bryan weidner

president & ceo

Bryan has spent more than 20 years discovering, defining and delivering innovative products and services that shifted the playing field and improved the human experience. He is passionate about the importance of applying human-centered innovation techniques; identifying and addressing costumer needs, wants and desires that lead to compelling new market solutions that are highly valued. He is an expert at blending strategy, marketing, design and technology to commercialize product and service innovations. Bryan has worked with clients across industries, including: Avon, The Pampered Chef, Corporate Express, Medco, Henry Schein, Time Warner, BofA, Chase, Citi, The Hartford, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Siemens. He has held strategic marketing and product leadership roles at Elavon, Firethorn (a qualcomm company), Witness Systems, S1, Metavante and Accenture, helping each of these companies shift the competitive playing field and extend their market leadership.

mark michelson

svp research

Mark has over 20 years experience as a marketing researcher. He is an expert with all forms of qualitative research with extensive experience in designing and conducting studies that explore behavior, emotions and sentiment. With training based on classic anthropology, sociology and psychology, Mark is adept at observing people and getting them to share their stories and point of view whether in focus groups or in-depth interviews, in person or online. He has extensive experience conducting qualitative research around the globe to help design customer experiences, products, packaging and communications for some of the worlds’ most respected brands including: Coca-Cola, Walmart Stores, Sears, Target Stores, General Motors, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung, Microsoft, GSK, Eli Lilly, Wrigley and more. In addition to being a renowned marketing consultant, Mark is the co-founder of two highly regarded industry trade associations including the Mystery Shopping Provider’s Association (MSPA) and the Mobile Marketing Research Association (MMRA). He also served on the board of directors of the Qualitative Research Consultant’s Association (QRCA) and is a frequent speaker at conferences, trade shows and universities around the globe.

brian heidsiek

svp design

Brian is internationally recognized for his design expertise with over 20 years experience in human-centered design and innovation.  He is an expert in user-centered design methodologies and design thinking techniques. His approach to design and innovation is centered on the importance of gaining deep insights into what people want and need in order to design meaningful and relevant products/solutions.  Brian has helped design product and service innovation for market leading companies within the Healthcare, Automotive, Consumer Products and Retail industries, including: Providence Health and Services, Johnson Controls, Newell Rubbermaid, Lowes, Moog Music and more. He has been active in the design community, participating in a number of industry associations and lecturing at the Art Center College of Design at California State University and within the University of Washington’s Industrial Design program.