I love it when a plan comes together.
While any day is a good day to quote “The A-Team,” Hannibal Smith’s catch phrase feels particularly appropriate as we announce our newest A-Team member – and as I reflect on Big Valley’s journey over the past four and a half years.
As most of you know, talent is the lifeblood of any consultancy. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of great people over the years, and it’s particularly gratifying when you get to re-unite with some of your favorite co-workers. That’s been a key to Big Valley’s evolution so far – and I deeply appreciate the faith and talents of old friends Christine Kerst, Inga Starrett, David Bailey and Lauren Ames who have joined me on this journey, as well as new friends Jessica Presto, Charlie Cooper and Cathy Summers.
Today, I’m excited to announce the newest re-connection to join Big Valley: Dave Nieland.
Dave joins with 29 years of experience from Weber Shandwick, BSMG Worldwide and Temerlin McClain. Well known and admired for his client partnership skills and results orientation, Dave specializes in managing multi-channel programs that drive a client’s business forward. He was most recently Executive VP at Weber Shandwick, where he was a key leader in the firm’s global technology practice (and worked with me and Inga for several years). He is a skilled consultant on corporate reputation, branding/messaging, executive visibility, crisis communications, global programs and integrated media campaigns – and he has conducted spokesperson training for more than 1,000 individuals over 20 years.
In many ways, Dave is the consummate “client partner” – and he will both fulfill that role for us as our first dedicated Client Partner, and he will help us define and build our Client Partner program, so we can provide valuable client leadership and consistent client service to the world’s top technology companies.
Adding Dave to the Big Valley team also doubles down on our deep experience in B2B technology. Dave has done stand-out work in cybersecurity, internet infrastructure, IT services, enterprise software, semiconductors, telecom/wireless, as well as vertical markets including healthcare, life sciences, energy, public sector, financial services, retail, entertainment, manufacturing and supply chain. Clients have included blue-chip technology companies and startups, including ARRIS, BEA Systems, Dell, Entrust Datacard, Ericsson, Freescale, Handango, Hitachi, i2 Technologies, LifeSize, Microsoft, Motorola, NTT DATA, Planview, Sabre, Sprint, Symantec, Terremark, Texas Instruments, Unisys, Verisign, Verizon, and the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum.
Beyond adding new talent, Dave’s arrival feels like the culmination of a hard-fought startup journey with plenty of successes, failures and pivots along the way. Back in January 2014, I started Big Valley with a vision to build the next great consultancy, re-define how marketing and communications services are delivered, and bring the “Valley” back to Silicon Valley marketing. In the early days, the gap between that vision and our ability to deliver was daunting – and clients tended to focus on me as the lead (or only) consultant.
Now we’ve built out a strong team, including dedicated client leaders and talented specialists in strategy, positioning, analytics, story crafting, content marketing and influencer marketing. We’ve also refined our vision and delivery model to help clients build their “new playbook” for tech marketing and communications. And most importantly, we’ve had the opportunity to do valuable work over time, including retainer and project engagements with Symantec, Bain Capital Ventures, Sitecore, FourKites, Veeva Systems, BMC Software, Aricent, Uber, Ruckus Wireless, SnapLogic, Reonomy, ThinkHR and others.
Thanks to all our clients, contractors and friends for helping us get to this point. We’re ready to kick it up a few notches.
