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About Me Professionally

“I believe his (Quentin) greatest value lies in those things that cannot be learned. He has a positive attitude, strong time management and prioritization skills, excellent work ethic, and is a great communicator. He had to deal with a myriad of personalities and was able to swiftly adapt to ensure successful working relationships. Quentin also demonstrated his ambition and eagerness to take on new challenges and responsibilities.” — Cinnamon Wagener, Marketing and Communications Director of Ardurra, formerly with CDM Smith

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Strengths

Just as a brand strategically learns about its strengths through a SWOT analysis, a person too must determine what their strengths are to increase the probability for success—for themselves, their department, and their organization. The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment is a tremendous resource to enhance a team’s dynamics. According to the results, my strengths include:

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Futuristic

The future and the possibilities that can be are tremendous motivators for me. Developing ideas and working hard to bring them to life is fulfilling. I strive to have a powerful impact on the future, and I work tirelessly to inspire others with my vision.

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Maximizer

A strong team is a diverse team. I believe it is vital to a team’s success to understand everyone’s strengths and weaknesses to build an efficient and effective team—one composed of varying strengths that complement one another and overcome each other’s shortcomings.

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Significance

Settling for the status quo is not an option for me. I am rarely complacent, always looking for ways to improve myself, my team, and organization. Every employee is vital to a team’s success; therefore it’s important to recognize the hard work by everyone.

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Deliberative

I take serious care in making decisions and choices. I critically think through the challenge, anticipating obstacles, and developing multiple creative solutions. Because I can see factors others may not, I am a valuable sounding board, helping others think through their decisions and course of actions.

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Strategic

Because of my experiences, I am innovative, creative, and resourceful. My mind allows me to venture beyond the commonplace, the familiar, or the obvious. The stimulation of my imagination occurs by collaborating with future-oriented thinkers.

Human Capital

Soft Skills

  • Active Listening 

  • Adaptability 

  • Collaboration 

  • Communication 

  • Creative Direction

  • Creativity 

  • Critical Thinking 

  • Empathy 

  • Initiative

  • Leadership 

  • Organization 

  • Persuasion 

  • Problem-Solving 

  • Self Motivation 

  • Strategy

  • Strong Work Ethic 

  • Time Management

Hard Skills

  • Adobe InDesign

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Adobe Acrobat

  • Apple iWork

  • ChatGPT

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

  • Microsoft Word

  • Microsoft Excel

  • Microsoft Teams

  • Fiery Command Workstation

  • Presentation Development

  • Presentation Delivery

  • Traditional Marketing Strategy

  • Digital Marketing Strategy

  • Bachelor's Degree in Marketing

  • Associates Degree in Visual Communication

Distinctions

As a person’s eyes are unique unto themselves, each of us has various attributes making us distinct from others. Even though there is a great deal more to me, there are five critical distinctions that are beneficial to any organization.

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Never Settling for the Status Quo

I am never complacent and always looking to improve myself, the department, and the firm. Throughout my career, I have made numerous self and organizational improvements. A few key highlights include:

  • I am leading a new firm-wide program to produce high-quality, visually appealing, client technical communication deliverables.

  • I led an initiative to improve the quality of presentations for pursuit interviews.

  • I initiated, organized, and facilitated quarterly brunch and learn video meetings across multiple offices for marketing team members to learn from one another.

  • I freshened up my marketing knowledge with a bachelor's degree in marketing, 20 years after graduating with my visual communications degree.

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Turning Experiences into Lessons Learned

By working for multiple agencies, in-house marketing departments, as well as freelance clients, I have had the tremendous opportunity to partner with entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, and non-profit organizations. My experiences have given me a considerable advantage through lessons learned. Four essential instances in which I gained valuable experiences include:

  • Developing a new technical communications program from CDM Smith.

  • Serving in an instrumental role in the brand launch of Downunder Vodka and Electromixers into the marketplace.

  • Redeveloping the Extreme Response International brand.

  • Performing in a vital position in the development of Realwave’s strategic  branding and marketing plans as well as its comprehensive brand standards.

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Utilizing Fresh Marketing Knowledge Gives New Perspective

After a 20+ year career as a Graphic Designer, I chose to go back to school to earn my bachelor’s degree in marketing and have a greater impact on the marketplace than I have been having.

  • Having a background in design and marketing, I am able to communicate more effectively between the two groups, ensuring goals and objectives are understood and achieved.

  • With the combined knowledge, I have the understanding to help marketing departments operate efficiently and effectively, produce top quality branded communication materials as well as the strategic side of the efforts.

  • Most marketers have one or the other; I have both, the design and marketing foundations, that will be a tremendous asset for any organization.

  • With experience in design and marketing, I have been able to successfully launch a new firm-wide program in CDM Smith to improve its clients’ technical communication deliverables.

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Complete Dedication to Long-term Resolution

My nearly 15 year employment with the same firm is mostly unheard of today, proving my commitment to an organization’s long-term resolution. In my extended experience with CDM Smith, I contributed to their improvement in multiple ways, including:

  • I developed and implemented the marketing department’s first creative brief, minimizing confusion and maximizing efforts.

  • I trained several administrative and marketing staff in Adobe InDesign, increasing their utilization.

  • I implemented Adobe Creative Design Suite and professional level production equipment throughout the marketing department, improving the quality of deliverables.

  • I am actively mentoring graphic designers and writers, and have been since joining the firm.

  • I worked with the sales staff to improve their presentation abilities, including slide creation and delivery.

  • I developed a firm-wide program to transform unexciting technical documents into visually pleasing and engaging technical communication deliverables.

  • I am co-leading the delivery of an internal training course educating the staff on the importance of design in a technical document.

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Critically Thinking through Creative Solutions

Just providing the most creative solution is not enough. There must be a direct correlation between a problem and the creative solution. Therefore, critically thinking through options, analyzing everything from multiple angles to determine the one which will efficiently reach the objectives is a skill I have come to adopt. In doing so, the probability of my team developing an effective and efficient creative solution increases dramatically.

Education

I graduated from the Art Institute of Dallas with an emphasis in visual communications. Additionally, I graduated from Colorado State University Global with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing. What I learned from the two learning institutions has served as a strong foundation for a rewarding career as a creative professional.

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