Consulting: Jobs Landed

Upon moving from Traverse City to Williamston in 1994, my preconceived notions of the Lansing area were quickly replaced with the reality of a strong and resilient community capable of reinventing the economy of this amazing state. I have enjoyed the time I've spent learning of the many ways our economy can grow and prosper.

Through positions in fields from municipal to non-profit, development to implementation, sales to support, and everywhere in between, I have found Michigan's natural resources to be, not only the soul of the state, but the light at the end of the tunnel. Michigan is full of wonder and adventure and all of the things that make it so require protection. It was with this thought in mind, that I accepted my new position supporting the efforts of the extraordinary team of professionals that comprise Michigan Saves and Better Buildings for Michigan.

Both programs promote energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements by developing exciting and progressive ways in which to push the market. I enjoy utilizing my skills to overcome the many challenges involved in collecting and maintaining the data that results from thousands of in-home installations. It was a curiosity of the new that sparked my interest and a found knowledge of sustainability that maintains it. I love being part of the solution!

In this role, I will support and grow the company’s relationships with state and local agencies throughout Michigan. I bring over 23 years of experience in the Information Technology industry, supporting Manufacturing, Financial and Public Sector clients. For the last ten years, I have been focused exclusively on government clients including the State of Michigan, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, City of Milwaukee, and several Michigan local governments under the MiDeal program. Internationally I led the Y2K Remediation Project for GM do Brasil in Rio de Janerio. Additionally, I serve as a member of the State of Michigan Children’s Trust Fund Advisory Committee, which I joined in 2007.

In a nutshell, my company specializes in a plethora of environmental services primarily involved in evaluating the environmental condition of real estate on behalf of its clients. Being a part of an environmental consulting firm, my work load is split primarily into investigative field work and report preparation in the office. I absolutely love the diversity of the job. Every week is something new and seldom am I required to be cooped up in an office for more than a day or two at a time.  In the short time that I have been with Triterra I have had the opportunity to travel all over the state of Michigan while performing and completing Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), Phase II ESAs, Baseline Environmental Assessments (BEAs), and Due Care plans. Other work includes Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) investigations, tank removals, remedial soil excavations, soil borings, soil/groundwater analysis, free product monitoring, mold and asbestos inspections, and wetland/natural resource remediation projects.  Thus far I couldn’t have asked for something more fitting to my personality and professional specializations as the work I conduct at Triterra!

Growing up in Mason, MI and with my future wife growing up in Brighton we wanted to live in mid-Michigan, so I began searching for jobs/internships in the mid-Michigan area.  I began my career at NTH Consultants, Ltd. (NTH) as a summer intern with the Brownfield Redevelopment Group in 2001.  NTH is a full-service engineering firm covering all aspects of geotechnical environmental and facilities engineering and as an intern I worked on Brownfield remediation projects, geotechnical projects and construction quality assurance projects.  After completing my master’s program in Indiana, I started full-time with Brownfield Redevelopment Group at NTH.  

Work life at NTH is never boring, which is why I enjoy working here.  NTH’s clients continually provide interesting projects to work on and problems to solve.  Some of the projects that I have worked on include: the Ottawa Street Power Station Redevelopment, Stadium District Redevelopment, Lugnuts Stadium Redevelopment, and the Detroit River International Crossing. 

After teaching High School for ten years, I worked at both Citadel Broadcasting selling radio advertising, and WILX TV selling television advertising.  Through these experiences, I got to know a lot of business owners and community leaders, while gaining an understanding of the Lansing market and what it has to offer for advertisers.  

After leaving WILX TV, I was working as an independent marketing consultant, when a friend suggested that I read the book Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah.  Reading that book totally changed my perspective on the advertising and promotion market.  It outlines the shift in the way that people are consuming and using information, including advertising.   As a result of this, I became obsessed with Social Media and its implications for marketers.  So I started subscribing to blogs, reading more books on the topic, following leaders in the industry, and finally took a course to earn my Social Media Specialist Certification, and formed UZoom Media LLC in May of this year.

I have taken what I think is a very practical approach to Social Media consulting.  When we meet with clients, we spend a lot of time drilling down to figure out why a company wants to use social media in the first place.  We help them really define their business and marketing goals, and then form a strategy to use Social Media tools to help them further those goals.  It is so much more than just setting them up on Facebook and Twitter.  We formulate a strategy, help define an implementation schedule, provide training, and track their success with defined metrics.

My clients have expressed that they like working with me because I have traditional marketing experience, but also have fresh ideas regarding Social Media and marketing, and the knowledge to implement them.  I’ve been told that I “bridge the gap” between the old and the new.

I love my job because it is new and exciting each and every day.  I get to meet new people and learn about all kinds of different business models from my clients.  And of course, Social Media changes constantly, so it’s a fun challenge to keep up with it.

Follow me on Twitter @annecraft06

As a consultant, I work directly with large clients to find ways of utilizing digital media and leveraging digital tools to increase their baseline performance, messaging, and brand recognition. While my primary focus is on the use of social media and viral applications, I also manage PPC campaigns, on-site and back-end SEO, and user-experience and design on a daily basis.