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OUR MISSION | OUR
TEAM | BRAND EXPERIENCE
BREATHE Associates:
BREATHE’s clients are served by our nationwide associate network of senior-level marketing freelancers and boutique shops. We’ve brought together the best and the brightest marketing professionals – each with 10+ years of marketing experience and high performance track record. We custom fit a BREATHE associate team to match a client’s industry, company and their immediate needs. The result is a collaborative and inspiring relationship with a decrease in the client’s time and expenditures
Beth McAlhany - Merchandising
Beth McAlhany brings to the BREATHE team more than 18 years of strategic and creative leadership most recently honed as Director of Marketing with Kindermusik International, the worldwide leader of children’s music and movement products and programming. In addition to her marketing leadership responsibilities, as a company executive leader and owner, Beth relished responsibilities for overall company growth strategy, staff development and corporate communications.
Throughout her 10-year tenure, she directed numerous secondary brand launches, product branding, creative strategy, public relations, distributor recruitment and loyalty programs as well as Mom-market consumer communications. In a time of record company growth, she took on responsibilities as Director of Merchandising to help launch a new direct sales division (Do-Re-Me & You!), leading qualitative consumer research, consulting product development, and owning all merchandising strategy and catalog creative.
Before leaving Kindermusik to develop her independent venture, Beth-Mac Marketing, she led the conception, creation and training of new sales strategies, approaches and demonstration tools. So impressed with the Do-Re-Me &You! product line and positioning, direct sales leader Discovery Toys purchased the brand in 2007.
Beth began her career in an elite management training program with Smith Kline Beecham and then went on to lead account management for healthcare and not-for-profit clients with integrated marketing communications agency, Price McNabb, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Beth holds a Bachelor's degree in Speech Communications from Wake Forest University (magna cum laude) and a Master's degree in Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (awarded Outstanding Graduate).
Leslie Newby - Public Relations
Leslie Newby is a public relations and marketing professional with over 15 years experience in the field, working primarily in the apparel and home furnishings industries. Leslie is owner and president of Brand Communications, Inc., an independent public relations and marketing firm, employing cohesive branding principles and strategic communications to help clients reach target customers, editors and end consumers in order to meet their business and financial objectives. Active clients include GRID2 International, Harden Furniture, Sarreid Ltd. and Thomasville Stores of New Jersey.
Brand Communications specializes in strategic communications planning, press release writing and distribution, internal communications, event marketing and management, and tradeshow marketing.
A former consumer products brand manager for hosiery manufacturer Kayser Roth and co-founder of public relations and marketing firm The Buzz, Leslie also served two years as an editor for Home Furnishings News (HFN) and InFurniture magazines, both Fairchild publications.
Jill Nolton - Public Relations
Jill Nolton brings more than 10 years of agency, corporate and non-profit public relations experience to BREATHE. With a portfolio of government and corporate clients crossing a spectrum of industries, Jill has leveraged her expertise in public affairs, stakeholder relations, media outreach, and tradeshow management to the benefit of global and national organizations.
During her tenure at Burson-Marsteller, Jill helped manage the United States Treasury and Federal Reserve System’s award-winning New Color of Money integrated public relations campaign; provided corporate positioning counsel to HP and The Ford Motor Company; and led a media outreach team spread across six continents for Iridium. Additionally, her experience at the firm also includes support for HP’s telecommunications unit, SAP, AT&T Latin America, the Partnership for Growth (lumber/forestry public policy & U.S./Canada relations), and the United States Postal Service.
While at MCI WorldCom, Jill handled federal public policy public relations, with internal communications, national/wire/trade media relations, executive visibility/thought leadership, and Capitol Hill and Federal Communications Commission responsibilities. She also has a background in youth education and special events coordination with the National Youth Leadership Forum as well as advance/logistics support for The Ford Motor Company, Smith Barney, and Caterpillar.
Jill currently supports a biopharmaceutical client for Cooney/Waters in New York through corporate positioning and media outreach activities. She has a Masters degree from Georgetown University and a Bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She currently lives with her husband and young son in Washington, D.C.
Beth Sartore - Designer / Trend Analyst
Beth received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she concentrated in textiles & design. After graduation she began her career as a stylist in the fashion industry. For the last 15 years she has worked as a design and trend consultant on brands such as: Xhilaration, Merona, Bill Blass, Hanes, No nonsense, Joe Boxer, Marvel Comics, Faded Glory & George. Over her career she has worked closely with top retailers including Target, Wal-Mart & JC Penney. Combining fine arts training and knowledge of fashion & textiles, Beth currently works with clients designing product lines, forecasting seasonal color & trends & developing fashion presentations for major accounts.
In addition to consulting, Beth recently began writing a monthly column for the Greensboro News & Record. Her column, Style Cents™, combines three of her passions: fashion, ecology and cost savings. She looks at inexpensive ways to dress on-trend & under budget while keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum. It’s a whole new way to look at fashion.
Beth is the former Regional Director of the Fashion Group International and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the 9-11 Sculpture Committee & Art Alliance of Greensboro. Even though it involved shoveling snow, her favorite job was working as a crew member to Christo & Jeanne-Claude's The Gates, Central Park, New York City 1979-2005.
Beth currently lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband and 2 sons.
Susan Johnson Smith - Events / Displays
With over 24 years of apparel experience, Susan brings a variety of creative marketing talent to BREATHE projects - from retail advertising, brand marketing and agency account management, to recognized skills as a designer, art director and stylist. Her expertise, however, is best suited to more creative marketing projects such as space design, visual merchandising, photographic styling, creative project management, even though she is no stranger to more left-brained tasks such as writing brand marketing plans or developing in-store retail strategies.
Since forming her own business – Studio Xing – in 1998, Susan has been fortunate enough to work on a variety of projects with some very respected companies including, Wrangler, Lee, Vanity Fair, Nautica, The North Face, Napapijri, Reef, Vans, Kipling, John Varvatos, Tommy Bahama Home, Woolrich, Filson, Hanes, Anvil, Alpha Shirt Company and Rousso Apparel Group.
This year marks a new beginning for Susan with the launch of an exciting business venture - Still Life - that combines her study of Eastern Arts with her talents in design and styling; creating uncluttered (i.e.: “still” or “calm”) and artfully arranged homes for sale, show, or special events.
Susan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Clothing and Textiles, as well as a Bachelor of Art degree in Fine Art, both from Appalachian State University, located in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. She currently lives in Greensboro, NC with her amazing entrepreneurial husband and inspirational cat.
Samantha Smith - Copywriting
Samantha Smith has a decade’s worth of experience in business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing. Her work with advertising agencies Doner Direct, MPG | Arnold Worldwide, and Rosenthal Partners includes media planning as well as copywriting. She has helped build national and local brands, including AARP, Amtrak, Choice Hotels, ExxonMobil, FBR, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Nemetschek North America, Next Day Blinds, SunRocket, and Tysons Corner Center.
Currently, Samantha is a freelance copywriter, crafting brochures, websites, print ads, and various other compelling marketing materials for clients’ service and retail businesses. With her strong media planning background, Samantha is specially poised to understand each target audience’s mindset and create messaging that speaks directly to them.
Samantha graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia, as an Echols Scholar with an English major.
Holly Stewart - Strategy & Public Relations
An MBA with more than 15 years of experience, Holly Stewart, is an award winning strategist, marketer and public relations expert. She has worked with a myriad of clients, including Fortune 500 companies and brands, non-profits, foreign governments, universities, the U.S. government and small businesses.
Most recently, at VF Jeanswear, Holly was the senior marketer responsible for brand strategy, advertising and public relations for Riders, Gitano, Chic and Wrangler for Women brands, sold at Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target. Previously at VF, Holly managed corporate communications and supported investor relations. During her tenure, she worked on strategy, integration and growth initiatives with McKinsey Consulting and Accenture.
After starting her career in public affairs at the Naval Research Laboratory, Holly consulted with APCO Worldwide (then a Grey Advertising agency). At APCO, Holly worked with diverse clients, including Kids Voting, the Romanian government, MTV Rock the Vote, WorldComm and Dow Corning.
A past president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Tar Heel Chapter, Holly’s work has been recognized by many organizations, including PRSA.
Holly’s MBA in marketing is from Elon University, where she is an advisory council member. Also, she has a masters’ degree from University of MD and graduated summa cum laude from St. Mary’s College of MD Honors Program.
Myra Summers - Qualitative Research
Myra Summers, MBA, President of Focus Forward is a qualitative research consultant with a broad-based marketing background that includes 24 years of brand marketing, market research, and advertising experience with Fortune 500 companies. She has conducted nearly 4000 focus groups since becoming an independent moderator in 1991.
A former career in psychology, guidance and counseling brings a deeper level of insight to Myra’s work. She frequently uses homework assignments, and in-group projective and metaphorical techniques to help respondents communicate experiences, feelings, drivers, and needs gaps. Myra quickly becomes part of the marketing team, making it a point to understand history and objectives. She loves to put the pieces of the puzzle together, providing meaningful and thought provoking analysis.
Myra's areas of expertise include advertising, brand equity, celebrity appeal, concept development, consumers of all ages, logo design, line extensions, merchandising, minorities, name development, new products, package design, panel development, positioning, and promotions.
Myra is member of Qualitative Research Consultants Association. She has been published in Quirk’s Marketing Research Review, QRCA VIEWS Magazine, and AMA Marketing Research Magazine.
Jane Terry - Public Policy
Jane Terry is a public policy consultant, currently designing and executing policy strategies for several clients in Georgia and Washington, D.C. Jane offers critical thinking and implementation strategies to clients, working toward policy goals at the national, state, and local levels. Her six years on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Max Cleland, focusing on the Senate Commerce Committee, and Senior Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Denise Majette provide the foundation upon which she helps clients successfully meet their goals.
After Capitol Hill (and six months on the Appalachian Trail!), Jane moved to Richmond, Virginia and worked with government relations firm McMinimy & Associates, assisting with outreach to the Virginia General Assembly for clients, including the Virginia Transit Association (VTA). Jane expanded the firm’s offerings to include federal government relations. During the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) reauthorization, Jane secured first time authorizations. She also successfully led efforts of small and mid-sized VTA members to obtain federal appropriations for on-going projects.
Now based in Atlanta, Jane continues to work with federal officials and also regularly works with members and staff of the Georgia General Assembly as well as staff in appropriate state agencies on behalf of clients.
Jane received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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