Bill is our fearless leader, always quick with a smile, a handshake and a question about your family. For over 20 years, Bill has been a driver, a cheerleader and an inspiration for our organization, leading some of our biggest and most prestigious pieces of business, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Walt Disney Attractions. Today, he oversees the day-to-day operations of The Lacek Group and represents our company in the Ogilvy network. Spend any time with Bill, and it won’t surprise you to learn that his quick wit and analytical mind were initially engaged in the practice of law before he moved into senior corporate roles at National Car Rental prior to joining The Lacek Group. Outside our walls, Bill enjoys traveling, golf and listing the many accomplishments of his two grown daughters.

As the leader of our technology group, Julie leads a team of interactive marketing strategists and developers who design and execute digital marketing campaigns across multiple channels. In addition, Julie and her team are responsible for the technology infrastructure that securely houses and mobilizes our clients’ customer data. Prior to joining The Lacek Group, Julie was an information systems engineer for the Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, launching its acclaimed educational website long before the corporate world really knew what websites were. Julie earned a degree in economics with a mathematical emphasis at the University of Wisconsin. While she claims to have spent her preteen years with a can of Aqua Net always within reach, today she’s more the Sporty Spice type with a busy schedule of her kids’ games to attend or coach.

Need a fire built? First-aid instruction? Swim lessons or wilderness survival training? As an Eagle Scout, John has you covered. And as a guy who’s still winning awards for his copywriting, he’s got the creative thing covered too. As chief creative officer, John oversees a large, talented team of designers, writers, coders and producers creating brand experiences for all our clients. Prior to joining The Lacek Group, John was CEO and chief creative officer at Colle+McVoy in Minneapolis; held creative leadership positions at Martin|Williams, Fallon and other agencies; started a couple of agencies; ran his own freelance writing business; and so on. He’s also taught advertising and copywriting classes at several universities, colleges and portfolio schools. Fortunately for all involved, his plans to become an architect ended after a couple of creativity-stunting engineering classes in college.

A key member of our management team, Ruth leads our finance and accounting functions, with responsibility for budgets and forecasts; financial reporting and analysis; and client pricing, billing and contracts. An employee of The Lacek Group since almost the beginning, Ruth has helped us grow into the 250+ person company we are today. She brings a welcome touch of warmth and humanity to the cold reality of numbers, spreadsheets and the many audits we undergo as part of a public company. The mother of three adult daughters, she doesn’t get too rattled by the constant need to remodel office space, buy new IT equipment or undergo frequent data-security audits. Prior to joining The Lacek Group, Ruth spent several years in accounting and office-management positions at a relocation company.

As director of account services, Randy oversees all our client relationships. Prior to taking on his current role, Randy led teams here and at other agencies for clients as varied as United Airlines, Best Buy, Chase Financial, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Musicland, Grand Casino and more. He began his career in finance and marketing at Damark International after earning an economics degree from Gustavus Adolphus College. With over 20 years of experience developing strategy and applying data analytics to acquire, engage and retain customers, he has the ability to see both the forest and the trees. And that extends to life beyond The Lacek Group, where he shares his love of all things outdoors — mountain biking, waterskiing, fishing, hockey, snowmobiling — with his wife and two kids.

Don’t let that Minnesota-Nice smile and unparalleled enthusiasm fool you. Kelty spent time living in Mexico and studying at the University of Guadalajara. She’s got a double major in Spanish and International Relations and has also earned a graduate degree in HR and Change Leadership. She’s from Iowa, for goodness sake. That makes for one fierce woman – one that now leads a growing team of HR and support professionals with a passion for finding, growing and keeping a diverse group of employees at The Lacek Group. Kelty and team help to build and sustain a culture of loyalty that rivals any program we’ve designed for our Fortune 500 clients. Now that she’s lived in Minnesota longer than Iowa, she’s come to embrace our peculiarities and our love of all things outdoors – a love she shares with her husband and two active sons. Whether she’s on the trail, water, skis or wheels, she’s all in.

Michelle is a runner. She runs around various trails and running paths in the Twin Cities where she lives with her husband Todd. She runs 10-mile races each summer with family and friends. No longer chasing two young daughters around, she runs to keep up with them as young adults. And now she runs our Strategic Services group – having recently returned to The Lacek Group from a senior marketing position at Thompson Reuters – helping create more innovative customer engagement programs and sustainable revenue for all our clients. Over her many years at TLG, Michelle has developed and run loyalty program engagements that include the award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest program, Ford Owner Advantage Rewards, and US Bank FlexPerks. But where she really enjoys running around is Spain, where she’s a fully engaged customer and loves to contribute plenty of revenue herself.