Eric Zimmerman Email & Phone Number

Concord, Massachusetts, Us

TripZero addresses the massive carbon footprint created by travel. The company serves large event organizers, supplying discounted hotel accommodations to attendees. Then, TripZero offsets the carbon footprint created by attendee travel–for free. In the process, the company purchases certified carbon offsets which finance renewable energy, reforestation, methane reduction and regenerative agriculture projects around the globe.Led a team of marketers, designers, and technologists to launch the world’s first sustainable travel platform. Managed the software development of an online travel agency with enterprise level API connectivity to Expedia, providing access to 140,000 hotels. Led the company’s successful pivot from individual travelers to serving large event organizers.Created a culture that aligns value for employees, customers, and the planet while earning B Corp Certification and being honored at Best for the Planet three times.

Energized by my sustainability work in the book business, I took a year away from industry and began an ongoing journey with the goal of completely decarbonizing my personal life.Aligned with a Department of Energy program, I drove a planning process to transform my family’s residence into a net-zero energy home.Next, I managed the efforts of a team of architects, building science engineers, and specialized contractors to complete a deep-energy retrofit (DER) to my family’s home, reducing energy use by 60%.Finally, we added an oversized solar array producing 19,000 kWh per year reducing the building’s footprint to zero, and powering two electric vehicles with solar energy.

Joined Courier Corporation through acquisition. Over the course of my tenure I collaborated with the executive management team and the Board of Directors to transform Courier from a printer into a vertically integrated book business that published, printed, and sold books directly to readers. By capturing knowledge and margins at every step in the process, we drove market-leading outcomes for customers, employees, shareholders, and the environment.Appointed to P&L leadership role for Courier’s publishing division. Drove integration of our third publishing acquisition, Creative Homeowner, as the division reached $71MM in revenue with 600 employees. Collaborated with the senior management teams at all three publishers to develop growth strategies, assess results, and create a culture of continuous learning. Built and coached a diverse and inclusive team of senior sales, marketing, and editorial executives who brought reader’s and retailer’s voices into the publishing process, resulting in some of the most successful new product launches our brands had ever experienced. Steered our enterprise through the perfect storm that pummeled the publishing industry: the near simultaneous collapse of the real estate market, the rise of ebooks, the closing of major bookstore chains, and the Great Recession.Lead a team that turned Courier into the most sustainable book company on earth. We significantly decarbonized our supply chain, material inputs, and processes. Launched an eco-labeling program to educate readers and made our best practices open-source.

Charged with driving growth across our new publishing enterprise. Through a combination of acquisition and double-digit organic growth, led growth in division from zero to $41MM in sales, generating $6.5MM in annual pre-tax profit.Led a team that brought our first acquisition, Dover Publications, into the world of online retailing driving $1MM in sales at margins that exceeded 80%.Managed a team that combined the talents of Dover’s editorial staff and catalog marketing experts with Courier’s online marketing capabilities. Built a profitable permission-based direct marketing program that drove growth across all channels including brick-and-mortar retailers, online partners like Amazon, and our own websites.Co-led the integration process of our second publishing acquisition, Research and Education Association, and deployed the marketing systems we’d developed to drive growth in retail and direct-to-consumer channels.

Transformed the custom publishing business that Courier acquired. In short order, I also found myself working with Executive Management and the Board of Directors to set Courier’s new course.In the early days of the commercial Internet, managed a team of technologists to completely digitize the custom publishing process, connecting our college bookstore customers to professors and campus copy shops through web-based portals. Drove the launch of a new business model that captured nearly the entire value chain and drove revenue per customer up 300%. Deployed online marketing to attract professors, printed their custom books in-house, and retailed them directly to students online.

The Custom Publishing Group ran course-pack operations for Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, serving 250 campuses and thousands of faculty nationwide.