AZIGG Board of Advisors

The purpose of the AZIGG Board is to help continue the steady stream of informative and valuable international business presentations for Arizona-based businesses looking to grow internationally. 

The AZIGG Board is:

Doug Bruhnke – Growth Nation
Kim Kubsch – Global Events AZ
Kjell Andreassen – Acceler8
Frank Beltran – Trade Base Mexico and Beltran Ventures
Mai Crone – Youth Re:Action Corp
Bob Denton – Prime Connexions
Dave Rice – True Cloud
Aly Saxe – Ubiquity Public Relations
David Ziton – Ensynch 

Our group photographer is the talented Doug Baldwin, Doug Baldwin Photography

Biographies

Doug Bruhnke – Founder/President of AZIGG
President/CEO of Growth Nation (www.growthnation.com) 

Doug’s firm Growth Nation helps mid-market and emerging companies reach their growth potential by developing and implementing effective marketing, sales and business development solutions.  Leveraging his international technology, business and marketing background, his teams have created over $1 billion of new revenue growth.  Doug has lived in Japan and Singapore and has worked in international marketing for over 20 years. 

Contact Doug: doug@growthnation.com, or 480-595-5000.

 

Kim Kubsch – Vice President of AZIGG
Global Event Strategist, Global Events AZ (www.GlobalEventsAZ.com)

 

Kim is passionate about strategizing global business and cultural events.  Her experience includes creating profitable business conferences, education courses and country launches both in the US and throughout Asia.  Recently Kim orchestrated Ambassador Speaker Programs jointly with Scottsdale Boomerz and World Affairs Council of Arizona with visiting Ambassadors to the U.S. from Egypt, Guatemala, Indonesia and Afghanistan.  

Global Events AZ Calendar is your Global Business and Cultural Events Calendar – where GLOBAL Arizona events get noticed: http://globaleventsaz.com/Calendar.html

Contact Kim: kim@GlobalEventsAZ.com, or 480-720-8566.

 

Kjell Andreassen – Board of Advisors
Managing Partner, Acceler8 LLC (www.accler8.net)
Managing Partner, Exit Planning Advisors LLC (www.exitplanningadvisors.net) 

Kjell’s firm Acceler8 helps owners of small businesses create better business results and is the one to call when you are tired of working IN your business instead of ON your business.

Exit Planning Advisors uses a proven process to enable business owners to leave their business when they want, to whom they want and for the amount of cash they want.

Kjell, a native of Norway, has 30 years business experience as an entrepreneur, having established and operated businesses in UK, Norway, Australia, China, Thailand and Indonesia. He is an Associate Professor at Western International University in International Business, International Marketing and Entrepreneurship. 

Contact Kjell: kandreassen@acceler8.net, or 888.454.1066 x701

 

Frank Beltran – Board of Advisors
CEO, Trade Base Mexico and Beltran Ventures, LLC 

Frank is CEO of Trade Base Mexico located in Mexico.  He and his two partners own several iron-ore mines in the state of Sonora, Mexico (Hermosillo and Guaymus).  These offices are launch platforms to negotiate with other countries including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Brazil and the United States.  The goal is to provide the local nationalists with employment, education and an improved quality of life to be fostered and passed on to future generations.

Trade Base Mexico also provides support to clients for setting-up maquiladoras (twin-factories) and buying real estate in Mexico.  Frank is certified with the Real Estate Registrar in the State Office of Sonora to sell real estate in the state of Sonora.  He also represents First Financial Security Incorporated, as a fully-licensed financial advisor to clients. 

In the past 17 years Frank has represented US companies in Latin America.  He has visited and sold hardware in and around Santiago, Chile; five cities in Ecuador; two cities in Honduras and 10 major cities in the Republic of Mexico including Mexico City, Puebla, Monterrey.

Frank is involved in humanitarian projects such as building orphanages in Romania and the Philippines.  He and his team have plans to build orphanages in Mexico and China.  He personally supports 2 orphanages in 2 cities in Mexico with clothing, school supplies and medical assistance for physically challenged patients with volunteer doctors and technicians from Phoenix.

Contact Frank: beltranllc@gmail.com, or 602-622-3482.

 

Mai Crone – Board of Advisors
Director of Marketing and YFEST New Global Citizens (www.newglobalcitizens.org) 

Mai has over 10 years of international experience.  She has worked in Prague, Czech Republic as a Marketing Coordinator for DHL Express and has traveled extensively as a result of her parents’ diverse cultural backgrounds.  Until recently Mai has been directing events and programs for the Arizona Technology Council and planned the successful Governor’s Celebration of Innovation (GCOI) in both 2006 and 2007.  Mai is now the Director of Marketing and YFEST New Global Citizens, a non-profit venture that evolved during her award-winning marketing education at Arizona State University.  New Global Citizens educates, equips and mobilizes young people to help solve the greatest challenges faced by communities around the world.

Contact Mai: mai@newglobalcitizens.org

 

Bob Denton – Board of Advisors
President/CEO, Prime ConneXions LLC 

Bob is connected to the key people in technology that everyone needs to know in Arizona.  His business Prime ConneXions connects clients to deal-makers so that they grow their business.  He is a co-founder of the Arizona Technology Council and has been a key part of the technology community in Arizona for over 10 years. 

Contact Bob: BobDenton@PrimeConneXions.com, or 480.634.7892

 

Dave Rice – Board of Advisors
CEO at True Cloud (www.truecloud.com)

 

Dave is the CEO of True Cloud, a new kind of IT company for small and medium-sized businesses that proves that ‘less is more’.  Based in Phoenix, True Cloud counter-intuitively provides companies less IT hardware, allowing them greater scalability and growth.  Increasingly companies are ‘riding the cloud’ to faster growth.

Dave has a long international business and IT background that has included being the former CIO for Insight.  He has also held significant IT roles at PCS Health Systems and Merisel.  An information technologist with approximately 30 years of experience, Dave has been responsible for all aspects of software and hardware implementation, helping companies gain competitive advantage here and abroad.  Dave is known for his strategic thinking and planning and his ability to function first and foremost as a business leader.

 

Aly Saxe – Board of Advisors
President/Principal at Ubiquity Public Relations (www.UbiquityPublicRelations.com) 

Aly’s firm Ubiquity Public Relations helps companies connect with the right demographics through strategic planning and outreach that extends beyond basic media placement. The firm helps companies in the areas of media relations, analyst relations, speaker bureaus, event planning, networking and tradeshow support.

Contact Aly: aly@ubiquitypublicrelations.com, or 602-268-6849

 

David Ziton – Board of Advisors
Director of Sales, Ensynch (www.ensynch.com)  

David is a trusted advisor for companies seeking to achieve business agility through IT operational efficiency.  His professional experience includes living in 5 countries and working in fifteen countries within the U.S., Western Europe, Asia, and Latin America.  As a result, David has a unique knowledge that incorporates the following competencies:

•        Strategy Development & Implementation
•        Corporate Finance (Certified Public Accountant)
•        Business Development
•        Service Delivery
•        Revenue Generation

David has been an advocate for international business, assisting many companies with their foreign operations.    Before joining Ensynch, David worked at Level3, Deloitte & Touche and PricewaterhouseCoopers.  He is an MBA graduate from the Thunderbird School of Global Management with a BS in Accountancy at Arizona State University as a Regents Scholar, graduating magna cum laude.

Contact David: dziton@ensynch.com, or 602-714-0180

 

Resources

Doug Baldwin – Photographer for AZIGG
President, Doug Baldwin Photography

 

When you need high-quality, creative and technical photography on time, on budget and consistent with your marketing requirements, that’s when the pros call on Doug Baldwin. Since 1979, DBP has offered creative solutions for corporate and high tech clients nationwide.

Doug’s talent and easy going professionalism has earned him top honors with some of the biggest corporations and high-tech firms, gaining him coveted preferred status. They know he delivers and beats their expectations.

With expertise in all camera formats including capabilities in digital imaging, digital retouching and special effects, you’ll get creative solutions that will turn boring technical layouts into eye catching visuals.

His commercial art training makes a difference; an artist’s eye peers into the world of corporate communications and technical components to bring out the hidden beauty in everyday industrial situations. Watch all heads turn to your message, bringing more power to your marketing dollars.

Call on Doug Baldwin Photography for High-tech Imaging, Annual Reports, Capabilities Brochures, Executive Portraits and Location Photography. "Where Fine Art Meets Photography to Bring You Stunning Marketing Results."

Contact Doug: info@dougbaldwinphoto.com or 480-596-9220.