AZIGG Board of Advisors

The purpose of the AZIGG Board of Advisors is to continue the steady stream of informative international business presentations for Arizona-based businesses looking to grow globally.  Our goal is always to help the State of Arizona grow jobs in global and local companies. 

The AZIGG Board is:

Doug Bruhnke – Growth Nation
Frank Beltran – Trade Base Mexico and Beltran Ventures
Bart Butler – Bart Butler Communications
Melissa Hart – The Human Vantage
Brett Johnson – Snell & Wilmer LLP
Eric Kohler - One Time Express
Dave Rice – True Cloud

Our group photographer is the talented Laird Brown of Small Business Photo.

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, 480-595-5000.

  

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 Guaymas).  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, 602-622-3482.

 

Bart Butler – Board of Advisors
Consultant at Bart Butler Communications

 After 28 years at Wendy’s International, Bart Butler moved to Arizona and is currently serving clients with a variety of corporate communications consulting services. He develops and implements communications strategies and themes, writes and produces communications in a variety of media and collaborates on creative communications projects. Bart provides exceptional client service and has a long track record of creating communications that generate great business results.

Contact Bart: bart.butler01@yahoo.com, 623-243-7528

 

Melissa Hart – Board of Advisors
CEO of The Human Vantage (www.thehumanvantage.com)

Melissa L. Hart is global HR executive and management consultant with extensive experience in talent and organizational development, change leadership, strategic planning, and overall team and organization effectiveness. Throughout her international 20 year career, she's had experience in mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, as well as in managing challenging employee relations issues in both union and non-union settings.  As a seasoned strategic business partner, Melissa has held various senior level HR/OD roles in global manufacturing and technology Fortune 100 companies. In 2006, Melissa founded The HumanVantage Consulting Group, LLC. Through The HumanVantage™, client needs are assessed from three vantage points: the organization, team and individual.

Contact Melissa: melissa@thehartsolution.com, 480-782-1822

 

Brett Johnson – Board of Advisors
Partner at Snell & Wilmer LLP (www.swlaw.com)

 Brett Johnson is a partner with AZIGG Chairman Sponsor Snell & Wilmer. His practice includes representation in business, export, government contracting, and health care matters, including professional liability defense and commercial litigation matters.  In addition to representing large and small businesses, individuals and pro bono clients, he is the editor of the firm’s International Industry Group’s Global Connection newsletter. You can read more about his distinguished international legal career here: http://www.swlaw.com/brett_johnson/

Contact Brett: bwjohnson@swlaw.com, 602-382-6312

 

Eric Kohler - Board of Advisors
Global Sales Manager, On Time Express (www.otexp.com)

 Eric has served as Global Sales Manager of On Time Express, Inc. since 2007. The firm is a world-class Domestic and International total logistics provider. On Time Express has designed efficent logistics solutions for AOG parts for most major airline carriers that reduces turn time, provides visibility of supply chain, and gives 24/7 customer service. Their global services are designed specific for the aerospace industry.

Contact Eric: ekohler@otexp.com, 480-634-9190

 

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.

Contact Dave: drice@truecloud.com, 480-244-1845     

 

Resources

Laird Brown – Photographer for AZIGG
Owner, Laird Brown Photography (www.smallbusinessphoto.com)

 
Laird specializes in photography for small business websites and brochures. He uses his background in photojournalism, public relations and marketing to help his clients meet business goals. Laird has spent many hours talking to small business owners and listening to their excitement as they discuss creating and building their businesses. They are not looking for pretty pictures. They want images which will make their business more successful. Laird approaches a project by, first, finding out what the client is trying to accomplish. Then he creates images which will help convey the message, build an image and tell a story. Most of the photographs on Laird's website have captions which tell the story behind the image. Stop in to see how quality photography can turn surfers into responders and those who see your printed materials into buyers.

Contact Laird: laird@smallbusinessphoto.com, or 602-952-2348