RiverWise is a newly-launched initiative in Beaver County focused on using our rivers and their surrounding communities as wisely as possible. At the heart of this work is a concerted effort to organize stakeholders to dream, learn, and collaborate about the future of our rivers. We are encouraging this process in two ways. First, we are forming ecodistricts in three communities (Aliquippa, Monaca, and Beaver Falls). Second, we are conducting community assessments in several river-facing communities aimed at growing the infrastructure on the rivers, creating access to the rivers, and generating meaningful connections between the rivers and the communities through which they flow.

As a social enterprise, eQuip Books is a for-profit retail and online bookstore with a three-fold mission: (1) to provide meaningful work, job training, and workplace mentoring to residents of Aliquippa; (2) to operate an independent retail bookstore that serves as a site of enrichment and empowerment to the broader community; and (3) to devise a business model that leverages the benefits of both local and global commerce in order to create sustainable community and economic development in post-industrial rust belt towns. Since its founding in 2012, eQuip Books has employed nearly 20 different youth from the city of Aliquippa, primarily through a partnership with Job Training for Beaver County. As the result of working with this organization, eQuip Books was nominated for the 2013 Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association Governor’s Achievement Award.In addition to performing the expected business and planning functions characteristic of any successful entrepreneur, as the Founder, Owner & CEO of eQuip Books, I have also been responsible for the following:- Strategic planning and vision casting among employees and community partners- Planning and implementing a fifteen month storefront renovation project- Training, managing, and leading 6 full time employees, 20 at risk youth, and over 50 volunteers- Developing an inventory stream comprised of some 50 partners throughout the greater Pittsburgh region- Customizing software, training, and inventory control procedures for sorting 20,000 books per month- Serving as liaison to various granting agencies, job training firms, governmental entities, and media outlets- Planning, opening, and maintaining a 20,000 volume independent retail book store- Developing a business model that merges local retail with online commerce- Identifying and staging events that enrich the community and promote the retail store- Implementing a comprehensive transition plan that transfers leadership and ownership of the business

Panoptic Media, LLC is a uniquely 21st century business, combining ecommerce, price arbitrage theory, and drop shipping supply chains to sell books and other media to over 4 million online customers to date. Originally begun as a sole proprietorship operating out of my home, Panoptic Media incorporated in 2012 and is currently generating over $2.5 million in annual gross revenue. At the heart of the company’s business operations is proprietary, data-driven software that has been in continual development since 2009. By using this unique software in concert with human intelligence as well as numerous available API’s, the company is able to monitor and manage millions of products per hour. Panoptic Media has also created robust order fulfillment and customer service applications that are used to ensure the timely delivery of products as well as the responsive handling of customer service issues.As Founding Owner, Partner, and CEO of Panoptic Media I have been responsible for the following:- Identifying competitor strategies, market opportunities, and potential roadblocks to success- Developing, researching, and testing the feasibility of the business concept- Leading high level strategic planning concerning all aspects of the business mission and operations- Forming a leadership team and overseeing the transition to incorporated status- Working closely with the CTO to identify requirements and conceptualize the functionality of proprietary software - Devising, conducting, and analyzing testing on all levels of business operations- Hiring and managing nearly 30 different employees, freelancers, and independent contractors- Brokering contracts and managing relationships with multiple businesses- Developing customer service protocols, training materials, and quality control processes- Initiating a transition plan that automates processes and transfers leadership of key business operations

Solomon’s Republic is an emerging non-profit research, teaching, and advocacy organization whose mission is to understand and address challenges facing post-industrial communities in the 21st century. At the center of the mission of Solomon’s Republic is a desire to provide increasingly rich and constructive answers to the question “What does a healthy, vibrant, and just community look like in the 21st century?” In order to further such understanding and engagement, Solomon’s Republic seeks to create relevant research, provocative educational environments, and ongoing advocacy efforts that produce awareness and action leading to recognizable change in local communities. Functioning as the Co-Founder and as a Senior Research & Teaching Fellow at Solomon’s Republic, I have been directly responsible for the following activities and initiatives:- Developing the mission, structure, and strategic plan for the organization- Engaging in ethnographic research through reading, writing, and publishing in the community development field- Teaching various college level courses to university students engaged in community development work in Aliquippa- Acting as a liaison by speaking at various events, schools, universities, and local organization gatherings- Furthering community development efforts through participation in local community development organizations- Identifying and mobilizing community leaders to assist in strategic planning, education, and advocacy work- Initiating a public relations campaign to counteract prevailing negative stereotypes about Aliquippa and its residents- Serving as a consultant to a local college seeking to create a graduate program in community development studies- Determining the feasibility of an annual academic conference and scholar-in-residence program in Aliquippa- Developing and managing relationships with potential donors

- Developed curriculum and taught numerous communication courses to university students- Served as a member of a university-wide technology committee charged with studying and initiating e-learning- Lead numerous year-long research projects dealing with various business and applied communication topics- Conducted extensive research and engaged in the ongoing publication of scholarly writing in communication studies

- Taught numerous communication courses to a diverse audience of domestic and international students- Managed faculty peers and developed curriculum for upper level communication courses- Presented research at national and international conferences on various communication topics