
Strategist, consultant, writer who speaks, fair trader, dog mom, for the triple bottom line: people, proft, and planet.
Greater St. Louis Area

Strategist, consultant, writer who speaks, fair trader, dog mom, for the triple bottom line: people, proft, and planet.
Greater St. Louis Area
Before forming my own company, I had several life-altering business experiences while working for other firms. In Europe for four of nine years, my work took me to 28 countries over five continents. Often I flew solo as the consultant expert, but more often I flew in crowds, managing teams of five to 150 consultants.
Orienteering environments as a manager (and den mother) in foreign lands was a course in the human and business condition. As Dickens wrote, “it was the best of times and it was the worst of times” -- the benevolence of humanity astride the dregs of “let them eat cake” indifference. Cultural, political and environmentally-motivated chapters were dog-eared in my mind. Business and consulting practices spanned successful-and-sustainable to sleazy-and-illegal. The warp-speed and ever changing nature of the experience was thrilling, addictive, and chockfull of mental vertigo.
Eventually I returned to the U.S. The lure of a good peanut butter n' jelly sandwich and a permanent closet eventually out-weighed the lust for platinum waiting room cards. I returned determined to leverage the best of what I had experienced and work for transforming the worst I had seen. I wanted more for myself, for my work, for my consultants, for my clients, for humanity, and for the world.
When I formed my company, I started out with a focus on honesty, ethics and integrity which quickly expanded to a commitment to striving for socially and environmentally responsible business. My research and work since my travels has led me to investigate, test, and implement many forms of responsible business for myself and my clients.
CV/Resume in French, English, and Spanish:
http://progressionary.com/?page_id=183
Biography in French, English, and Spanish:
http://progressionary.com/?page_id=186
strategic leadership and vision, fund and capital raising
brand and media management, technology leadership, responsible business, fair trade, corporate sustainability
(Management Consulting industry)
March 1999 — Present (10 years 9 months)
(formerly Pioneer Technologies Consulting)
I lead a consulting firm working with businesses, non-for-profits and entrepreneurs who seek a triple bottom line, elevating people and profits while reducing impact on the planet, through business plan development, strategic planning, marketing and public relations. Our average client realizes 20% increase in sales in three months and 50% sales increase over six months.
+Advise and build socially responsible business through executive and entrepreneur coaching, staffing and value-driven campaigns to reach underserved markets. Social Justice Speaker Series launched ten plus local action groups and raised money, marshalling volunteers and support for local non-for-profits. Fair Trade course series and Fair Trade Market indirectly increased fair trade products on local grocery store shelves and a 30% or more increase in local fair trade retail.
+Increased conscious consumer base for responsible business through columns for Fast Company, The Vital Voice; interviews with the New York Times, Beacon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Business Journal, Commerce Magazine; appearances on ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS, CW, PBS; National Public Radio; blogging, Twitter, and other social media; through speaking often at social justice conferences, civil society meetings, universities, places of worship, and with grassroots groups.
+Clients include Boutique Chartreuse, Fair Trade Sports, ISTO Technologies, Labor and Employment Relations Association, Magnamite, Native Arts Council, Planetwork, Plowsharing Crafts (Ten Thousand Villages), StLouisGreen.com, United Methodist Church and YouAchieve.
(Retail industry)
2003 — 2008 (5 years )
+Grew largest fair trade market in US—$340,000 US sales over 22-days, 400 volunteers, 5000 annual shoppers, in all major print, radio, and TV media, up to 100% sales increase in each of six years.
+To learn more about the Fair Trade Market:
NPR interview http://snurl.com/5tqfl
PBS interview http://tinyurl.com/6zrbmf
FOX interview http://snurl.com/6x5id
Time lapse of the 2005 Market http://snurl.com/5dfc9
Pictures from the 2008 Market http://snurl.com/6tkz4
Time lapse of the 2005 Market http://snurl.com/5dfc9
(Publishing industry)
2000 — 2002 (2 years )
Learning in the New Economy Magazine ( http://www.linzine.com ) was an editorially independent publication introducing the best thinking on learning, performance, knowledge, and human capital in the New Economy.
+ Wrote articles, columns, interviews for the quarterly zine publication. LiNE Zine achieved a readership of over 100,000+ with its very first issue.
(Information Technology and Services industry)
October 1997 — May 1999 (1 year 8 months)
+ Based in London, England and Angers, France
+Directed eight change management programs for technology implementations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the US with multi-time zone, cross-lingual, and cross-cultural teams of up to 150 consultants and client staff. Often called in to rebuild troubled projects.
+Negotiated, developed and managed project plans, budgets, process analysis and success measurement for short and multi-year projects up to $30 million US in Asia, Europe and US.
+Lead consultant teams in design and development of end-user education materials. Required keen business process acumen in change management, demand planning, financials, HR, manufacturing, operations and supply chain.
+Clients included Adobe, CitiGroup, Coutts Bank, Ford Motor Company UK, Glaxo Wellcome, Halifax Bank, Packard Bell NEC, SGS Thompson, State Farm, PeopleSoft and Thames Water.
(Privately Held; Telecommunications industry)
1997 — 1997 (less than a year)
+Launched US operations for London-based company establishing and meeting targets, budgets, sales and new client base while working with UK and US colleagues.
+Created marketing concepts and copy for UK and US web and print materials.
+Lead the implementation of the UK and US corporate web sites.
+Opened US market despite changing of six directors and two mergers in eight months before new management closed US operations.
+Clients included Anheuser-Busch, Cisco, Disney, Microsoft, PeopleSoft and Sara Lee.
(Privately Held; Information Technology and Services industry)
1995 — 1997 (2 years )
+Based in St. Louis, Missouri, US and London, England
+Directed Internet division to multimillion US dollar operation and started Internet practices in UK, and partners in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, managing an international team of 20 including instructional designers and Internet technologists.
+Built brand increasing customer base by 300% via interviews for trade magazines, keynote addresses at conferences, seminars across Europe and the US, developing innovative inside and outside sales training materials and strategic relationships.
+Directed and designed marketing and web presence for Internet division.
+Created seven Internet technology training books continually updated for sale on the market today.
+Clients included Anheuser-Busch, Barclays Bank, Enterprise Rent-a-car, GTE, Monsanto, Unisys UK, UK Ministry of Defense, US Air Force, US Central Intelligence Agency, Sony and IBM.
BA , Canadian Studies (Hist, Lit, Poly Si) and Consumer Studies (Advertising, Research, Marketing, PR) , 1991 — 1994
Travel (29 countries), Socially Responsible Business, Fair Trade, Sustainability, German Short-hair Pointer Rescue, Twitter http://www.twitter.com/kelleeksikes
President of the Kirkwood Dog Park Association