John Puglia
474 Malvern Road
Akron, OH 44303
330.940.9455 cell | 330.865.6618 home
| portfolio: johnpuglia.com
Senior Level Brand Builder + Strategist + PR & Crisis Communications + Creative Innovation Leader
SUMMARY
Astute leader of marketing and communications produces results-driven ROI communications and brand building internationally across multiple channels. Fluent in analyzing data, budgets, demographics, research, market trends plus writing, design, advertising, public relations, direct marketing, social media, SEM, SEO, video, exhibits, events / experiential, sponsorships, viral, guerilla, publications, measurement and ROI. Improves creativity and effectiveness of all marketing and communications, reduces time-to-market, increases positive organizational exposure, builds strong relationships and delivers results.
EXPERIENCE
Creative Director
WhiteSpace Creative, Akron, OH 2009 – Present
Integrated marketing communications agency and project resource that helps businesses and organizations motivate others into action, $2 million revenue, 27 employees.
www.whitespace-creative.com
• Lead creative team of 14 employees in building successful brands, devising breakthrough strategies, delivering out-of-the-box creativity and generating award-winning marketing communications programs for over 100 different clients annually.
• Key architect in developing the new Team NEO Cleveland Plus brand positioning used to market the 16-county Northeast Ohio region internationally as a location for companies to relocate or expand.
• Guided the success of Createathon™ 2010 to develop nearly 30 projects for 20 area nonprofit organizations. The total value of the pro-bono marketing and communications services totaled more than $70,000. The intense 24-hour creative marathon included the development of three websites, a video, multiple brochures, numerous logos and taglines, an annual report, a direct-mail postcard series, appeals, an ad, and an event invitation.
• Spearheaded the new visual identity system and branding for the Akron Art Museum receiving overwhelming positive feedback and is transforming the image of the museum.
• Featured presenter / speaker at numerous conferences, universities, organizations on brand, creativity, internet and communications from 1995 to the present in Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, Toronto, Amsterdam...
Director, Corporate Communications (2/07 – 9/09)
YRC Worldwide, Inc., Overland Park, KS NASDAQ:YRCW 2003 – 9/09
Global transportation and logistics: YRC, Roadway, Yellow, New Penn, Holland, Reddaway, YRC Logistics, Reimer, $9 billion revenue, 60,000 employees. www.yrcw.com
• Orchestrated entire communications strategy, tactics and messaging across all channels supporting the successful and expedited integration of two 30,000 employee companies into one: Yellow Transportation + Roadway = YRC.
• Enacted public relations policy / protocol and created proactive broadcast media materials for numerous initiatives including sustainability and hybrid vehicles segment featured on CNBC. Also provided media relations working with business and B2B news agencies and outlets.
• Launched first social media/web 2.0 for YRCW: internal blog on company-wide intranet was critical in keeping the integration initiative in synch and on schedule, twitter.com/yrcworldwide and YouTube was used for brand building and to bring key events to life through text, photography, audio and video.
• Composed crisis communications and systems to assist during critical situations: Y2k, the September 11th attacks, Hurricane Katrina, California wildfires and the merger of Yellow and Roadway.
• Initiated and implemented urgent sustainability “green” strategy and communications including new DESTINATION>GREEN section on yrcw.com and several environmentally-focused videos.
• Led creative direction and communications for customer relationship-building supply chain workshops and golf events resulting in increased revenue of 12% overall and strengthened partnerships. Events demonstrated an average 10 to 1 ROI.
• Synthesized revised corporate identity and all marketing communications for YRCW subsidiary Reddaway transportation including writing critical messages for the president and creation of all materials supporting the 90th anniversary of the company.
• Introduced a new all-employee communications for YRC including a monthly tabloid - print publication and management-only email (40,000 distribution) achieving very positive response from labor and management.
• Wrote 100+ stories and articles including important testimonials and case studies in which I interviewed, photographed and often videotaped key customers and stakeholders. These works were published in print and online and used by the sales force to generate sales.
• Quarterbacked labor communications during negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters resulting in the earliest contract ratification in the history of the company.
• Led staff and contractors (50+) located throughout multiple cities in communications development and implementation across all medium channels. Efforts created 1,500+ communications projects while decreasing development time and increasing internal client satisfaction.
Manager, Corporate / Marketing Communications (1993 –2007)
Executive Producer (1990 –1993)
Roadway, Akron, OH NASDAQ:ROAD 1990 – 2007 (purchased by Yellow Freight in 2003)
Global freight transportation (also Reimer Express Lines in Canada)
$3 billion revenue, 30,000 employees. yrc.com roadway.com
• Led the successful R&D and implementation effort for the rebranding of Roadway Express into “Roadway your way”. Developed communications across all channels resulting in increased customer satisfaction scores, advanced company image and improved employee morale.
• Pioneered first online presence in 1995 as the original web architect and webmaster leading to Roadway’s first web site www.roadway.com which was awarded Computerworld’s Innovation Award and inducted into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum as one of the first transportation companies to offer online shipment tracking.
• Managed, mentored and motivated a staff of 20 employees and 30+ contractors as a creative director and communications leader.
• Administered an annual budget of $14 million while successfully keeping actual costs under 5% - 10% of this budget.
• Championed and activated the largest sports sponsorship and customer relationship building endeavor in company history - a 3-year $4 million (per year) partnership with the Negro Baseball Museum which included an advertising campaign with Sports Illustrated, ESPN, 30 annual customer events at MLB stadiums, events–emails, invitations, brochures, signage, event script, sweepstakes, promotions & merchandise. Plus, conceived and managed a $1 million mobile museum featuring the history of Negro Leagues Baseball. Program results included 3 to 1 ROI, significantly increased brand exposure, positive public relations, and improved employee morale.
• Envisioned and supervised the construction of the first customer-focused secure extranet “my.roadway.com” resulting in a 10x per year increase in online traffic and a reduction in customer administration costs.
• Transformed public relation efforts from reactive to proactive resulting in a significantly improved relationship with local media and a 33% increased positive exposure nationally through increased media relationship building, creating publishing-ready content, soliciting ideas for case studies and testimonials and providing a dynamic senior leadership speakers list.
• Spearheaded and created first Roadway non-labor employee intranet and all-employee (30,000) extranet “yourRoadway.com” the first employee-labor secure web site in the industry resulting in increased employee communications and satisfaction.
• Conceived original product and service names: ExpressWorks™ – transportation management software, Visioneering® – engineered transportation solution initiative, Partnershipping® – elite customer service, Sealed Exhibit™ – a special expedited secure service option for customers shipping tradeshow material and exhibits, Safety Stories – a safety injury and accident reduction program.
• Established the communications strategy & creative direction for all communications. Creative leader in all mediums: (1700+ projects a year) writing, advertising, print, sales collateral, video, multimedia, intranet, internet, photography, audio, and PR. Managed all vendors engaged in communication activities, including agencies and independents. Advanced and expanded the creative capabilities and ideas resulting in numerous awards and recognition.
• Conceived and created 50+ national and internationally distributed print & digital ads.
• Wrote, produced and directed 300+ videos and live events throughout U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe including customer testimonials and 300+ employee events.
• Optimized limited resources by developing the industry’s first online self-serve communications and marketing tool allowing the sales force to create customized communications.
• Guided the creation of Roadway’s brand retail store. Designed interior space & displays to best represent the brand including daily management of construction & grand opening. Developed new affiliated web site - RoadwayStore.com.
Manager of Communications
Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna, OH 1989 – 1990
A 285-bed community hospital providing high-quality, personalized care, with many centers, and satellite services throughout the region.
Associate Producer
ProShows, Cleveland, OH 1988 -1989
EDUCATION
The University of Akron
B.A., Mass Media - Communication, magna cum laude 12/87
St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, Akron, OH 1982
ADDITIONAL ASSETS | ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Marketing Board Member – Akron Art Museum, 10/2010 - present
Independent (freelance) creative experience: NBA, VH1, Unsolved Mysteries, Goodyear, TRW, MLB, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Harper-Collins Publishing, Fallsway Equipment, First Energy, LJM Accessories, TWG Capital, CRAVE, Cleveland Browns, Whitespace Creative, DCI – Digital Color Imaging, Blessed Label, Woodlake (TX), Safety First, Performance Health, Inc., National City Bank, C2 Communications.
Proficient in: Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Pagemaker, Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand, Quark, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, InDesign, WordPress, Twitter, Blogger, YouTube
1988 - 1997 International Television Association (ITVA) member, newsletter editor
Project Management Training / Certification
Transportation Marketing Communications Association (TMCA) member, presenter
Training and extensive involvement in Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Process
Produced documentary for United Nations – “Global Compact”
Managed relationship with PBS / WETA – sponsorship of documentary “Divided Highways”
Numerous web awards (Roadway web site is in permanent collection of Smithsonian Museum)
Awarded numerous Tellys
Transportation Sales & Marketing [TSMA] Awards
Transportation Marketing Communication [TMCA] Awards
American Trucking Association [ATA] - Marketing Awards
National Calendar Awards
Akron Art Museum – volunteer coordinator – Downtown At Dusk program
Millworks Art Organization / Galleries – non-profit - founder, director 1990-1993
m-80 magazine, founding editor 1999-2004
Volunteer - providing advocacy, creative and communications support for:
United Way, JDRF – Walk To Cure Diabetes & D.A.R.E. [Northeast Ohio]
Christina’s Smile [Austin, TX] – mobile dental clinic for underprivileged children
Ryan Foundation [Cleveland]
Mike Foundation [Cleveland]
Ohio State Highway Patrol [Columbus]
Negro Leagues Museum [Kansas City]
| 474 Malvern Road | Akron, OH | 44303 | 330.940-9455 c | 330.865.6618 h
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