Case Studies

I have provided services, planning and advice to a wide variety of individuals, businesses and organizations, in different areas and locales.  Some of these clients go back twenty years! 

Morro Bay North Embarcadero Waterfront (NEW) Futures Committee 

In 2005-2006, I participated in an ad hoc citizen's committee to find alternatives for the site of the then Duke Morro Bay Power Plant following the publication of my Viewpoint piece in the San Luis Obispo Tribune advocating an arts and cultures center for the Central Coast at that location. 

Subsequent to the publication of my article, a public meeting was held with over 200 citizens expressing support and/or alternatives to my plan in what was widely hailed as a substantial outpouring of public interest in policy affairs.  At the invitation of Morro Bay Mayor Janice Peters and the City Council, I offered a substantial analysis of the various local threads which can come together in support of a well-designed hub on the Central Coast offering a regional wine and food zone, featuring pedestrian-friendly shopping, tourism and the arts -- the kind of development that is a destination in and of itself.  

I emphasized that such a project would benefit not only the whole of Morro Bay, but other parts of the county as well.  I also advocated the incorporation of a technology and arts component as it has been noted in a number of SLO county economic forecasts that the area still lacks a sufficiently committed stance to digital technology and growth in the area.  Finally, I also suggested that a solar technology component would retain the industrial benefits of a power plant and honor the community roots, while looking to the future in a sustainable and practical manner. 

My extensive 11 page analysis was published in full in a special appendix to the final report of the later body, the Morro Bay North Embarcadero Waterfront (NEW) Futures Committee.

 
Silk Skyway Ltd. LLC

This international joint venture brought together American, Korean, Japanese and Chinese partners in an historic effort to secure the world's second largest silk factory in Sichuan province as part of China's controlled privatization efforts in the late 90's. 

For nearly three years, I created marketing materials, secured investors, found strategic partners and served on the Board of Directors while the company experienced the usual highs and lows of any ambitious start up in the international marketplace. 

With a patented technology that made silk a stain resistant, washable fabric and a creative team headed by Austrian designer Klaus Hoeller, I spearheaded efforts to bring the new fabric technology to the market.

Despite challenges, Silk Skyway Ltd LLC did receive press coverage from the Los Angeles Times, produced several season's worth of menswear, and attracted substantial interest in a multi-million dollar investment from major international partners until the 1997 Asian financial crisis caused the company to finally close its doors.


Muse [X] Editions, Los Angeles 

In 1995, I was retained as a consultant to assist digital entrepreneur and President Randall Green establish a brand, marketing team and public relations campaign for the launch of his fine art publishing company, which ultimately became Muse [X] Editions. 

For nearly a year, I was intimately involved in the company's critical expansion into the top tier of the fine art market and found strategic partner Jane Hart to act as Director. 

As part of my contract to establish the brand and public relations campaign for this fledgling enterprise,  was retained as a consultant to assist digital entrepreneur and President Randall Green establish a brand, marketing team and public relations campaign for the launch of his fine art publishing company, which ultimately became Muse [X] Editions.  For nearly a year, I was intimately involved in the company's critical expansion into the top tier of the fine art market and found strategic partner Jane Hart to act as Director.  As part of my contract to establish the brand and public relations campaign for this fledgling enterprise, I named the company and assisted with its visual identity, wrote all marketing texts, prepared extensive materials explaining the then new process of giclee printing and secured prestigious placement of articles in publications such as the Los Angeles Times and Wired Magazine, among others. 

Until a merger in 2002, the company continued to produce exquisite editions with such art world luminaries as Art Club 2000, John Baldessari, Bill Barminski, Uta Barth, Fred Fehlau, Erika Rothenberg, Jennifer Steinkamp, Pae White, Andrea Zittel and many more. Many of the company's fine art publications are now in the collections of institutions around the world including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Tate Gallery, London, the Denver Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Portland Art Museum, the Miami Art Museum, the New York Public Library, and the Harvard Library Collection among others. 


Absolut Los Angeles Biennial Invitational 1995 & 1997

I initially came aboard as a volunteer but later was retained to act as press liaison and publicity manager for the second Absolut Los Angeles Biennial Invitational, a six week city wide arts event featuring 50 galleries with guest exhibitions from a dozen countries. 

Enlisting the consulates and cultural attachés to participate as strategic partners and host special events was one of my major contributions to the success of this significant international art extravaganza which continues to be a highlight of the global cultural calendar. 

Creating and coordinating all press materials, I secured over thirty pieces of press coverage in multiple languages for the event, and was subsequently retained to coordinate the press for the following biennial as well.