Jim Gilmartin has emerged as one of America’s experts on marketing and selling to baby boomer and senior customers. In 1991, he established Chicago IL based Coming of Age, Incorporated as a full service integrated marketing/advertising firm focused upon helping clients capture and keep baby boomer and senior customers.

In addition to his knowledge of how to best capture and keps these customers, Jim brings to his engagements the experience of more than 25 years in business development leadership and marketing and sales leadership positions. Serving as CEO and COO of two companies, and as senior vice president for a Chicago-based international health care system, he provided leadership to position the system as a leading provider of services and products to baby boomer and senior customers.

Jim writes a column on marketing and sales to baby boomer and senior customers for several industry magazines and is the author of numerous articles. He is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and client on-site training programs.

Jim is a co-founder of The Society {for Ageless Marketing}, a national think-tank that meets twice a year to discuss the latest marketing and sales research and trends.

Jim conducts management educational programs at the University of Illinois at Chicago and marketing seminars for the University of Chicago. He served on the faculty of The Bank Administration Institute’s Graduate School of Retail Banking. Jim earned his B.S. and Masters Degree from the City University of New York.

David B. Wolfe is an internationally recognized consumer behavior expert. Author of Serving the Ageless Market (McGraw-Hill, 1990), released in Japanese in 1993, Wolfe has lectured in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Published in late 2004, David’s book, Ageless Marketing provides significant insights into the importance of baby boomer and senior customers to business, and how to master communications to this New Customer Majority. His new book, Firms of Endearment, is being published shortly.

David developed a marketing platform for connecting products in consumers’ minds with their root motivations. Root motivations are unconscious urgings to meet basic needs of safety, security, love and belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization that Abraham Maslow is famous for identifying. All conscious motivations tie back to these needs. Consumer research and marketing has long focused on conscious motivations. However, the fact that consumers often tell researchers one thing, but do something different in the marketplace indicates frequent disconnects between root and conscious motivations. These disconnects occur because, as recent brain research has shown, people normally do not have direct, conscious awareness of the roots of their behavior. His approach provides the blueprint for bridging these disconnects.

David’s approach has particular value in today’s markets. As boomers swell the ranks of older consumers, many traditional research and marketing practices will be swept away. This is because behavior becomes more autonomous in the second half of life. The numerical dominance of aging boomers will tend to promote increased autonomy in all consumer behavior. David’s position as a provocative and cutting-edge contributor to marketing is evident in the academic world where he has lectured at such universities as St. Louis University, Loyola College, University of New Hampshire and the University of Southern California. He has taught a course in his approach at George Mason University’s Executive MBA Program.

Chris Cantele has more than 18 years experience developing results-oriented advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing programs. Chris has received awards for strategic planning and marketing from Subway Restaurants, Chicago Association of Direct Marketing, Business Marketing Association and Mid-America Economic Development Council. He is a member of the World Entrepreneurs Organization and is actively involved in the Forum Group Program.

Chris oversees the management of our full-service agency specializing in multi-point consumer and business-to-business advertising and direct marketing. The agency handles everything from strategic marketing, creative development and media planning to print and broadcast production, sales promotion, research and more. The industry and the press have recognized his growth and excellence; The Business Ledger included him as one of DuPage County’s leading advertisers. He has won several Tempo Awards from the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing based on client results.

Susan Zimberoff, Creative Director with 18+ years experience developing response-driven creative programs. Susan is responsible for copywriting, creating sales promotions, overseeing design and managing print and broadcast production. She has significant experience working with clients including Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and the University of Chicago. Her experience in other industries includes Century Tile, Thomasville Home Furnishings, MotoPhoto, Jimmy John’s Worlds Greatest Gourmet Sandwich Shops, American Invsco, Metro Self Storage, Merlin Muffler and Brakes and a host of retail Automotive Clients.

Graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Susan received her Bachelor of Journalism degree with a major in advertising and marketing. She received her Masters of Science in Advertising Degree from Northwestern University –Medill School of Journalism.

Jonathan Lichter oversees the formation of media and market research plans, strategies and programs for clients. With over $175 million in annual media billings he supervises the negotiation of all major buys and establishment of strategic alliances with outside media companies. He is responsible for the creation and delivery of client product. Jon has more than 17 years of media research and planning experience. During his career, he has earned promotions to Associate Media Director, Vice President and Senior Vice President/Director of Media Operations. Jon is known industry-wide for his tactical and creative approaches to media research, planning and buying that always generate results. A graduate of Middlebury College, Jon earned degrees in Russian and Economics.

Doug Beaner has 20+ years advertising creative, design and production management experience. Doug excels at designing creative communications that bring sales increases for clients. He has considerable experience meeting the competitive branding challenges of advertising and marketing, including print advertising, pre-print, direct mail, photography, store signage programs, web and more. Doug earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with graphic design, illustration and studio art major from Western Washington University.

Mike Sedivy. For 30 years, Mike’s area of expertise is specialty marketing and advertising. His focus entails developing solid advertising and direct marketing programs for sales, service and special events. His philosophy is to do “whatever it takes”. Mike has been instrumental in creating several new types of direct mail approaches for clients. He oversees all specialty accounts for the agency.

LeJane Carson is a principal of Carson/Stoga Communications and a strategic alliance partner of Coming of Age, Incorporated. She has 16 years of experience in the marketing, public relations and advertising arena representing a broad array of clients, including Kellogg's Cereal City USA, Motorola Radio Products Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. She has extensive experience developing and managing direct mail campaigns for a host of clients including Wyndham Chicago and Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Moreover, she has significant experience handling crises with the media. Her experience includes handling all aspects of grand opening festivities of Wyndham Chicago, Wyndham's flagship property. She received Bachelor of Arts –Telecommunications from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Science - Broadcast Journalism, Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Susan Stoga is a principal of Carson/Stoga Communications and a strategic alliance partner of Coming of Age, Incorporated. She has 16 years integrated marketing and public relations experience in corporate and agency environments. Her expertise is in branding and developing integrated communication strategies to achieve sales and financial goals. She is well-versed in developing angles and programs that attract customers, business and trade media attention, and build brand awareness. She created integrated communication programs to stimulate sales for a multitude of retailers including those in the mass market, specialty and discount arena. Susan served as executive director - corporate communications for $450 million Enesco Corporation (NYSE: ENC), supervising in-house team responsible for media relations, investor and financial relations, web communications, copy, and publications and internal communications functions.

Michael P. Sullivan is a consultant and trainer specializing in sales to baby boomer and senior customers. A frequent public speaker, Mike has made presentations before literally 400,000 multi- industry sales professionals, including the Million Dollar Roundtable. In his book, The Excellent Investment Advisor, Nick Murray says, “Michael P. Sullivan…for my money has the best handle in America on sales/marketing to the aging.” Mike previously served as Vice President, Corporate Communications, First Union National Bank, Charlotte, NC. He has a journalism degree from the University of Detroit and an MBA from Wayne State University. He is a member of the National Speakers Association. He serves as Chairman, Council on Aging, Charlotte. Mike specializes in marketing and sales training for baby boomer and senior customers. A major emphasis of training programs is translating customer lifestyle changes into successful sales techniques.