About
I was born and raised in West Michigan. My family, friends and professional network are all here. It’s funny where life takes us, because I never imagined I would end up where I am right now. I was always a horse lover, like most girls. My plan was to be a horse veterinarian and be the vet at the Olympics. Then, my last semester in high school, I took a school store management/marketing class… and I was hooked. I loved marketing – it had so much potential!
Why marketing? Because it’s sales, people, advertising, creative, solving problems, innovative products, solutions and more. Why not marketing?!
Always a self proclaimed workaholic, I worked full time while attending Davenport University. This gave me a great opportunity to apply what I was learning to my job. I dabbled a bit, as young people do – with jobs ranging from an export coordinator for a large industrial pump manufacturer to brand manager for a company that sells business checks and tax forms. I learned that I need to be around people and being tied to a desk is not for me.
It was when I worked for Rogers Department Store, one of the largest family owned department stores in Michigan (at the time) that I really got more into marketing and understood branding. Rogers has been closed for years now, but still when you say the name, people look up and remember what a great place it was with nice people, incredible service and quality products. Yep, Rogers was a great marketer and still has brand equity, because they understood their customers, took care of them and gave them the best experience.
All that to confess: I’m a marketing person at heart. I’ve been on the client side, company side and agency account executive seats. I understand Web marketing, SEO, website design and even a little bit about custom application development. More importantly, I also understand how important your website is to overall marketing objectives and that it really is a hub for your marketing activity.
On a personal note, I am married to a wonderful man, Steve Dutcher. Together we have 2 wonderful boys who love boating, hockey and video games. I also volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Through that program, I have a great “little sister” whom we’ve had guardianship of and been able to help her grow. I’ve been blessed to have such a great, supportive family and look forward to what’s in store for us in 2012.
