VP/Chief Marketing Officer
Served as VP/Chief Marketing Officer for 16 years — and recognized by “National Real Estate & Relocation Magazine” as one of the “Nation’s Top Marketers.” I was a frequently invited speaker on marketing/communications and interactive technology-related topics at major national industry gatherings. Over a 16-year span, consistently earned an array of awards for marketing innovation and outstanding creative work.
Significant Accomplishments:
Initiated and spearheaded the transformation of the Baird & Warner Marketing Department into a full-service in-house “advertising agency,” providing the company and its nearly 2,000 sales associates and employees with a broad range of dynamic marketing capabilities.
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Established the company’s first Corporate Communications Division and elevated company visibility
and media presence to record levels — especially during Baird & Warner’s unprecedented sesquicentennial celebration.
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Completely reworked Baird & Warner’s brand identity — returning the firm to regional and national prominence in the real estate and business communities.
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Since 1996, directed internal and external teams through 7 full iterations in the development
and maintenance of a consumer-centric online portal that, during my tenure, was consistently ranked as
“Chicagoland’s #1 real estate website” — bairdwarner.com
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In 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, bairdwarner.com earned the prestigious “Website Quality Certification” designation — and, in an independently judged competition in 2010, was awarded top honors as “Best Overall Website” and “Best Property Search” from among 600 real estate firms worldwide. (The site was again a finalist in these same categories for 2012.)
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Repeatedly recognized by the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World for outstanding design, garnering prestigious international awards including “Best Property Advertising,” “Best Website Promotion,” and “Best Company
Promotional Materials.”
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Established “Baird & Warner Studios” — the firm’s in-house video production capability enabling the firm to produce online audiovisual content for internal and external audiences. This pioneering approach was the first of its kind in the Chicagoland real estate space, and one of very few such endeavors nationwide.
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Developed Baird & Warner’s Intranet Website — mybairdwarner.com — to enable all employees/agents access to corporate communications updates and essential business utilities from anywhere in the world.
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Created the Baird & Warner Good Will Network (GWN) — the firm’s first organized philanthropic initiative, and a donor-advised fund of the Chicago Community Trust. Since its inception in 2002, this corporate social responsibility effort has yielded thousands of volunteer hours and has contributed nearly $3 million in donations to a broad range of local and community-based causes. In 2006 the B&W GWN earned the “National Make a Difference Award” from USA Weekend and The Paul Newman Foundation.
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Twice recognized by the Newspaper Association of America with the prestigious ATHENA — (the Award to Honor Excellence in Newspaper Advertising) — for pioneering design work. No other Chicagoland real estate firm has ever won this highly coveted award … and no other firm in the nation has ever earned it twice.
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The only five-time consecutive winner of Crain’s Chicago Business “Best of Issue” Award — a cross-industry honor voted on by the readers of the magazine.
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Led B&W’s Marketing Team through real estate’s worst economic period in decades, managing to maintain visibility and market-share strength for the firm, despite a nearly $3 million reduction in advertising spend and a 50% reduction in staff and allocated resources.
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Awarded the Baird & Warner “Good Will Award” — the company’s highest non-sales accolade — in recognition of outstanding commitment and compassion to helping people living with HIV/AIDS.
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