Course Development and Instruction:Refined and delivered the design and implementation of courses such as MKTG 4780/6780/5420: Cannabis Marketing, equipping students with essential tools and background to thrive in the burgeoning cannabis industry.Developed specialized coursework focusing on brand identity, presentations, and in-depth education in a special topics course, providing students with practical skills and knowledge aligned with industry demands.Sales and Marketing Education:Integrated hands-on learning experiences to cultivate real-world skills, emphasizing the importance of brand development, effective presentations, and comprehensive understanding of marketing strategies.Empowered students to excel in sales through coursework that delves into brand identity principles, equipping them with the ability to create compelling brand narratives and strategies.Engagement with Industry Trends:Stay in-tune with industry trends and best practices, infusing current insights into coursework to ensure students are well-prepared for the evolving landscape of sales and marketing.Student Mentorship:Actively mentor students, fostering their growth and providing guidance on navigating the nuances of brand identity, presentations, and special topics in the sales and marketing domain.This role allows me to contribute significantly to the development of future sales and marketing leaders by providing them with a solid foundation in key areas crucial for success in the industry.

As a Founding Partner at Hochstedler, Young and Associates, I've played a pivotal role in steering the company's trajectory towards innovation and technology-driven solutions. Leading a dynamic team, our primary focus was on consulting in botanical extraction and post-processing refinement, with a specialization in cannabis extraction and product development.Key Achievements:Orchestrated the strategy and execution of six end-to-end botanical extraction facility projects, managing all phases from conceptualization to final state compliance and operational excellence.Spearheaded the design and buildout of cutting-edge Botanical Extraction Labs utilizing CO2, Hydrocarbon, Ethanol, and mechanical separations.Established expertise in post-processing technologies, including Short Path Distillation, Continuous WFE Distillation, and boutique extract processes.Successfully navigated regulatory challenges, ensuring compliance with state standards and hazardous materials regulations.Implemented systems and operating procedures for optimal efficiency in areas such as accounting, CRM, sales, marketing, production, and logistics.Marketing Leadership:Drove brand development initiatives, collaborating with C-level executives to create compelling brand identities aligned with their target audience.Crafted comprehensive go-to-market strategies, leveraging digital marketing channels for maximum visibility and impact.Advised on launch strategies, ensuring successful market penetration and sustained growth for new products and brands.Consulted on over 100 custom-made consumer retail products, providing expertise in design, go-to-market strategy, and execution.This experience has honed my skills in strategic planning, project management, and technological integration, providing a robust foundation that aligns seamlessly with the dynamic and innovative initiatives.

As the CEO of Krystilion, I spearheaded the strategic development and successful operation of a startup in the CBD space, specializing in white-labeling services. Our commitment to innovation and strategic partnerships resulted in the establishment of over 8 unique brands and the creation of more than 50 consumer products.Key Achievements:Launched and navigated the company from conceptualization through compliance to profitability, achieving substantial market presence with no external funding.Implemented robust systems and operating procedures, integrating technology solutions across accounting, CRM, sales, marketing, production, and logistics.Led a small yet highly effective team to successfully contract with over 100 retail locations, showcasing resourcefulness in overcoming limitations in supplies, funding, and support.Formulated and developed new products in collaboration with strategic partners, leveraging technology for product innovation and differentiation.Provided end-to-end consultation on over 50 custom-made consumer retail products, guiding clients through compliant design, go-to-market strategy, and successful execution.Cultivated and maintained strong relationships with domestic and international packaging partners, ensuring the protection of customer timelines and budget outcomes.Collaborated directly with C-level executives, utilizing technology and market insights to create bespoke brand identities and tailor products to specific customer bases.This experience underscores my ability to drive innovation, establish strategic partnerships, and leverage technology for business growth while emphasizing the crucial role of building relationships with packaging partners to safeguard customer timelines and budgetary objectives.

Managed sales and engineering resources for IT infrastructure initiatives throughout Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania (New territory), Kentucky, Georgia (New territory), Alabama (New territory), and Florida (new territory).Expanded territories through modern prospecting tactics through a team of 16 sales, 7 engineers, and 5 interns.Built and refined cross functional teams to help existing customers consolidate vendors post 1 merger and 1 acquisition.Developed impactful, hard working, new hire pipeline through building relationships with local Midwest universities.Grew internship program 5x the number of interns with 80% retention to full time hire.Held teams accountable through monthly reviews, peer reviews, sales forecasting, and building a strong, team first culture.Key projects include:Active/Active zero downtime private cloud (healthcare and manufacturing)Multi-Datacenter and Infrastructure consolidationBCDR ConsultingUniversity Campus Wired/Wireless Infrastructure RefreshSD-WANAIOPSVDI/Mobile App DeliveryHealthcare AI Compute ClusteringAzure/Hybrid Cloud MigrationsCyber security consulting with an emphasis on governance and zero trust policy build out.

Assisted in developing cross functional sales team during merger of 2 sister companies. Merged CRM platforms, account conflict remediation and territory realignment for Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast regional territories.

Collaborated with 12 sales account managers providing technical expertise in server, storage, backup, hyperconverged infrastructure, VMware, Microsoft, and AWS/Azure hybrid cloud initiatives. Determines technical requirements to meet client goals and act as liaison between the organization’s sales and engineering groups. Responds to requests for information or requests for proposals from customers, supplying the technical details of proposed solutions.Conducts regular company wide technical sales training and also coordinates resources for technical training with the best available resources for the given subject.

Worked with Provosts, Dean's, Department Chairs, and Professors at large colleges and universities to help increase student performance by arming instructors with meaningful data and analytics through McGraw-Hill's big data platform. By doing so, instructors saw average retention rates increase by 19%, course pass rates increase by 13%, average exam scores increase by 9%, and increased the number of A's by 8% while decreasing failing grades by 5%.

My goal is to simplify IT. Specializing in both HP and Dell enterprise products, I deliver IT architectural efficiency and flexibility through virtualization to enterprise customers. In doing so, I leverage Optio Data’s state-of-the-art technology facility and multi-million dollar inventory of Dell and HP servers, storage and networking products. All of which is delivered through a world-class delivery and professional services organization. At Optio Data, our core competencies are Private Cloud Infrastructure, Data Management, and Technology Integration. I am well-versed in assisting Mid-Market Businesses and Global Enterprise Businesses consisting of more than 5,000 end users with their unique IT needs.

I specialize in IT environment virtualization using specifically Dell products which includes servers, storage, networking, licensing, and professional services. We work side by side with Dell and IT project management to ensure a successful deployment. Great Lakes Computer has the ability to provide full IT solutions and does so in a comprehensive, consultative manner that allows our customers to focus on other aspects ultimately saving them time and money.

Organized events to scale on campus that attracted students to Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft 2010 Office Suite, and the Samsung 900 series of laptop. Required to give and facilitate 1600 student trials, 20 large scale product demonstrations and work with Western Michigan University on their Microsoft product placement throughout campus.

Helped students troubleshoot Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Suite, and Blackboard e-learning applications. Conducted minor printer/computer repair for 2 on campus labs consisting of over 200 computers. Distributed print loads to any one of 13 printers to prevent long lead times for student print jobs.

Lead and managed more than 40 members to the standard of one of the largest, most strictly governed, and organized social fraternities in the world. Oversaw an executive board of 14 members, active members, new members, and alumni. Managed annual cash flow of more than $110,000.Renegotiated the lease on the chapter house to decrease annual rent by $19,200Negotiated a price-locked blanket lease at the decreased amount for 6 years expiring in 2017 and gaining in major renovations to total over $100,000 to improve living conditions for in house members.Attended international conferences, international headquarters, and regional conferences to represent my chapter and communicate with headquarters on important internal and external reports.

Assisted the Branch Manager and Co-Owner of Roofing and Insulation Supply in his efforts to run a branch in the commercial, residential, and contractor industry for roofing and insulation products. Conducted outside sales calls, inventory count and management, shipping, receiving, and profit and loss statement analysis. Went through company training on commercial bidding with product knowledge, bidding laws, and blueprint analysis to match engineer specifications with Owens Corning products.

Negotiated settlements on Home Equity Lines of Credit, Installment Loans, and Unsecured debt by working with account holders, attorneys, and real-estate agents for accounts that have gone more than 180 days without payment to recoup funds and minimize further company loss by writing off lump sum payments from the P&L.