THE ACADEMY OF BUSINESS STRATEGY - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
MICHAEL WALKER (EGP) MBA BSS
EXECUTIVE GLOBAL PARTNER (EGP)
RELATED LINKS
Michael Walker- Certified Business Specialist (CBS) professional articles
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: Cleveland OH (United States of America)
HISTORY
Ohio is commonly referred to as the Buckeye State. The French controlled Ohio until the French and Indian war, or The Seven Years War as it was known in Europe, which ended with The Treaty of Paris in 1754 when the French ceded control of the territory to Great Britain. After the American Revolution a new Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, and Great Britain ceded all control of the Ohio Territory to the United States. Once part of the Northwest Territory, Ohio became a state in 1803. Fur trading, primarily beaver, was the Northwest Territory’s primary industry in the 1700s. Farming was a mainstay for Ohioans in the 1800s, and coal mining also supported many of the immigrants looking to settle in Ohio. Ohio’s five largest ancestry groups, as of 2007, are: German – 29.9%, Irish – 14.8%, English – 10.1%, Polish – 8.4%, Italian – 6.4%. Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 that created the Northwest Territory, slavery was not permitted, nor was slavery ever legal in Ohio. In fact, Ohio has the distinction of being the birthplace of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a route of safe houses across Ohio that where used by runaway slaves as they made their way to Canada or Mexico. The Civil War brought an end to slavery in the United States and it brought Ohio into the Industrial Revolution. Steel manufacturing was an important product for Ohio during the Industrial Revolution, and remains a major industry for Ohio to this day. Ohio is also known as the birthplace of aviation, because the Wright brothers, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong are from Ohio.
CURRENT POSITION
Today Ohio is a leading production center with strong manufacturing capability in the following major industries: polymers, automotive, steel and metal production. Ohio, particularly Northeast Ohio, has an excellent technology base of workers and companies working in: fuel cells, wireless technology, plastics & rubber, liquid crystals, and aerospace, to name a few. Northeast Ohio is also home to the world-famous Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and Akron Children’s Hospital. A major center for Biomed/Biotech research, Northeast Ohio has the fifth largest concentration of medical facilities in the U.S. Ohio’s service sector has two large banking groups headquartered in NE Ohio, and strong representation from twelve others. Across Ohio there are 100 trucking firms, 30 steamship companies, two international airports, and foreign trade zones. Ohio is within 800 kilometers (500 miles) proximity to major markets from Canada to Atlanta, Georgia.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Northeast Ohio’s future has been affected by the current recession. Ohio breaks down the state into 12 Economic Development Regions. The unemployment rates for these regions range from 8.3% in region 1 (Central Ohio) to 13.5% in region 12 (Northeast Ohio). The overall labor trend in Ohio follows the Nation’s labor trend, inasmuch as employment is shifting away from manufacturing and steel towards services-oriented jobs. Ohio has a new medical mart and convention center scheduled to open in Cleveland, Ohio by 2013. The medical mart and convention center are estimated to draw an additional 200,000 visitors a year to Northeast Ohio and generate more than $700 million in revenue. On November 3rd Ohio voters passed issue 3 (also known as the four casinos initiative) allowing casinos to be built in these four Ohio cities: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. Ohio has a highly skilled, ethnically diverse workforce that is rated as one of the most productive in the United States. The cost of living in Northeast Ohio makes it one of the most affordable areas in the United States. Moreover, Ohio is home to 200 companies that are wholly or partially owned by foreign companies representing 23 countries, and Ohio is the 6th largest exporter state in the United States. Northeast Ohio is open for business!
PERSONAL DETAILS:
Michael Walker
Global Partner status (Associate – Executive – Senior): Executive
Country of registration: United States of America
City of registration: Cleveland OH
SERVICE SKILLS:
Project Management
Online Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Paid Search Advertising
Website Design & Maintenance
Asset Recovery; PP&E
Purchasing
Media Buying
Sales Development
B2B / B2C Sales
INDUSTRY SECTOR EXPERIENCE:
Internet
Online Marketing
Search Engine Marketing SEO
Hyperlink Strategy
Home Improvement
Consulting
B2B and B2C
Capital Equipment
Video Production
Automotive
QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT:
BBS Marketing – Kent State University
MBA – Regis University
IMMS – Full Sail University
CLIENTS OR EMPLOYERS:
IPA/IBA
Pro Data Systems, Akron, Ohio
iMALL
Ohio Internet Marketing Group
Ralston Purina
Union Carbide
LTV Steel
Steiner Financial Corporation – San Franciso, Ca
Trackmobile
Erie Construction Midwest
LANGUAGES
English
PERSONAL PROFILE:
Early in my career I started a used capital equipment company with $500.00 and built it to $950K in sales- in two years. I positioned my company with the asset recovery departments of many of the major fortune 500 companies as a buyer of their used capital equipment. Additionally, I developed a computer registry of my inventory, and the inventories of several friendly competitors with whom I worked, on a regular basis. My goal was to lead the supply chain by pooling these inventories and publishing their whereabouts for other small, regional dealers to access and share. As a supply chain leader, I developed a business strategy to co-op equipment dealers into one large, coast-to-coast material handling marketing group where small regional used equipment dealers could pool their capital, identify additional inventory for resale and, more importantly, identify new packages of quality used equipment as they became available for sale from their regional asset recovery divisions in their respective cities. I worked on this project from 1980 through 1993. I was introduced to the Internet in 1995 while attending college. I saw the potential of the Internet to further level the playing field for small regional businesses. I launched Luminaries Design to further help other small businesses exploit Internet technology. As the owner of Luminaries Design, I bought and sold disk space on iMALL servers. iMALL was ranked 2nd behind QVC home shopping network. Based on market demand for sales training in this new field, I created, designed and delivered a “how-to-sell Internet disk space” sales workshop. I also designed, published, maintained and managed over 100 Websites from 1995 until 1999. As the Director of Operations for Pro-Data Systems; I had the opportunity to manage the start-up, production and delivery of the patented FuelProof vehicle control device. I relied on salesmanship, administrative skill, creativity, communication and demonstration skills to create, then deliver, the sales presentation to a group of Akron businessmen, who provided Pro-Data’s owners the $2Million in financing they needed to manufacture their patented FuelProof vehicle-control device. As Director of Operations for Pro Data Systems I informed the President of the company that a problem in the programming of the microprocessor had developed. I additionally recommended that we have a backup redesign of the circuit board, utilizing another microprocessor and distributor. Eight weeks after I first heard of a potential programming problem, our supplier of the original microprocessor informed us that they would not be able to meet our demand because they were seeing potential problems with programming the chip. During the preceding eight weeks, however, I had ordered our programmers to redesign the circuit board to accommodate a more common microprocessor. This foresight minimized Pro Data’s losses. Additionally, Pro Data Systems was able to fill their preliminary order for 100,000 Fuelproof devices. Most recently, I have worked as a Senior Area Manager for a major consulting company with annual revenue of $250 million. My responsibilities involved B2B direct marketing and selling of business development services to C-level business executives, owners and presidents. I will complete my advanced training in Internet Marketing in August 2011. My goal is to combine my business experience and formal training and to help my clients exploit Internet technology to become market leaders in the 21st century. I will design, market and manage search-engine friendly Websites that generate leads, close sales, and improve relationships. I am happily married to Jane, after 28 years, and we have six children. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Kent State University, 1999, a Master’s in Business Administration from Regis University, 2004; and an Internet Marketing Master of Science Degree from Full Sail University, 2011.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Akron, Ohio, United States
Global Partner preferred location
City: Cleveland OH
Country: United States of America
CONTACT
To contact Michael Walker (EGP), please forward an email to the Academy of Business Strategy.
RELATED LINKS
Michael Walker- Certified Business Specialist (CBS) professional articles
