Staff

Founding Partners

  • Tom Pavlak

    Tom works with clients to ensure that crisp and intelligent design coupled with business development ideals can work collaboratively to produce and perform—time after time. 

    Tom’s work continues to span across a variety of technologies, brands and markets, and he has broad experience in consumer, commercial and automotive industries in bringing new concepts to reality.  As a designer and engineer with 20+ years of practical, professional experience, he has created thoughtful market successes for leading Fortune 100+ companies.   Through these engagements, Tom has led multi-disciplinary teams to earn multiple Industrial Design Excellence Awards, as presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America in conjunction with Business Week magazine.

    With extensive business and enterprise development skills, he’s regarded as a ‘designer’s designer’ and product development consultant, with a complete understanding of the innovation process, and an earned appreciation for the many different participant perspectives in that process.

    Email: Tom Pavlak

  • Dave Skelly

    Dave works with clients to spur meaningful innovation by pulling it all together with sound business acumen, creative insight and analysis—all to deliver winning solutions.

    Dave embraces every client opportunity from a unique perspective with years of experience in a number of industries and markets—consumer and B2B.  He engages with traditional non-technology companies to national and international tech leaders to deliver consistent and creative realism behind the successful development of products, services and new business. Dave’s 20+ years of expertise of acute strategy creation, ideation, concept development, research, product mapping, market analysis and strategic alliances continue to be well shaped via client experiences every day.

    As a catalyst for collaborative innovation, Dave is recognized within industry and by clients as a consultant that truly understands how to make robust connections that others don’t see.

    Email: Dave Skelly

  • Tim Woods

    Tim works with clients to drive innovation and the appropriate use of information and technology in everyday consumer and business solutions as a well respected resource to not only the firm’s clients—but to the national media marketplace.

    Tim’s extensive experience in business and product development and ground breaking research has afforded him an opportunity not open to many and provides him insight into what it will all mean to clients and their customers in the future. Among a diverse client portfolio and through partnerships, Tim works to make sense of innovations for all engaged and is able to create productive partnerships where and when appropriate.

    With a broad background including 20+ years of experience, Tim provides creativity into every client deliverable and a unique ability to see well beyond the task at hand through a keen intuition.

    Email: Tim Woods

Directors

  • Pam Allison

    Pam is a strategist who focuses on supporting companies to monetize content utilizing digital media. Her experience is diverse yet is focused on working with key industry players as well as spawning firms to create strategies and tactics that deliver winning consumer solutions. Pam provides a strong acumen in developing business opportunities – especially those that involve disruptive or enabling technologies.

    Pam is well versed in ecosystem development and management, creating meaningful partnerships and working in a collaborative environment. Her ability to work with clients from concept generation to prototype development, pilot testing and then off-to-market is unsurpassed. Pam’s strong business development, product and program management, content and technology know-how enables her to work with clients to develop strategies of the digital age that address the rapidly changing market ecosystems to fulfill consumer and customer needs.

  • Tony Barra

    Tony works with clients to collaboratively develop innovative business opportunities enabled by his breadth of industry experience and passion for new technology.

    Tony applies his extensive expertise in business strategy development with an emphasis in business modeling and economic analysis to identify true opportunities. He is a leader who applies his experience in a range of industries combined with deep expertise in technology and business strategies to deliver high value results to organizations facing market challenges created by rapid innovation. Tony’s 20+ years of experience with a broad range of responsibilities in new product and service introduction including market and consumer research, product concept ideation, product portfolio creation and management, project management of pilot and consumer trials, organizational design and integration, operational process development and product launch.

    Through rigorous and thorough analysis and insight, Tony provides clients with the action plan for success and is highly valued for his ability to help clients not only fully understand new market opportunities but also the requirements to execute on those plans.

  • Tracy Dobesh

    Tracy works with clients to make sound business decisions informed by research. She uncovers and capitalizes upon fresh information and key insights about product buyers and users, the competition, social climate, and economic landscape. Tracy brings to each engagement entrepreneurial drive, keen curiosity and several to-do lists (details, details).

    Tracy has designed and conducted research studies for Fortune 500 companies within a broad range of industries and markets such as telecommunications, consumer electronics, computer hardware and software, and Internet services and applications to name a few. Her 15+ years of consulting experience includes: needs assessment; concept testing; pricing; demand estimation; brand equity; positioning; and product/service trials.

  • RJ Gerard

    RJ works with clients to gain keen insights that help identify and solve business problems. He utilizes his unique palette of research experience and marketing communications acumen to explore, observe, and understand the intricacies of human behavior, needs, tasks and expectations. RJ is passionate about innovation by discovering and learning the complexities surrounding attitudes, opinions, and motivations in all consumer and market intelligence endeavors.

    RJ’s client exposure spans a broad spectrum having worked with top-tier pharmaceutical, health and wellness companies, industrial manufacturers and consumer oriented product, service and business developers. With over 15 years of experience in research, branding, advertising and strategic planning

    RJ leaves no stone unturned and no detail unchecked in his desire to deliver results with every engagement.

  • Kevin McLoughlin

    Kevin has a unique way of balancing research and creativity with tenacity. Experienced in all types of customer project and complex program management, his blend of engineering and business acumen allows for a wider view of the customer and end-user challenges.

    His portfolio of engagements is diverse with customer projects ranging from Fortune 100 companies to public institutions and government agencies, Kevin’s depth of experience brings clients an innovative perspective. Within these endeavors, he has advised in many roles, including technical development, product launches, customer and supplier relations and financial governance.

    He is a true “gear head” who like to study issues not only with his mind but also with his hands. This practical attitude gives him the ability to relate to clients’ challenges in ways that improve their day-to-day operations as well as their bottom line.