Kristie Severn

Kristie is an outstanding designer.  Her background includes efforts at Ogilvy & Mather Direct, as well as working for several years at Dietz Design and Werkhaus Design.   She has worked for a broad range of clients including Microsoft, Atrieva, Adobe, PhotoDisc, SBC, and others.  Kristie was also responsible for the creation of the Cucina! Cucina! merchandising and packaging pieces.

Chuck Pettis

Chuck Pettis, author of TechnoBrands, has 30 years of branding experience with start-up, small, medium and large companies, as well as non-profit organizations.  Chuck Pettis is a very enthusiastic speaker and has the gift of being able to explain the secrets of branding in a compelling and entertaining manner so that people at all levels can understand and appreciate the power of branding.  Because of his broad experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, advertising, public relations, and market research, he is able to provide integrated brand solutions that bring tangible results to the bottomline.

Chuck Pettis began his career by branding his father’s high-tech company, where he created one of the first in-house advertising agencies in the world.  When his father’s company was sold (at a very attractive valuation), he joined the acquiring company, Toledo Scale Division Reliance Electric, as Marketing Services Manager.  Returning to his entrepreneurial roots, he founded and was president of Software Productions, an award-winning and best-selling educational software company.  Moving to Seattle, he became principal of Floathe Johnson, a high-tech advertising agency where he founded the agency’s public relations division and then moved the agency into the brand consulting business.  When Floathe Johnson was acquired by EvansGroup, he became managing director of the “BrandSolutions” division.  Shortly after acquisition of EvansGroup by Publicis in 1998, Chuck Pettis left the agency business to form his own branding business, BrandSolutions, Inc.

Chuck Pettis has a BA in psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University and an MS in design from Southern Illinois University. 

Over the course of his career, Chuck Pettis has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.
 

Jani Drewfs

Jani has been a graphic designer and illustrator for over thirty years. She began her career in advertising working 
as an art director for a local ad agency. From there she took on three dimensional design working for a local 
sign shop.  She then went on to work in three of the most prominent design firms in Seattle under the title of Senior Designer 
and Project Manager for a total of 16 years.  In 1992 Jani began working in freelance design and illustration. The first two years of this endeavor were in 
Barcelona, Spain.

Her work has earned her over 100 awards of excellence and published works on regional, national and 
international levels. Her vast experience has afforded her opportunities to work in the areas of corporate identity, 
packaging, sports graphics, collateral development, signage design, advertising and point of purchase.

K2 Corporation ski graphics

Institute for Systems Biology Identity

Nile Spice Foods product packaging

Lake Washington Vascular Identity and collateral development

Provident Ventures, Inc. Identity, collateral and product packaging

Microsoft University course material design

Overlake Internal Medicine Associates identity

Melinda Hinson Neely

Recognized for 14+ years of practical and insightful Sales and Marketing knowledge, Melinda was hired as an adjunct professor by Seattle University to teach Business Communications and Marketing.  Concurrently, Melinda established a consultancy to assist small and medium sized organizations in reaching profitable business objectives through effective strategic planning, positioning and branding. 

Preceding management consulting at High Dive, Melinda served at the executive level for several technology start-ups, including Mylackey.com and Network Commerce, Inc.  At both of these organizations, Melinda created memorable brands, implemented successful go-to-market sales strategies, and garnered publicity on a national level for the companies in both broadcast and print media. 

Prior to her technology and Internet experience, Melinda managed multi-million dollar consumer brands including Starbucks Coffee, Polaroid Film, Welch’s Grape Juice and Dimetapp Cold & Flu Medicine.  She obtained an MBA from the College of William and Mary and a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Stephen E. Arnold

Steve is a specialist in online information systems. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the technology, financial, and  systems analysis. Steve focuses his analytical skills on the intersections of innovation, technology, and finance. He serves as an expert witness in matters relating to online pricing and online technology.

Steve was one of the professionals involved in planning and implementing President Clinton’s FirstGov.gov initiative to index Federal information for U.S. citizens. Steve and his partners developed the Point.com (Top 5% of the Internet), a site ranking service sold to Lycos in 1996. He has served as a senior manager at the nuclear unit of Halliburton Industries, a consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, and as a senior officer at Ziff Communications.

Mr. Arnold has been involved in the development of a number of successful online information products and services, participated in the sale or acquisition of a number of technology companies, and provided strategic counsel to organizations worldwide. He has received a number of industry awards, including the 2003 Malcolm Hill Lectureship, awarded by the state of New York.
 

Steven Boehm

Steve is an experienced executive with over 15 years demonstrated success in delivering revenue and profit growth within highly competitive markets. He is accomplished in P&L, sales and general management, business/channel development, turnarounds and startups. Steve is a resourceful problem solver who drives positive change to immediately impact market share and stakeholder value.

Steve entered the technology arena early in his career and earned success and experience under fire. Steve turned around troubled sales groups for NEC, driving revenue increases of 150% in a matter of months. Steve led a startup software division, Packard Bell Interactive, from $zero to $3 million sales in the 1st year while securing distribution in 4,000 outlets nationwide. He propelled a high-tech startup, Medio Multimedia, from zero to $1 million revenue and 9% market share in 1st year, $3 million by year 3. Steve is comfortable at c level meetings, an analytical thinker who quickly determines issues hindering success, and is equally quick to construct and initiate corrective strategies and tactics to get the ball rolling again.