Through the course of my career, I was key in defining the identity and fueling the growth of premiere global lifestyle brands – the most significant being Volcom, a true success story, that has left an indelible mark on the action sports industry and beyond.  I was fortunate to cross paths with the Volcom crew early on, during the summer of 1991, while attending San Diego State University.   In 1993, I was hired to become employee #9 and lead the company’s branding efforts, eventually establishing the in-house creative department.  At this point the company was generating roughly $200,000 in annual revenue. 

At Volcom, I participated in and contributed to the strategic development and growth through Volcom’s journey as a private, public and owned company.  My role continuously spanned the functions of branding, marketing and product design – while playing a key role in the executive leadership, corporate culture and organizational development covering all aspects of the company.  The unique positioning of my role provided me the opportunity to have a consistent and profound impact on the business.  I successfully led initiatives that included highly-nuanced regional, trade, content, product, experiential and social media marketing efforts. 

The company grew at a torrid rate through the ‘90’s, reaching $37 million in the year 2000.  In 2002 I led the concept development and opening of the first branded retail store in Los Angeles.  The growth continued to accelerate over the next few years to $160 million in 2005.  It was at this time that I was promoted to Vice President of Global Creative/Brand, just before the company went public, raising $89 million.  Accelerated revenue growth continued in 2006 to $205.3 million and climbed to $268.6 million in 2007 and $334.3 million in 2008.

When the economy crashed in 2009, the industry suffered. In 2010 revenues were at $323.2 million, at this point the company was acquired by PPR SA (now called Kering – the French owner of Gucci and Puma), for a total equity value of $607.5 million.  When I exited the company (as EVP of Global Creative/Brand) in 2013 to pursue a new opportunity, annual revenue was at $336 million, and the brand was operating 47 company-owned stores. 

In 2014 I went on to become the VP of Global Marketing at Sanuk Footwear/Deckers Brands.  This position allowed me to explore new dimensions of my potential as the brand focused on a consumer-centric omni-channel approach to developing marketing strategies designed to expand the brand's audience beyond its loyal surf culture to a broader lifestyle appeal. As a senior-level leader, I refined the brand platform architecture, established a relevant value proposition and crafted the strategies that elevated the overall comprehension and aspiration levels of the brand, growing its annual revenue +13%, from $101 million to $115 million.

In 2016, I transitioned to the alcoholic beverage/CPG industry and joined Stone Brewing as VP of Marketing.  At Stone I actively contributed to the company’s growth - taking revenues from $227 million in 2016 to $269.3 million in 2018 (+18%), a significant achievement considering the broader craft beer industry is essentially flat.