Marjorie Steele Email & Phone Number

Michigan, United States

Formed with the backing of statewide grassroots communities, in order to protect Michigan and the Great Lakes watershed from the toxic abuse of taxpayer dollars at the hands of economic development corporations, lobbyists, and legislators. Work includes coordinating with EDRA's board, local grassroots communities, small business, local officials and legislators to further funding priorities: 1) defending communities against unjust economic development, 2) lobbying for watchdog and accountability legislature, and 3) Citizen-driven community investment.

Michigan, United States

Essays, independent and citizen journalism for a variety of local, state, and national publications, with subjects including:- restaurant reviews- real estate & community development- native plants & urban ecologiesMajor publications & achievements include:- 10,000+ words of investigative journalism into homelessness in Grand Rapids (RapidGrowthMedia / Second Wave Michigan, 2018)- Grand Rapids Grassroots: An Anthology (Belt Publishing, 2017)- Dyer Ives Poetry Awards (2017)- ArtPrize Magazine (2016)

Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan Area

Contract copywriting, digital marketing, creative direction, and brand development for a range of industries, including:- automotive (tiers 2 & 3) & auto repair- industrial manufacturing- B2B- real estate- healthcare- retail- ecommerce, &- agencies

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Teaching "The Business Side of Design", within the Collaborative Design department.Self-developed coursework includes in-depth investigations of branding, organizational structures, basic supply and demand, disruptor networks, and corporate negotiation and communication.Students have gone on to high-level positions at:- Google- Pepsico- Electric Forest- among many othersHave also taught a semester of Service Design for UX designers.

Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan Area

Teaching Digital Marketing under the Business Department. Self-developed coursework includes in-depth explorations of: branding basics, on-page SEO elements, off-page SEO elements, social media, content marketing, and RFQ development.

Michigan

Interviewed a range of stakeholders, officials, and business owners, including:- cannabis advocate Wanda James- NBA star Al Harrington- Detroit PD general counsel- Michigan's leading cannabis attorneys- and many othersWrote 20+ stories, ranging from 400 word on the ground updates to 2,000 word investigative medical research essays.Worked both on assignment and on independent pitches.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Researched, developed, and wrote grants for nonprofit clients from a variety of industries, with grants under my direct management ranging from $5,000 - $3M+. Grants included:- family foundations- community foundations- federal grants- private donorsMajor milestones & projects:- Managed major client account, including AmeriCorps- 60%+ success rate, $20M+ in awarded grants- Provided support in Grand Rapids Public Museum High School's $10M QX grant development

Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan Area

Launched and published a new non-profit arts journal dedicated to promoting the arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Developed partnerships with all major arts organizations in Grand Rapids (GR Ballet, GR Opera, GR Symphony, GRAM, UICA, Civic Theater, Meijer Gardens, ArtPrize, + dozens more)Interviewed and published essays on dozens of well-known artists, including:- Leo Zulueta- Dietrich Klinge- Hilderbrand + Magsamen- Ai Weiwei- Reb Roberts- many othersProvided realtime coverage of ArtPrize 2016Wrote and published 30+ articles about the arts in Grand Rapids

Greater West Michigan

Brand Manager for both Bekins (appliances) and Classic Stereo (now Bekins Electronics), two separate companies under one central owner. My role encompassed development and execution of all external communications and marketing, including:- PR- social media & email marketing- website & SEO- media purchasing (digital & traditional)- events- analytics & reportingMajor milestones & projects included:- new retail store launch (Classic Stereo), including brand development, media, & coordinated advertising campaigns- promotion of new warehouse location opening (Coopersville)- managed a co-op advertising budget of $200K+- supported an annual sales pipeline of $20M+- directed information architecture & wrote SEO content for two separate brands (Bekins & Classic Stereo)- wrote & published content through Grand Rapids Magazine, West Michigan Women's Lifestyle, and Revue West Michigan- wrote & directed regional radio campaigns

Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan Area

Creative Director for both 616 Lofts (property management) and 616 Development (commercial development), a pair of urban real estate startups, during downtown Grand Rapids' development rennaissance of the early 2010s. Before being brought in-house in 2012, I developed and managed the company's branding and marketing assets as a contractor since its inception in 2010.My self-directed work focused heavily on brand journalism, as an underlying strategy for SEO. By relying heavily on an authoritative digital presence, we maintained a high ROI on a minimal marketing budget.Role encompassed all external communication for B2C (property management) and all marketing & communication assets for B2B (investor) audiences, including:- brand development, strategy, & implementation- PR, event planning, marketing, & advertising- vendor management, photography, & document design- investor proposal development ($12M-30M projects)Major milestones & projects:- Published interviews with CEOs, city leaders, and influential business leaders- Guest columnist for Grand Rapids Business Journal's "Real Estate" section- Used SEO-driven content strategy to build an email list of 2,000+ qualified leads to support our property management portfolio- Ranked 616lofts.com within top three Google listings for "downtown apartments Grand Rapids" between 2013-2014, beating out websites like rent.com and mihomes.com

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

An agency client brought me in-house to help build out the Digital Marketing department, with roles including:- information architecture & sales funnel development- keyword research & SEO copywriting- SEO strategy - social media management- business development support

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Performed multiple roles in an industrial manufacturing advertising agency setting, including:- SEO research & copywriting- newsroom writer & editor- sales support lead generation

Bachelors, Creative Writing, Minor In Anthropology

Activities and Societies: Graduated under the Honor's Department magna cum laude.Published in university literary magazine, Jeopardy.

Associate'S In Arts & Sciences (Direct Transfer)

Activities and Societies: Honor's Program; awarded English Department Award 2004.

Education record