Prior to working with CXT, Steve was a founding partner at Stellus Consulting, a Minneapolis firm that helped business-to-consumer and business-to-business clients grow through business strategy and brand strategy development including new product development. His role included leading the consumer insights practice (directing, designing, and conducting quantitative and qualitative research including focus group and one on-one moderating).

As a consultant, Steve has worked with leading companies and brands, developing business and brand strategies, and conducting research in health care, consumer electronics and media, multiple categories of consumer food, financial services, retail, professional sports, identity protection, sporting goods, insurance, cable television, telecommunications, large equipment manufacturing and non-profits. He has conducted research in all phases of new product development including exploratory qualitative research, concept evaluation, volume estimation and post-launch tracking.

Steve spent the early part of his career at the Pillsbury Company (then a business of Diageo PLC, a London based manufacturer and distributor of leading food and beverage brands). As Director of Strategic Brand Development, he led worldwide brand building efforts for the Häagen-Dazs, Pillsbury, Green Giant and Old El Paso megabrands. He was responsible for creating global best practices in marketing and research for new product development.

As the Global Brand Director for Häagen-Dazs Steve chaired the Häagen-Dazs Worldwide Leadership Team and led a multi-market package redesign, the company’s first such effort. As Global Brand Director for the Pillsbury brand, he led creation of the Pillsbury brand vision by developing the first comprehensive evaluation of how consumers view the brand across categories.

As Marketing Research Director for the company’s largest division, Pillsbury brands, Steve had responsibility for all consumer and sales research including all phases of new product development for brands encompassing the diverse businesses of refrigerated baked goods, dessert mixes and breakfast. He was the first to implement Nielsen marketing mix modelling at Pillsbury, providing direction for marketing and promotion plans that resulted in volume and profit growth.

Steve is a native of the Chicago area who now lives in the Twin Cities. He has a BBA from the Tippie School of Business at the University of Iowa and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.