About Me

I was born and raised in Farmington, Minnesota, a southern suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul, attending Farmington High School and Brown College/Minneapolis.

Entrepreneurialism is in my blood. My great grandfather was a pioneer dry goods merchant who evolved his business into what became a 3-generation regional furniture store (Gephart Furniture, Lakeville MN).

As an entrepreneur during high school, I launched a record store with friends. My love of music took me into radio broadcasting, completing the broadcasting course at Brown Institute/Minneapolis.  I worked seven years as an on-air talent.

Realizing I had a passion for the business side of media, I transitioned into sales, earning the top biller award in my second year. I have learned from the very best business trainers/educators in the US:  Tom Hopkins, Don Beveridge, Tom Peters, Al Reis, Tony Robbins, Lou Tice, Charlie Menzies, Gerry Tabio, Chris Lytle, Jim Williams, and many others.

Selling and executing 1000s of radio, TV, and OOH campaigns while working for very small independent, regional, and large national media companies, my career evolved into sales management, general management and ultimately a senior account executive with Clear Channel Communications in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

I worked eight years for the radio division of Clear Channel (now IHeart Radio) and 15 years in the out of home unit of Clear Channel.

My accomplishments while at Clear Channel (IHeart):

• Earned the Presidents Club Award two consecutive years (among a staff of sixty-two sales reps).
• Enlisted to help lead the radio/OOH cross selling initiative.
• Recruited for the I-Team of select reps that sold across all brands.
• Earned the Rocky’s Ring distinction (Presidents Club) at Clear Channel Outdoor.
• Consistently the top NEW BUSINESS sales rep of the Clear Channel Outdoor MSP team.
• Selected to participate in the mentoring program with Clear Channel Outdoor corporate.

Chronology of my experience:

• Jan 2021 – Present
  • OOH consultant, trainer, mentor, partner, and sales column contributor/author at BillboardInsider.com
  • I consult/train/mentor OOH companies and sales reps on how to sell more faster. I also contribute relevant sales advice columns in BillboardInsider.com drawn from over 37+ years in media sales (radio, TV and OOH), 12 of them most recently in the OOH industry.
• Dec 2000 thru Dec 2021
  • Clear Channel Communications (7 MSP Radio stations and OOH division)
  • Senior Account Executive.
  • Helped clients improve return on their advertising investment in an ever-changing media marketplace by designing and executing effective, turn-key advertising programs.
• Mar 1995 thru Dec 2000
  • WCCO Radio, Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN (CBS Radio)
  • Local Sales Manager/Non-Traditional Sales Manager
  • Was responsible for driving local sales, (including agency, local-direct, and non-traditional revenue) while recruiting, training, and mentoring sales reps.
• Apr 1990 thru Mar 1995
  • WLAX-(Fox) TV/WEUX-(Fox) TV, LaCrosse/Eau Claire WI (Aries Communications)
  • Sales Manager
  • I grew revenue while rebuilding the sales force, creating company-wide sales training, and exceeding sales budgets.
• Feb 1986 thru Apr 1990
  • WLXR-FM/WLFN-AM Radio, LaCrosse, WI (Vaughn Broadcasting Group)
  • Was responsible for growing the ratings and profitability of WLXR-FM and WLFN-AM. Also helped manage the other two Vaughn Midwest radio markets.
• May 1977 thru Feb 1986
  • WIZM AM & FM, LaCrosse, WI/Midwest Family Radio
  • Program Director/Sales Account executive
  • Built the stations to be #1 and #2 contemporary stations in the market. Recruited, trained, and mentored many radio professionals that are still succeeding in the business today.

I currently reside in Saint Paul, MN, with my wife, Deb. We have five children Robert, Michael, Megan, Brian, and Kathryn and have eight grandchildren: Cole, Sophia, Ariana, Cecilia, Lillian, Emmilynne, Penelope, and Eleanor.

My passion and experience make me well positioned to help OOH companies and reps sell more, faster. I am a co-creator of company-wide and individual rep sales growth through partnering, consulting, and mentoring.

Currently, in addition to sales consulting and training, I am contributing relevant topical sales advice columns in BillboardInsider.com and I am featured in Faces Of Outdoor.