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Susan Bladholm
Founder & President at Friends of Frog Ferry
Professional Background
Susan Bladholm is a dynamic and innovative leader with over 30 years of experience in various sectors such as maritime trade, aviation, and community-based transportation initiatives. Her multifaceted career has been distinguished by her commitment to driving substantial change and fostering community engagement. At the helm of several notable organizations, Susan has a proven track record of developing and executing strategic marketing and communication plans that resonate with diverse audiences. Susan is notably the founder and president of Friends of Frog Ferry, an organization she established in 2017, aiming to activate the Columbia and Willamette rivers as viable alternative transportation options.
Throughout her extensive career, Susan has held prominent positions that showcase her versatility and expertise. She served as the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Erickson Incorporated, where she was responsible for leading marketing strategies in the helicopter manufacturing and operations sector. Her strategic insights also shaped her role as the Vice President of Marketing at Greater Portland Inc, and her leadership was invaluable as the Director of Corporate Marketing at the Port of Portland. Each of these roles has been pivotal in enhancing the visibility and engagement of their respective organizations.
In addition to her corporate expertise, Susan has played a critical role in the nonprofit sector, particularly through her involvement with Cycle Oregon. As the Founder, Executive Director, and Vice President of Marketing at this well-regarded organization, she was instrumental in promoting bicycle tourism and advocating for cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. Her ability to galvanize community support and drive initiatives forward is a testament to her exceptional leadership abilities.
Education and Achievements
Susan Bladholm holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Puget Sound, which provided her with a strong foundation in communication and critical thinking skills. Her educational background, coupled with her hands-on experience, has equipped her with the knowledge and tools necessary to excel in her diverse roles throughout her career.
Her notable achievements extend beyond her educational credentials and corporate titles. With over three decades of expertise in balanced budgeting and strategic planning, Susan effectively maps the core value propositions of various initiatives to actionable results. Her commitment to fostering cohesion among team members helps achieve holistic outcomes that benefit the communities and organizations she serves. Susan believes in instilling confidence within her teams by cultivating a broad support base, always utilizing data-driven intelligence to inform decisions.
A hallmark of Susan's career is her emphasis on mentorship and talent development. She actively invests time and energy into nurturing emerging leaders, demonstrating her commitment to building robust teams that can carry forward the mission of the organizations she represents. Susan's philosophy, summarized in her own words, is to bring "energy, a sense of play and clarity to teams to gain traction, build momentum and affect positive culture change." This philosophy has resonated deeply in the teams she has led, promoting a sense of ownership and enthusiasm for their work.
Achievements
- Founder and President of Friends of Frog Ferry: Under her leadership, Friends of Frog Ferry has made significant strides in promoting the Columbia and Willamette rivers as an alternative transportation option, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and enhance accessibility to water transit.
- Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Erickson Inc.: Successfully led various marketing strategies that positioned the company at the forefront of the helicopter industry, emphasizing innovation and customer service.
- Former President at Sunstone Marketing: Oversaw strategic marketing initiatives that contributed to the growth and outreach of the firm.
- VP Marketing at Greater Portland Inc.: Played a key role in attracting tourism and investment to the Portland area, enhancing the city's image as a vibrant place to live and work.
- Director of Corporate Marketing at Port of Portland: Developed robust marketing strategies that promoted the port's services and capabilities, enhancing stakeholder engagement and community visibility.
- Founder of Cycle Oregon: Pioneered initiatives that not only promoted bike tourism but also embraced cycling as a lifestyle choice, creating a positive impact on local communities.
- Public Relations & Special Events Manager at Business Oregon: Fostered connections between businesses and the government, enhancing opportunities for collaboration and growth in the state.
In sum, Susan Bladholm's career has been marked by her unwavering commitment to community engagement, innovative transportation solutions, and strategic marketing practices. Her ability to lead and inspire makes her a significant figure in each of her roles. With a bright vision for the future, she continues to work diligently to improve the lives of those within the communities she serves.
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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