Ben Aaker Email & Phone Number

Fort Collins, Co, Us

Colorado, United States

At Bonfire Effect, I've helped shape our journey from scrappy startup to global B2B marketing leader. Through strategic leadership, I've driven revenue growth, managed key accounts, and built core client & partner relationships. Here’s what I bring to the table:• Strategic Vision & Leadership: Building brand, web, and campaign strategy for global Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and emerging brands.• Business Development & Account Management: Leading sales, pitches, and solutioning for the agency, successfully securing key approved vendor status for enterprise clients, positioning the agency for strategic growth and foundational partnerships.• Financial Management & Profitability: Driving substantial EBITA growth through strategic sales, key account and people management, pipeline oversight, and resource optimization, maximizing consistent profitability above industry standard.• Operational Excellence & EOS: Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) framework to align agency vision and values, optimize processes and data, and foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.• Business Model Transformation: In 2023, restructuring the agency's Business Model Canvas to pinpoint new market opportunities, positioning, and service offerings, facilitating the merger with our sister company and shift to a matrix-style structure.• Technology & Innovation: Leading the adoption of new technologies to transform business operations and maintain a competitive edge.• Vendor & Partnership Management: Scaling agency capacity by nurturing long-term partnerships with key vendors and contractors across creative, technical, digital/SEO, print/tradeshow, and PR domains.• Brand Advocacy & Industry Influence: Serving as a public-facing advocate, leveraging speaking opportunities and industry participation to enhance brand visibility and credibility.

Colorado, United States

Fort Collins, Colorado Area

As a Vistage member, I am committed to elevating my company and my community. Vistage is the world’s largest CEO peer advisory and executive coaching organization and has been helping business leaders make better decisions that get better results since 1957.

Northern Colorado / Denver

At Burns, I oversaw high-visibility campaigns and content for key accounts across B2B technology, lifestyle, nonprofit, and financial services industries. Key accomplishments include:• Led award-winning brand, campaign, and website work for global brands including Hach, Seagate Technology, Vail Resorts, Logitech, Gogo Business Aviation, and Scrum Alliance.• Drove revenue growth across all key accounts, growing every account I managed and contributing to a 200% increase in agency headcount over three years—from 30 FTE to just under 100.• Took Seagate Technology from a net-new lead to one of the agency's largest and most profitable key accounts, building a business case for digital publications like eZines and flipbooks, and winning national awards for the FastStorage publication.• Spearheaded social media strategies agency-wide, crafting award-winning campaigns and driving thought leadership initiatives.• Oversaw procurement and purchasing activities, implementing strategic partnerships that resulted in a significant increase in profit margins from 20% to over 50%, showcasing expertise in supply chain management and cost optimization.• Won regional and national awards, including recognition from Ad Club of Denver / Denver Fifty (Lifesize), AMA Peak Awards (Lifesize), Art Directors Club of Denver (Vail Resorts), BMA B2 Awards (Lifesize, Seagate), and BMA Gold Key Awards (CNGA Plant Something, Seagate, TerraLUX).• Managed additional key accounts across various sectors, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, GoGo Business Aviation, Ascent Sotheby's, Larimer Humane Society, Apptix, RR Donnelley, TerraLUX, Everitt & Schilling Tile, and Destiny Capital, to name a few.• Completed advanced training and certification in Agile project management, further enhancing my ability to lead and execute complex brand, web, event, and campaign work for key clients like Scrum Alliance.

Fort Collins, Colorado Area

✓ Oversaw ministry, which included more than 20 staff and volunteers serving an active community of 75–100 young adults ✓ Developed vision for ministry that resulted in higher degree of involvement and retention ✓ Inspired young adults to live purpose-filled lives by delivering weekly Biblically-based teachings ✓ Planned, trained and lead team of 20 young adults in service-oriented alternative spring break trip (Beach Reach) to South Padre Island, TX✓ Organized, promoted and lead RIDE2012, a ski trip to Steamboat that brought together more than 50 young adults✓ Lead short-term missions trips to Haiti where we served in an orphanages, ran medical clinics, taught at schools, and vision casted for future trips

Fort Collins, Co

RESPONSIBILITIES✓ Meeting and liaising with clients to discuss and identify their advertising requirements.✓ Working to devise advertising campaigns that meet the client’s goals, objectives and budgets.✓ Presenting campaign ideas and budget to the client.✓ Working with, and acting as the link between, the client and advertising agency by maintaining regular contact with both, ensuring that communication flows effectively.✓ Negotiating with clients and agency staff about the details of campaigns.✓ Presenting creative work to clients for approval or modification.✓ Handling budgets, managing campaign costs and invoicing clients.✓ Evaluating the effectiveness of campaigns, and making necessary adjustments.✓ Making ‘pitches’ to win new business for the agency.✓ Interview, hire, and manage team of interns and account coordinators.NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS✓ Repeatedly exceeded annual sales goals, including a 20 percent increase from 2010 to 2011.✓ Managed three of the company's top six accounts in 2011, and grew budgets in all due to successful marketing campaigns that met or exceeded goals and objectives. ✓ Established new print vendor relationships that resulted in 30 percent profit margin increase. ✓ Managed the planning, wireframing, design, development and post-launch promotion of more than 30 corporate websites.

Fort Collins, Colorado Area

Trained, equipped and supported small- to medium-sized businesses, organizations and communities in the greater Denver area through the process of developing a successful social media presence.CLIENTS✓ Fort Collins, Colorado✓ Loveland, Colorado✓ Colorado Brewfest✓ Parent Pages of Colorado✓ Spooners Frozen Yogurt✓ Butter Cream Cupcakery ✓ Mama Roni’s Pizza✓ Timberline Church

Fort Collins, Colorado Area

Responsible for the design, layout, desktop publishing, editing, photography, printing and distribution of a monthly newsletter, Keeping in Touch.