Ruth Lawson Email and Phone Number

In my role at Bars & Rec, I've been heavily involved in the launch and ongoing promotions of our new venue, The New Fashioned. From orchestrating multiple grand opening events to managing press conferences, I've played a pivotal role in establishing our brand presence in the market - including working with multiple media outlets. Additionally, I've contributed to the expansion of our marketing team, bringing in fresh talent to drive our promotional efforts forward.I’m dedicated to bringing innovative ideas to the table and seeking new opportunities for growth and improvement. My multifaceted contributions have helped set the stage for the continued future success of the brand.

As a Premier Practice Consultant I provided tactical and strategic marketing consulting to onboarding and existing Ensemble firms. Through contact with the field as well as within the Home Office, I was a liaison between sophisticated advisors and diverse departments such as Compliance, Web Development, and Communications. As part of the website migration team, I worked with those internal and external stakeholders to transition over 300 advisor sites to a new CMS.

When the Board of Directors was developing a new strategic plan in 2016, the group noted, "the Association worked better when Ruth was here." They then spent six months recruiting me back to help move the organization through its next growth phase. Upon returning, I implemented the use of SaaS products like Asana, Slack, and Zoom to help the team stay on time and on budget for community programming/events and improve communication. These platforms became essential to keep the team engaged while working remotely during the pandemic. One goal of the strategic plan was to increase membership. I created sales funnels with multiple touch points which garnered a 15% increase in resident membership within a three week period.Working with our digital agency, I led the effort to rebrand the 30+ year old Gallery Night and Day art crawl event into the more inclusive Gallery Night MKE. The new look and feel of the event included a mobile website and app, and took a copy-heavy print brochure and turned it into a vibrant, photo-filled website which resulted in more website visits and digital visitor engagement.

During my tenure as a team member of Milwaukee’s premier fine dining group, the company opened seven new restaurants. I led the creation of all digital aspects of these ventures including websites, guest feedback sites, and social media accounts. In total, I was responsible for expertly juggling the digital footprints of 17 restaurants and catering units. I also created project management milestones for wine and beer dinners allowing for a repeatable workflow - which led to more sell out events. I worked with cross-functional teams - from directors to general managers to chefs - at every unit to brainstorm and create engaging social media and website content.

I utilized my creative writing skills to create blog content, email newsletters, and social media for this bold startup e-commerce company - one of Inc. magazine's Fastest Growing Companies in America (2013). These various digital channels allowed me to present information to and interact with an excited and dedicated fan base. Through increased engagement and strategic use of hashtags, I grew the number of Twitter followers by 20% in just two months. Additionally, I worked with ownership to review and edit selling documents which were instrumental in the sale of the company to Republic Tobacco.

Originally hired as an administrative assistant, I built the position into a project manager and communications specialist role. Producing community events was where my organizational skills shone. I documented and laid out timelines for annual events so anyone could step in and help or take over. In particular, the Midwest’s premier art event Gallery Night and Day benefited from having an event timeline to repeat quarterly, resulting in a record number of participating venues during my tenure. This event was a major tourist draw - driving up website visits, Milwaukee retail traffic, and hotel stays.

I provided marketing consulting for the original owner of The National Café and Takeaway to create a unique marketing plan which told the story of why he wanted to sell his business. “The Cream City Dream” was created and a press dinner held with local food bloggers. This effort captured the imagination of the community. The story of one woman’s dream of owning a restaurant and the opportunity to do it was highlighted by the CBS Evening News. The complete story can be found online here: http://bit.ly/TheNationalCafe.

I helped people enjoy their jobs by administering server incentive programs and employee service awards for national and local companies including Outback Steakhouse and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. I also managed and maintained content on corporate e-commerce websites.

I facilitated communication between between project teams, buyers, and sellers. I wrote and edited documentation to assist with the marketing of businesses in the coatings and biotechnology industries.

From procuring goods and services to processing accounts payable and receivable, as well as inventory control and internal sales, I was proficient at handling most administrative functions associated with this ISO-certified manufacturing facility. I took the lead helping the administrative team navigate three buyouts and six management changes. I also planned and executed on and off-site corporate events for employees and their families.