Responsible for strengthening the association’s communication effectiveness with its membership through both internal and external communication tools; overseeing the association’s membership development efforts through marketing of the association’s services, programs, and products to the coffee trade; and establishing the association as the leading voice of the coffee industry for technical, marketing, and consumer information on all aspects of specialty coffee through external media strategies. Directly supervise five employees and numerous vendors while staffing the association’s board of directors. Selected responsibilities and outcomes:

• Created and hired a membership development position and oversaw an increase in association membership from 2,400 companies in 1998, to 3,000 in 2005.
• Played a key role in increasing the association’s total revenue from 2.5 million in 1998, to 4.2 million in 2005.
• Oversaw the restructuring and revitalization of the association’s brand, including a new logo, the introduction of brand-discipline, and the complete redesign of all key communications, including newsletter and website.
• Responsible for stewardship of the association’s strategic plan, keeping all stakeholders on task and within the parameters established by an extensive strategic planning process.
• Increased daily press contacts from an average of one a day to the current average of three a day. Quoted hundreds of times in trade and consumer media, including each of the top 10 daily newspapers.
• Substantially increased the association’s presence in the trade media without a corresponding increase in ad budget.
• Published articles in Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, Fresh Cup Magazine, Specialty Coffee Retailers, and Gourmet Retailer. Authored the preface to “Effective & Essential Marketing for the Specialty Coffee Retailer” by Bruce Milletto.
• Established the association’s comprehensive library and information services programs, including the hiring of a professional librarian.
• Played a critical role in planning and marketing for eight profitable coffee trade shows, the largest gathering of coffee professionals in the world.
• Implemented improvements in the design and execution of the association’s sponsorship programs, resulting in an increase in conference and trade show related sponsorship revenue from $60,000 to $185,000.
• Initiated and/or played key advisory role in start-up and growth of numerous association programs.