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Fort Lauderdale, FL, July 25, 2007 — The Laredo Group, Inc., the industry leader in agency and marketer sales training and consulting, today announced that in response to accelerated company growth, that it has hired Jason Heller, the co-founder/CEO of Mass Transit Interactive and later, Managing Director of Horizon Interactive, as Executive Vice President, a newly created position.
Mr. Heller will head the firm’s newly opened New York office.
“We are extremely pleased that Jason has joined our team. He has the long-term experience and industry respect common to all Laredo Group instructors and consultants and will be an invaluable addition to our team” Leslie Laredo, Founder and President of The Laredo Group.“His agency side experience will be of great benefit to our consulting clients and will help further enhance and expand our training content and programs.””
Mr. Heller, 33, is a veteran digital media agency executive, respected leader, speaker and author, who pioneered many digital media approaches and processes that have become industry best practices today. His extensive work spans thousands of campaigns across a wide range of traditional and emerging digital channels. Mr. Heller co-founder Mass Transit Interactive, a unique independent digital media agency in 1998 where, as CEO, he helped use media, technology and data, to reach, engage, influence, acquire and retain customers for high profile clients such as Alta Vista, Shopping.com, DoubleClick, Citibank, Hertz, Bertlesmann, Fodors, UPN Television, BMW Motorcycles among others. Through his vision and leadership, Mass Transit became recognized industry-wide as a top digital shop, and in 2005 the agency was acquired by Horizon Media, the largest independent media buying agency in the world. Mr. Heller transitioned to the role of Managing Director of Horizon Interactive for two more years, where he continued to expand the digital media, relationship marketing and analytic capabilities of the agency.
“In addition to Jason’s industry expertise, having him on-board will allow us to greatly reduce or eliminate our backlog of training assignments and provide sessions in far less than the current four to five month lead time required to book a private training date,” says Laredo Group CEO Jeff Leibowitz. “We will now be able to better address the extremely high demand for our training from an agency and marketer world that is transitioning from traditional to digital much more quickly, and with much higher stakes, than in the past.”
“I am looking forward to teaching and consulting with the traditional and interactive agencies of the world, and major marketers, as part of Laredo Group. I am confident that I can live up to their stellar reputation and track record helping people understand and profit from the Internet media industry that I have embraced as my professional home for many years. I also look forward to instructing at their nationwide public training seminars where so many learn about interactive media for the first time or expand and refresh their knowledge after years in the business”
Mr. Heller started his career as a promoter and, later a producer, manager, and founder of four independent record labels and two recording studios. He first discovered how to leverage the Internet as an e-commerce and marketing channel in 1995 when he started marketing and selling music online that was produced by his four independent record companies. His early success in building an international online business made him a convert to the power of digital marketing and selling online. Mr. Heller is one of BtoB magazine’s “Best and Brightest Media Strategists,” and has been awarded the “Media Planning and Buying Award” from Media Magazine. He sits on various advisory boards, including DoubleClick, is sought after to speak at industry events such as OMMA and AdTech, and has a regular column in Media Post.
HIGH RESOLUTION DIGITAL PHOTO OF MR. HELLER AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
About The Laredo Group
Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1996 and now headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, The Laredo Group (www.laredogroup.com) is the leading training and consulting firm dedicated to helping clients increase sales and decrease costs through knowledge and efficiencies related to online advertising buying and selling, search engine marketing, and site optimization. The Laredo Group provides customized general sales training & coaching for companies and individuals, media training for buyers and sellers, and custom consulting services designed to increase the revenue potential and production of staff and products for both traditional, online and cross-platform sales and marketing activities. The client list of The Laredo Group includes many of the world's largest and most successful companies as well as smaller firms, start-ups and many industry associations.
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