Rick
Van Ness is a marketing specialist with over 25 years of product marketing,
strategic planning, and entrepreneur experience for technology products.
Rick is a facilitator for major new business initiatives to help companies grow revenues. He helps organizations with strategic focus, message creation, and then translation of overall strategy into individual plans and initiatives. Rick is trained in business planning with the technical strength to recognize and initiate breakthrough contributions. He is excellent at understanding and communicating complex ideas to new audiences.
As Consultant at GrowthConnection,
LLC, Rick specializes in three areas: business plans for entrepreneurs to
obtain new venture financing, strategic or operational plans for established
companies to enhance revenue and profit, and radically simple personal plans
to propel teams and managers to success.
As Co-founder and CEO for Compography, Inc., Rick started a company that
made internet software using on-the-fly adaptive layout technology to
increase advertising revenue for online publishers.
As VP Marketing for Zetec, Inc. (owned by Roper Industries), Rick led the
strategic planning that refocused the company’s initiatives onto its most
lucrative market and executed many initiatives to reach new customers and
sell more effectively.
As Business Development Specialist for Hewlett Packard Inc., Rick directed
business planning, marketing, sales, and public relations for a team focused
on bringing the “world’s smallest web server” to market. These efforts
resulted in two “Best 100 Products of 1999” awards and a “Best of Show”
award.
Rick was ranked in the top 10% of Hewlett Packard’s Product Marketing
professionals and combined his technical background with his business
strengths to introduce innovative electronic test and measurement products
and enter new markets.
Rick is active in the Puget Sound business community, Northwest Entrepreneur Network, and MIT Venture Labs. Rick won first prize in a business plan competition when he attended New York University and now gives back by also volunteering with the annual contest at the University of Washington.
Rick earned a BS in electrical engineering at Cornell University and an MBA at New York University. Rick is a devoted husband, father of a son and daughter, and enjoys hiking, musical theatre, classical music, and many deep friendships.