Michele Nichols, President
Michele creates marketing programs that better serve our clients, because, as an owner and President, she understands the role marketing plays as part of the larger organization, and the pressures and realities of owning a business. Responsible for setting PLS direction and developing our capabilities in ways our clients value, she also acts as consultant to high tech leaders on defining winning B2B marketing strategies.
Michele has particular strength in developing strategy and managing change in small organizations. With an MBA and ten years experience in improving service delivery, she approaches challenges with practical tendencies and a "big picture" view. Areas of expertise include sustainability, organizational development, executive search, process improvement, precision manufacturing, printing and document/ knowledge management.
Experience:
- PLS, Inc. President, VP of Operations
- The Sharrow Group, Acting VP of Marketing
- Bristol Management Services, Operations Manager
- Benzigers, Inc., Front Line Manager
Education:
- M.B.A. St. John Fisher College
- B.A. Business Management
- State University of NY at Fredonia
John Veckerelli, VP
A diverse mix of experience, interests, and education underpins John's Yankee ingenuity of getting things done. With a focus on your company's big picture, John digs deep to seek the essence of your products, services and the markets you serve.
Serving as marketing strategy advisor, program manager, and business analyst, John creates and executes integrated marketing services that attract and engage your customers, on their terms.
In-depth B2B industry knowledge, emerging growth to Fortune 50: Manufacturing, Engineering & Professional Services, Software/Hardware, High Tech. B2B sales – direct & channel, customer engagement strategy, brand development, inbound marketing, workflow, supply chain.
Experience:
- PLS, Inc. VP Project Services
- Business & Sales Training Consultant
- Training & Operational - Project Mgr /Training Designer; Corporate Systems Trainer & Implementation Specialist
Education:
- BS Meteorology; Science Education Concentration, Lyndon State College
- Continuing technical education
Kara Fortuna, Creative Director
Kara Fortuna helps our customers communicate their unique value to their markets with forward-thinking and innovative designs. Skilled at creating presentations, logos, websites, web-based interfaces and hard-copy collateral, her forte is incorporating each customer's individual vision.
Kara is practical and customer-focused, creative in finding ways to reuse and adapt and customize materials maximize customers' budgets and meet challenging timelines. Kara is invested in learning our customers' businesses, and can understand complex ideas and offerings and portray them visually to all kinds of decision makers.
Experience:
- PLS, Inc., Creative Director, Illustrator/Sr. Graphic Designer
Education:
- B.F.A. Fine Arts, with a minor in Business Management, State University of NY at Fredonia
Beth Shope, Web Design Specialist
Beth builds websites that drive results, not just traffic. From design to user experience to search engine optimization, Beth brings clients practical advice and flawless execution. With a background in e-commerce sites for high-end B2B and B2C products, and in customer service and support.
Beth is able to build websites with a clear and compelling path to action, and support users at every step of the buying cycle. Her education in both Studio Art and Mathematics lets her approach a business problem from many angles. Specialties include videography, photography, search engine optimization, email marketing creation and ROI assessment, e-commerce, graphic design.
Experience:
- PLS, Inc., Web Design Specialist
- Salzman Group Inc., Web Designer/ Department Manager/ Project Manager/ Working Art Director
- Sutherland Group, Lead Cust. Service Representative
Education:
- B.A. Mathematics, with minor in Studio Art, SUNY Geneseo
Katie Steelman, Writer / Social Media Specialist
Katie uses her journalism background to create informative, engaging content that can be applied across various marketing channels. Her social media savvy allows her to tailor a unique online experience to each customer; whether they need something retweeted, liked or shared, Katie helps develop new ways for clients to attract and interact with customers. Katie prides herself on her attention to detail and is always striving to improve her work.
Experience:
- Cardinal Courier, St. John Fisher College, Editor-in-Chief
Education:
- B.A. Communication/Journalism and Spanish, minor in sociology, St. John Fisher College
Lou Horvath, VP Professional Services Registered Patent Agent
Lou Horvath has more than 25 years of product development experience in electronics, optics and imaging, automation and software. Lou's deep product knowledge in these industries allows him to write and manage product documentation that accelerates project completion.
His extensive knowlege adds to product value and builds intellectual property assets, as Lou is a Registered Patent Agent. His engineering expertise bridges the gap between corporate R&D clients and legal staffs to facilitate patent application and prosecution.
Experience:
- PLS, Inc. Registered Patent Agent, VP Professional Services, Creative Director
- Omnicad, Inc., Sr. Communications Specialist
- Harris Corporation, Tech. Writer
- Allen-Bradley Company, Tech. Writer
Education:
- M.A. Mathematics, SUNY Brockport
- B.A. English, LeMoyne College
- A.A.S. Electronic Engineering, LCC
- A.S. Computer Science, MCC
Dr. John Agostinelli, Registered Patent Agent
John Agostinelli brings more than 30 years experience in commercializing technology. From Eastman Kodak to independent consulting to R&D for startup medical device companies, John's breadth of work in optics, materials, electronic displays, devices and systems helps bridge the gap between Research, Legal and Marketing. John has worked with teams in Innovation, Research Management, and Intellectual Property, and works with the PLS team to identify IP, patent it, and bring it to market.
Experience:
- PLS, Inc. Registered Patent Agent
- SensiVida Medical Technologies, R&D
- JAConsulting, Principal
- Eastman Kodak Company, Research Fellow
Education:
- PhD Optics, University of Rochester
Jenny Beacham, Accounting Intern
Jenny provides bookkeeping and finance support to the PLS team. Her customer service skills, technical proficiency, and analytical approach to problems help her effectively manage accounts and positively contribute to the company’s financial health.
Jenny will graduate from St. John Fisher College with a B.S. in Accounting in May 2013, and she is already on her way to completing her M.B.A. by May 2014. Upon graduation she hopes to work in tax service for a Big Four accounting firm.
Sheila Hosenfeld, Senior Advisor Business & Marketing
With over 40 years of broad business, technical and marketing experience, Sheila consults on business challenges such as product/service management, product launch and specialized training issues. She is particularly skilled in helping companies integrate their existing knowledge and materials into richer, more focused and flexible solutions.
For one company, she has led over 50 different training and product launch projects, each one of them building upon prior materials without sacrificing its own unique value proposition. For other customers, she has established support relationships that make it easy for them to adapt their own materials while calling on PLS for specialized support and focused business suggestions. In many cases, she has developed approaches for improving the actual product/services a company delivers to its own customers.
Sheila's expertise and viewpoint is an excellent resource for PLS projects of every type. She has substantial industry knowledge in printing, optics and imaging, engineering, manufacturing, finance and software.
Experience:
- PLS, Inc., Co-Founder
- Omnicad Corporation, Director of Marketing and Training
- Instamation, Co-Founder and President
- Information Associates, Manager of Training Services; Data Center Manager ; VP Commercial Project Services; VP Planning and Strategy
- IBM, Systems Engineer; Advisory Field Training Specialist; Advisory Account Representative
Education:
- B.A. Economics, Albertus Magnus College
- Continuing technical education