I've spent 20 years figuring out what makes marketing actually drive a business forward. Not just look busy.
The Story
I started my career at the National Post, where I learned how media actually works from the inside. From there, I moved into the agency world, running campaigns for brands like Nike, Scotiabank, and Cadillac. I helped orchestrate concerts for Bon Jovi, Tim and Faith, and Kanye West. I was part of the Cadillac rebrand in 2014.
But the real education came when I stepped out of the agency bubble and into a business. I became CMO of Arrowquip, a livestock handling equipment company in Manitoba. Not the sexiest industry. But that's where I learned what marketing really is when it's accountable to a P&L, not a scope of work.
Over nearly a decade, I helped grow that company from $20M to over $100M in revenue. Not by running flashy campaigns, but by building systems. Connecting CRM to sales. Aligning marketing with the floor. Making every dollar prove it deserved to be spent.
Along the way, I noticed a pattern. Growing companies, the ones between $1M and $30M, kept hitting the same wall. They had outgrown doing marketing themselves, but they weren't ready for a $250K executive. Agencies gave them tactics but not leadership. They needed someone who could think like a CMO, build like an operator, and execute like they had skin in the game.
That's why I built Mark1. To give growing companies access to the kind of strategic marketing leadership that used to be reserved for companies ten times their size. One person, fully invested, building systems that create lasting results.
Core Values
Integrity and Transparency
You'll always know where your money is going, what's working, and what isn't. I don't hide behind jargon or vanity metrics. If something isn't performing, I'll tell you before you have to ask.
Collaborative Partnerships
I work with you, not for you. The best results come when we're aligned on goals, honest about constraints, and building together. This isn't a vendor relationship.
Results-Oriented
Every decision filters through one question: does this drive the business forward? Strategy is only useful if it produces measurable outcomes. I'm accountable to your bottom line, not deliverables.
Continuous Improvement
Markets change. Tools evolve. What worked last quarter might not work next quarter. I stay obsessively current with technology, platforms, and strategy so your marketing never falls behind.
What the work has produced.
You get me. Not a junior. Not an account manager.
When you hire Mark1, you're hiring me. I'm the one in your meetings, building your strategy, reviewing your campaigns, and coaching your team. There's no bait and switch where a senior person sells you and then hands you off to someone with two years of experience.
When execution requires deep specialists, I bring in people I've worked with for years and trust completely. But I'm always the one leading the work and accountable for the results.
Ready to talk?
I'd rather have a real conversation than trade emails. Book a free Marketing System Audit and we'll figure out if there's a fit.
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