Professional Experience

Career in Strategic Marketing/Business Development: consistent successful record in leading professional teams to achieve and surpass organizational goals and objectives; recognized and awarded with:

Tampa Bay Community Service Award

Lessons in Entrepreneurship (book)

Best of Show Award (international trade show booth)

Canadian Honorary Consul Candidate

National Presidential Citation for Distinguished Service and Leadership (PRSA)

Significant Board Member Award

University Service Award

2005-Present: Marketing Consultant/Broker, United Country - Florida Coastal Real Estate, Tampa, Florida

·          Founded United Country - Florida Coastal Real Estate; provides brokerage, consulting and marketing services for clients with developments and land investments, where he utilizes contact management software, Microsoft programs, and personal sales skills to close deals; building a portfolio of $235,000,000 and growing in investment properties.

·         Provides strategic marketing for developments, from strategic partners, creation of name, theme, logo, slogan, web maximization, brochures, media, targeted mailing campaigns, and financial assistance, to direct sales, generating higher ROI for clients.

Simultaneously as Vice President, International of United Country Real Estate, Kansas City, MO

·                   Researched and wrote the International Strategic Marketing Plan, and is implementing with targeted contacts.

·         Travels internationally with the CEO for franchise sales presentations and develop strategic partnerships in new country markets.

·         Promotes United Country Real Estate for expansion of franchise; recently rated by the Wall Street Journal in the Top (1%) 25 of 2,500 US franchises, and in the top ratings of Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500®.

1986-Present Principal, Toner Communications, Inc., Tampa, Florida,

·         Founded Toner Communications, Inc., specialized in Strategic Marketing/Business Development, including market research, media relations, web sites, brochures, sales counseling, events/seminars, trade shows, lobbying, international trade missions, and strategic planning/facilitation to develop and implement marketing strategies for private firms and public organizations.

·       Facilitated and wrote strategic marketing plans, involving top management in organizations’ values, vision, mission, quantified goals and objectives, SWOT analysis, strategies and tactics, budgeting, and scheduled action items of implementation with planning review dates; all prefaced with research into targeted industries; often followed with assistance in implementation.

·       Wrote annual survey of healthcare issues to discern trends; draft results of statewide survey with graphs and charts into booklets and news releases for statewide media distribution; “making news” and exposing millions of readers and viewers to positive press and TV coverage for client, Mercer Consulting. 

·     Conducted business development conferences, under contracts with state and local economic development entities, including the Senior Commercial Officers Programs (Europe, Latin America) to introduce Tampa Bay businesses to sales opportunities.

·       Created, produced and acted as the MC for monthly educational seminars for the Tampa Bay business community over a 3 year period, securing positive media coverage and image for clients. Programs included seminars on trade/investment opportunities.

·       Founded and acted as Chairman of the Canadian American Business Council, a Florida corporation; led group of business executives representing Florida and Canadian businesses to create and operate new trade development group; conducted monthly luncheon/dinner seminars for five years, and trade missions for several more. 

·       Managed media relations as the PR Chair of the committee of the listing broker to win the waterfront location for the new convention center hotel site in Tampa; securing vast press coverage via news releases and a press conference with Mayor Greco. The site is now the city of Tampa marquee location of the Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

·       Lobbied for Florida trade as a group leader with senior executives; meeting with Florida legislators and Secretary of State. 

·       Produced millions in sales and investments from trade missions, each mission was a major multi level marketing/PR/sales program. Planned and produced 12 highly successful international trade missions (recruiting 15 to 40 firms and taking them into another country to penetrate that market) to Europe and Canada over an eight year period., this included:

·               Planned and implemented introduction of delegates at US Embassies and homes of US Ambassadors and Consuls General.

·               Conducted advanced market research and seminars, set up booths at trade shows, including a Florida pavilion in the Montreal international trade show (booth won “Best of Show”); high-level introductions/receptions for mission delegates and presentations with the Caisse de Depôt, the $110 billion privatized pension fund of the Province of Quebec.

·               Involved Mayor Dick Greco and introduction/ceremonies with the Mayor of Montreal for mutual interests and investments.

·               Conducted the first trade mission to the US Embassy in Paris after 9/11 with a delegation of French and American business executives in October of 2001, achieving sales and investments for participating firms.

·               Participated in other trade missions to London, England and Caracas, Venezuela for clients; and traveled 14 other countries.

1981-1986: Belcan Engineering, Cincinnati, Ohio

·   Director of Business Development for Belcan Engineering Corporation, a high tech engineering firm rated 19^th largest in the US per “Engineering News Review 500”, in 1985.

·       Created and produced marketing and sales programs, initially with a staff of one, building to and leading a staff of 10 - working with a team of engineers, in highly successful business development programs targeting and leading a team of engineers to call on and making presentations to Fortune 500 corporations and government agencies, drafting proposals and closing sales.

·       Created all marketing systems/sales presentation materials, prefaced presentations with strategy sessions, controlled process.

·      Produced revenue increases from $4 million to $32 million over the five year period as Director of Business Development.

Education

·                   MBA - Master of Business Administration (emphasis Strategic Marketing Planning), Northern Kentucky University

·                   MPA - Master of Public Affairs (thesis on MBO); Political Science Department, University of Cincinnati, Ohio

·                   BS - Business Administration, University of Kentucky; Northern Kentucky University

·                   BA- Political Science; University of Kentucky; Northern Kentucky University

Professional Development

·                      International Trade Certificate Program, USF affiliated, Tampa, FL

·                      Harvard Negotiation Project & e-Learning Implementation, Harvard Business School publishing, Boston, MA

·                      Management Disney Style, Disney University/ Professional Development Program, Orlando, FL

·                      Counselors Academy, Public Relations Society of America, New York, NY

·          Economic Development Programs, Annual Assembly of Florida Council of Economic Development

·                      Regional Leadership Conference, Tampa Bay Partnership

·                      Certified Toastmaster, Toastmasters International, Tampa, FL

·                      RLI Realtors Land Institute, Courses completed for ALC designation, Accredited Land Consultant, NAR

·                      CCIM Commercial Real Estate Courses, Tampa and Orlando, FL

·                      TRC Transnational Referral Certified, International Consortium of Real Estate Associations, Tampa, FL

·                      QSC Quality Service Certified, Kansas City, MO

·                      FIABCI Worldwide Real Estate Developers Conference and Seminars, Paris, France

·          Florida Real Estate Brokers License, Orlando, FL

·                      CASE Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, CASE conferences throughout the US

Professional and Civic Service

·                      Strategic Plan Chair, Board of Directors, Florida Association of Volunteer Agencies for Caribbean Action (“Florida’s Peace Corps”)

·                   Member/Lecturer, Center for International Business Advisory Committee, University of South Florida

·                   Chairman, Marketing/PR Committee, Realtors Land Institute, Florida Chapter, NAR

·                   Founding Chairman, Canadian American Business Council, a Florida non-profit corporation

·                   Founding National Chair, Professional Services Section of national Public Relations Society of America

·                   Mayor and Councilman, City of Crestview, Kentucky. (Developed city properties with the US Corps of Engineers.)

·                   Founding Chairman and President, Northern Kentucky University Alumni Association

·                   Member, Board of Directors, Northern Kentucky University Foundation

Publications

·               Professional Services; Explain Benefits of Counsel, Public Relations Journal

·               Solutions Sales and Marketing; Purchasing Extranet Sells, Maddux Report magazine

·               Professional Services; Business Development Analyzer; Delivered at PRSA National Conference

·               Numerous articles and news releases for professional services firms with a distribution of local, state, national and international scope.

·               Numerous web sites.