Barbara Helene (Lash) Email & Phone Number

Grand Rapids, Mi, Us

As the Marketing and Communications manager at GRAAHI, I spearheaded a comprehensive rebrand in 2016 that significantly expanded our reach and visibility. I’ve been instrumental in developing and executing our annual report, managing our website and social media platforms, and driving donor engagement through strategic outreach and event planning. Collaborating closely with the CEO, I’ve supported organizational growth by aligning marketing efforts with strategic initiatives.

Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan Area

I help clients, big and small, deliver compelling results. Focused on brand management and identifying key goals, I develop winning strategies to increase sales, bolster brand equity and satisfy and retain their employees. Because winning is not just in sales numbers, but also in the value and perception of your brand and employee satisfaction. My differentiator is providing creative solutions that are driven by insight and research.

Mixed media sculpture and painting. Represented by regional galleries and showing at fine art festivals throughout the U.S.

Greater Detroit Area

During my time at Patronicity, I played a pivotal role in revitalizing the brand through a comprehensive rebranding initiative. This included refreshing the marketing strategy, updating the website, and implementing a more engaging social media presence. To showcase the impact of Patronicity's crowdfunding model, I developed compelling case studies that highlighted success stories and inspired future projects.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

For more than 2 years, I helped solidify client relationships and increase engagements by providing key go-to-market solutions and strategy. In addition to being the primary creative director for the agency, I also focused on client relationships and account management. I created stellar digital marketing campaigns that garnered exponential return and I re-envisioned several brands, giving them a refreshed face, voice and focus. My client work included: JR Automation, Country Dairy, Cole's Breads, Spring Meadow Nursery, Old Orchard Juices, Michigan Turkey, GR Pride Center, GRAAHI and more.

Grand Rapids, Mi

As the first marketing director for this software company, I created new paths in internal and outward-focused marketing. I worked with sales to identify channel sales opportunities and communications on our legacy product, while blazing new trails with our SaaS product in the Intuit marketplace. Using creative and disruptive marketing tactics, my team created attention-getting materials in a saturated marketplace, defining the core essence of the software offering. Coordinated a brand awareness campaign with Marcus Lemonis as spokesperson.

Mchenry, Il

During my short tenure at Brake Parts, I helped to re-establish the Raybestos brand, breathing new life into the brand identity. By reinvigorating the sales channels and shoring up communications, we helped redefine the brand as a go-to for quality brake parts.

Lisle, Il

Navistar acquired the Monaco and Holiday Rambler brands out of bankruptcy. That acquisition brought along new challenges of customer loyalty and reputation management. During my time there, I re-established the iconic branding by creating customer-focused communications tools and loyalty programs. Through dynamic events, transparent messaging, and creative campaigns, the product, sales and marketing teams helped to bring back the glory days of these two iconic brands. In addition to product marketing support, I managed national trade and consumer shows and rallies, tv/cable program integration, NASCAR and LGPA sponsor partnerships.In my previous role, I managed a large 950+ dealer parts marketing program, coordinating parts specials and promotions for the US, Canadian and Mexican markets. With my agency partner, we created more than a million flyers a month and email/web communications to drive end-user engagement with our dealerships.

Oak Brook, Il

During my time at UHC, I was charged with branding and communications for a break-through software program aimed at optimizing hospital spending. SpendLink was a Cognos-based tool that helped medical systems understand and streamline their supply chain problems in order to make pro-active and economic choices. My job was to provide marketing communications for the product and the team of consultants that helped to save those hospitals much needed capital.As I learned the tool in order to market it, I was also called in to work with Brigham Women's Hospital to implement the tool with their purchasing department. We saved the hospital more than $1M in the first year.

Glen Ellyn, Il

This project was a labor of love. For more than 12 years, I was able to leverage all of my skillsets to produce and promote new high-end residential construction builds. Utilizing market research planning, I helped to identify the core buying demographic and price points for each project. After that, my communications skills helped to create a targeted marketing plan selling more than 70% of the product in 6 months. It was a job of many hats, including; construction cost-accounting, cash flow forecasting, market research, planning, vendor selection, construction management, marketing, website building, sales lead generation, model home selections and staging, project branding and identity, consumer loyalty planning, and sales management.

Chicago, Il

I worked at WG at a time when most things were hand made. That meant true intention. Because many man hours were invested into making even a simple graphic, it meant that we had to do our homework first, understanding the client and the program. This experience has informed much of what I have done after this. This role taught me that it's so important to listen to a client, to truly understand their goals and timelines, and to honor their experience. It taught me to be a steward of the process and to put my own ego aside for the greater good of the client.At WG, I was involved in national and international tradeshows and conventions, creating speaker support, event themes & branding, celebrity/band liaison, and onsite coordination for clients like: McDonalds, Ace Hardware, IFMA, Keebler, Merle Norman, Quaker Oats, and more. The best part of this is that I got to meet and support acts like Bon Jovi and Johnny Cash as part of our business entertainment programming.

Des Plaines, Il

Cahners Publishing offered me my freshman experience in the workforce. I was first employed as an assistant editor, back when we had typewriters and could smoke in our offices. It was a time of working without the internet, and therefore required us to be true experts in our industry, as others relied on us to inform them of what was going on. This was a very important lesson for me. After a year of editorial, I transitioned to the marketing side of the business, where I learned the importance of market research, data and how that knowledge can transform a business model.

B.S. Program, Marketing/Marketing Management, General

Bachelor Of Fine Arts - Bfa, Fine Craft