled our digital marketing, social media marketing, and SEM landing pages for months. It also worked as a powerful tool to help our sales team sell in our healthy snacking innovations.

Follow The Passion

My alma mater, The Kellogg Graduate School of Management, published a new study today demonstrating that consumers are more likely to buy goods and services from sellers who they perceive as being authentically passionate about what they do. This does not surprise me. Throughout my career, I have followed the “passion meter”, not just towards innovation and marketing strategies I’m passionate about, but what my teams are passionate about. Passion, backed by analysis and vetting, is a powerful force for driving success and exponential growth.

A few years ago, I reflected on the power of passion and wrote the following belief statement that inspires me to this day. Here’s to hoping it inspires others:

“I believe that passion, only great passion, can drive the soul to create great things: ability is not as uncommon as people think; hard work is all too often required to accomplish everyday tasks at even a mediocre level; intellect for intellect's sake alone is unlikely to deliver transformational results.

I believe that whether it be athletic competition, business, art, or science, the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is the willingness, indeed, the irresistible desire, to put your all into something not just for the sake of accomplishing it, or because others expect it of you, or because you are being paid to do it, but because you love it, because the sheer joy of creating something different, better, and more special than has ever existed takes over your mind, and consumes your heart and your soul to the point where all else ceases to exist, time stands still, and all that is is the moment at hand and the glorious act of creation.

I believe that is passion, and whether in the context of an athletic record, a lunar landing, or a business success, it is what drives us to go beyond the best and enter the realm of the miraculous.”

The Power of Core Purpose

I am a big believer in the power of core purpose. People, companies, and brands all have them and when we discover them and align goals, strategies and actions to them, success follows. At Home Market Foods, our Cooked Perfect brand’s core purpose is to “help families eat dinner together more often” through our Family Dinner Night movement. For the Enterade brand at my previous company, the core purpose was “giving cancer patients back their lives,” and it directly led to our transformational “Feel Better, Fight Harder” marketing campaign.

Core purpose is something we all have as human beings and discovering mine was a game changer. I was incredibly fortunate to meet an amazing leader and teacher, Jeff Pelletier, the founder of Life’s Core Purpose. With Jeff’s help, I discovered that my core purpose is “seeing what something and someone can be and taking potential to the tipping point.” This has been the red thread throughout my career, and it has played a central role in my successes.

But here’s the thing about core purpose: It is as relevant to your personal life as it is to your career. Many years ago, I put up some Halloween decorations in our yard and had some fun with it. My core purpose took over and I saw what the ultimate Halloween display could be, and each year set about getting closer and closer to the “tipping point”. I believe it has officially tipped, having won Top Ten in New England and Best of Rhode Island many times. We’ve even had Halloween lovers fly in from the UK and Norway just to see it. You can check it out for yourself in the video (highly recommend playing with the audio on).

Core purpose changes lives, brands, and companies. It is the ultimate North Star to follow to turn potential into success.  And it can also be a lot of fun when you live your purpose.