Harold Is A Distinguished Alumnus:
RIT, Saunders College Of Business

How Do You Get To Madison Avenue? Well, a funny thing happened to me on my way to Carnegie Hall. My love for music led me to a wonderful career and journey into what I still cherish today with fond memories. As a jazz guitarist, I always felt privileged to have performed with world renown musicians. Jazz greats from the Mangiones to Alan Vizzutti. My stint as the guitarist for the Rochester Philharmonic Pops Orchestra . And my musical partnership with Jeff Tyzik whose musical accomplishments have become legendary. It was that partnership that "segued" me into the ad business as we produced jingles and industry film soundtracks. My musical creative talents and improvisational skills found a welcome home in the business world of marketing and advertising after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Saunders College of Business.

Fast forward to the mid 80s - the marketing agency I founded (The Idea Factory) had a team of graphic designers who designed and prepared hundreds of pages each month that had to be designed and assembled, literally by hand. The sheer volume of type galleys that had to be cut and pasted was a sight to behold. I knew there had to be a better way and I was determined to find a better way. So I turned to my key client, Xerox. Desktop publishing was a dream of their Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and it was certainly my dream too. We became their beta test site for the ad agency industry.

We quickly became adept at utilizing the system for design projects. We integrated one of the first digital linotype devices that produced finished pages in camera-ready files. But there was a large gap between those designs and higher end. So, Xerox invited me to PARC for a glimpse into the future. I was fascinated, overwhelmed and simply blown-away. Their chief scientist, John Seely Brown, gave a compelling look ahead. From the early visions of a powerful world wide web to molecular manufacturing - I got the bug. Soon afterwards, I left the agency side of the business and joined Xerox to get knee deep into the future. It was the early 90s and transmitting documents as well as emails with attachments was merely a vision. I became a member of the core team that forged the digital revolution for Xerox with entry into print-on-demand as we partnered with global giants such as SUN, Adobe, Scitex, AT&T. It was a fascinating world and each and every day brought us closer to solutions that today, we take for granted.

Having worked with so many global giants during this time, I became thirsty for more of the New World. When NEC came knocking on my door, I saw another opportunity to turn their incredible technology innovations into marketable products that would change people's lives. While today we speak of "Google" glasses with fascination, I witnessed the concept back in 1997 at the NEC Labs.

I leaped from product innovation to the dotcom world when I joined EarthWeb in 1999, literally the first public IPO based on what the Internet could become to every single human and every single business. It was another incredible part of the journey in my career - to be at the core of world-changing technology events in business. Then I joined a Fortune 50 global giant, NTT, to help spearhead their entry into new markets with new technologies.

Throughout this journey I worked side by side with industry leaders . I managed models constructed by Accenture, McKinsey, Gartner and many others as a part of the executive positions I held . I also solicited the support of Gary Hamel, a thought leader and strategist, who helped shape my approach to strategy and business execution. My mentors included industry giants such as Len Vickers, the GE "We Bring Good Things To Life" visionary. Special thanks to Joe McGrath - a brilliant strategist from Gartner, Xerox and Unisys. Dr. Terry Bailey had those magical West Coast "Apple" roots that totally changed my management style into what became a winning formula. Greg Conley and Mark Teflian who understood virtualization well before the Cloud would become a reality. Doug Schneider for his management wisdom.

While mentors have a large role in the expertise you achieve and the person you become, colleagues and staff members have an equally vital role. I have always been very fortunate to find just the right talent who wanted to join me in the journey. We set the bar very high - sometimes with unrealistic expectations but always with a mission to overachieve.

From this enormous pool of talent, I eventually developed my own methods to help businesses create new markets and create new wealth for employees and shareholders . My approach and modeling is quite simple: I work diligently and methodically to shatter old ways of thinking and redefine markets. My goal is to seize new global and online markets. I provide a deep and broad understanding of how to best utilize corporate assets. You'll get to see your business and your opportunities though a specialized focus on how to create new, more results-driven digital technologies and marketing for you.

Let's face it. Business is in the midst of a fundamental change, driven by technology innovation, the emergence of new media delivery, quickening audience fragmentation, more multitasking, and tighter focus on ROI. This new order will usher in major changes. Part of this transformation will be driven by a steady transfer of investments away from traditional to new, interactive digital technologies. That's why there is tremendous opportunity before us. The opportunity to harness digital technology. The opportunity to realize new productivity.