THE THOMPSON GROUP – Walnut Creek, California 1991 - Present
A strategic marketing and customer retention based, full-service marketing firm
Principal and Founder
Responsible for:
Managing the consultancy, itself, and providing client services to emerging, mid-size and Fortune 1000 companies involved in franchising, environmental services, waste management, insurance, software, high-technology, coating technologies, high-frequency communications, real estate, commercial printing, human resources, retailing and charitable causes. Representative clients have included Winstar Communications; Norcal Waste Systems; ServiceMaster Corporation; Bank of America; Fidelity Financial and Chicago Title; Farran Technology, Ireland; Advisory Services, Inc.: Insight Recruiting; National Holistic Institute; Action Magic Software; Warrantech Corporation and The Home Depot.

The Thompson Group also owns and operates two online subsidiaries. WalkThroughOnline.com, a web-based provider of audio-enhanced tours for the real estate and hospitality industries, and PersuasionPlusSelling.com, a web-based provider of communications skills training.

SERVICEMASTER – AMERICAN HOME SHIELD – Santa Rosa, CA 1986 - 1991
The nation’s largest provider of home warranties
Vice President, Marketing
Responsible for:
Marketing the nation’s largest provider of home service contracts, building business relationships with more than 25,000 real estate firms, 6000 service contractors and more than 200,000 homeowners; the research, development and launch of all products; the managing of all sales training and national sales meetings; serving on the ServiceMaster National Executive Committee; as president of the National Home Warranty Association and as public relations chairman of the California Home Warranty Association; re-structured a 200+ person sales and marketing team; cut a five-level organization to a three-levels; reduced annual expenses by $1.5 million while improving performance; designed and fielded a company-wide sales training program featuring benefit selling; captured exclusive relationships with regional and national real estate firms such as Coldwell Banker, Prudential; captured twice the market share of the next three competitors combined while growing sales by 25% annually; improved customer retention by 30% and expanded operations into 15 new states.

INVESTMENT MORTGAGE INTERNATIONAL, INC. – San Francisco, CA 1983 - 1986
Commercial Real Estate Financing and Franchising
Senior Vice President, Franchising & Marketing
Responsible for:
Directing franchising, training, sales and marketing of the franchised branches for the international mortgage banking company that originated $1.8 billion in financing annually; working among real estate developers, banks, savings & loan institutions and insurance companies to promote the company; doubling franchise units in the first year leading a 15-person division having a $6 million annual budget; and managing key promotional events and business meetings for the company and its USFL football franchise, The LA Express with quarterback Steve Young, subsequently of San Francisco 49’ers fame.

ADIA SERVICES, INC. – Menlo Park, CA 1982 - 1983
An international personnel services firm, now named Adecco, the world’s largest staffing company
Vice President & Director of Franchising
Responsible for:
Leading the company’s nationwide franchising division encompassing 45 offices; recruiting the largest franchised offices in the company system after totally redesigning the franchise offering; establishing a national organization of franchisees fostering franchise owner participation in advertising and other policies and enhancing franchisee retention.

RED CARPET CORPORATION OF AMERICA – Walnut Creek, CA 1976 - 1982
The nation’s first real estate franchise
Vice President, National Franchise Development - '76-'81
Vice President, Marketing - '81-'82
Responsible for:
Leading the company’s nationwide franchising and master franchising program - adding more than 1200 offices to the system’s original 400; recruiting and training a 45-member national sales team in record time after authoring the company’s franchise sales plan; doubling the franchise system’s size and geographic scope to the point where it sold a home every 5 minutes representing over $2.5 billion in annual sales; designing and launching a "dividend" franchise purchase program for existing franchise owners that resulted in 600 additional franchise units in 120 days.

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS CORPORATION – Long Beach, CA 1972 - 1976
A theme shopping, dining, and retail commercial real estate company - The Queen Mary Ocean Liner complex – Long Beach, CA; Ports O’ Call Center – San Pedro, CA: Jack London Village, Oakland, CA; Port Center Village, Portland, OR
Vice President and General Manager
Responsible for:
Managing operations, marketing, government relations, property development, leasing and maintenance for four major west coast theme shopping, dining and entertainment attractions having more than 1600 employees, 300 shops and 9 major restaurants serving over 6.5 million people annually; authoring an employee suggestion/reward program instrumental in major cost savings and annual incentive awards of $300 thousand representing 10 percent of total cost savings; increasing overall sales, revenues, and profits by 34 percent at the four managed units; selling over 60 major film and television uses of The Queen Mary site, including the Poseidon Adventure, Gumball Rally and Dick Clark’s "Rocking New Year’s Eve series; conceiving of and implementing a plan resulting in the ultimate sale of The Queen Mary attraction.

ATLANTIC RESEARCH – CELESCO INDUSTRIES – Costa Mesa, CA 1970 - 1972
An aerospace and marine systems design and construction company
Marketing & Programs Manager
Responsible for:
Marketing and program management of sophisticated marine systems and special warfare defense programs with sales exceeding $30 million annually; managing programs so they met required time schedules and stayed on or under budgets; developing far-advanced designs for the Navy amphibious landing craft in use today; setting records for U.S. Navy special surface craft high performance; salvaging an initially faltering program to design and construct the worlds then-largest and fastest high-speed fiberglass boats to simulate sophisticated enemy targets for the U.S. Navy and profitably producing fifty-five of this still-operating design.

MILITARY SERVICE:
UNITED STATES NAVY – Special Warfare Forces – Coronado, CA & Viet Nam 1965 - 1970
Lieutenant
Responsible for:
Leading special warfare operations with Navy SEAL Teams; halving the design, construction and test times required for the complex, urgent development of three classes of high-speed special warfare craft for SEAL Team support in combat and personally introducing these craft into Viet Nam action; leading a group of brave men who were instrumental in our unit receiving the Presidential Unit Citation and the Presidential Meritorious Unit Citation for excellence in combat; personally being awarded the Bronze Star for combat bravery, two Navy Achievement Medals in combat, The Republic of Viet Nam Training Service Honor Medal and other commendations.

EDUCATION:

WILLIAM & MARY COLLEGE – OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY – Virginia 1959 – 1963
· Bachelor of Arts, English & Communications
· Bachelor of Science, Psychology

NAVAL OFFICER SCHOOL – Newport, Rhode Island

PORTER NOVELLI MEDIA – San Francisco, CA
· Executive Training; television, radio and press relations

REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE MANAGEMENT – San Francisco, CA
· Instructor Qualified

ORGANIZATIONAL DIRECTIONS – San Diego, CA
· Team dynamics and management techniques

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS – San Francisco, CA
· Instructor Qualified

ZENGER-MILLER LEADERSHIP TRAINING – San Francisco, CA
· Executive leadership skills

FIRST MANAGER SKILLS – Menlo Park, CA
· Author of the program

ADVANCED PERSUASION SKILLS – Walnut Creek, CA and Online
· Author of the program PersuasionPlus^tm Selling