HISTORY

After growing a startup through Series A funding, a $30MM valuation, and their 100th employee hire in the emerging media space I’ve focused my attention as a team builder and digital strategist; researching and perfecting the most effective and measurable ways to grow business. I’m passionate about streamlining business process through the development of lightweight, agile solutions & design that truly engage users and customers, alike.

Personal info

(479) 422-4953

jay@jaythornton000.com

@jaythornton000

Education

Grand Valley State University

American Intercontinental University

University of Arkansas

Arkansas State University

WHAT I DO

I find unique people and solutions to widen the offerings we might bring to a particular client or organization. My experience in retail social marketing finely tuned my innovative spirit and ability to inspire my teams.

My background in design, technology, and strategic business development help me to communicate across the varied personality types that make up a modern agency.

Skillsets

WHAT I KNOW

I know that creativity and constant innovation are the secret to efficient and dynamic growth of a business, brand, or organization. I know that caring for people is more important that caring for bottom line. One fixes the other. Motivated teams that feel valued, build amazing products.

"The world leaders in innovation and creativity will also be world leaders in everything else."

Harold R. McAlindon

MY Skills

Team Building95%

Leadership80%

Marketing85%

Design & Development90%

What people say

Jay is a tremendously talented individual with a grasp for both the creative and the technological aspects of a business... as well as how that technology relates to building a business from a marketing standpoint. He is driven and a dedicated change creative talen who brings a huge amount of passion to his work. His endless energy, adds tremendous value to any endeavor.

- Ted Rubin

What people say

Jay was hired as Special (Web) Projects Manager for recruitment advertising at J.B. Hunt and hit the ground running. From day one, he brought a fresh perspective to our work group, along with an impressive mix of both creative and multi-faceted technical talent. Jay is candid, confident, creative, and loves to stay busy. Around the office, we jokingly attribute his work ethic to his years in the freelance world, where it's "keep hustling or starve". Jay definitely fits into the former category. He has successfully made the quantum leap from club promotion to trucking, which are at opposing ends of the demographic universe. I may not always understand Jay's language (admittedly, I'm not the most fluent in the nuances of web-speak), but I can certainly recognize ability and determination from twenty paces away.

- Julie Mannon

Experience

Managing Partner | Cusac&Co.7/2014 - Present

We’re a think tank. We’re a lab. We create new solutions to help you find that perfect customer and keep them forever, and we report everything along the way. Our only focus is customer acquisition.

We focus on new product launches, tough market segments, and all the unique challenges you face in growing your brand. Let us bring our years of experience, a broad tool set, and a unique perspective to your brand.

CTO | Moxy Ox2/2014 - 7/2014

Moxy Ox is a growing brand experience agency, focused on an integrated service offering to growth companies, locally in Northwest Arkansas and across the country. They recently brought me on as CTO, tasked to grow the overall business by expanding service offerings in the digital and new media segment as well as automate and streamline current processes throughout the business.

My experience growing highly effective creative and digital teams will assist us in providing the best possible solutions for our growing client base. Read about my move in the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

Vice President, UX | Collective Bias7/2009 - 9/2013

In my final role at Collective Bias, I managed an agile team of designers and web developers in all aspects of client and internal presence. This included web development, community experience, email marketing, and on-location presence. My teams supported our sales, marketing, account, and development teams to bring best in class user experience to all touch-points at Collective Bias.

I also played a significant roll in our business development team, talking potential customers through our technology offerings and working closely with them to put together custom solutions, focused at answering their social and digital needs.

Previously, I built and managed our design team and our technology and development teams individually.