Key Smiths

There is no Mr. or Ms. Smith

John Starling, Managing Partner

John Starling is an idea machine. He works with clients to help them identify and articulate their strategy, and to implement the changes they need in order to bring their growth goals to fruition. Prior to co-founding Smith in 1997, he served as vice president of marketing and Internet business for a major player in the asset-backed securities market. He is a lifelong martial artist who holds a Black Belt in Muay Thai (Thai boxing). His relationship to the martial arts has created a value system and determination that he applies to his business practices.

Areas of expertise:

  • Ideation and facilitation
  • Growth strategy planning
  • Executive coaching
  • Marketing and marketing communications
  • Business development strategies

John is committed to and active in the community. He serves or has served on:

  • Board of Directors for the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics
  • Board of Governors for the University of Baltimore Alumni Association
  • Selection Committee of the Baltimore Incentive Awards Program
  • Advisor to the University of Baltimore School of Communications and Design
  • Advisor to the Partnership for Learning
  • Advisor to Healthcare for the Homeless

John’s public speaking engagements have included the American Institute of Graphic Artists, the Public Relations Society of America, the American Marketing Association, The Governor’s Conference on Tourism and many more.

A graduate of the University of Baltimore—where he studied on the G.I. Bill—John is an award-winning writer who has published in several genres. At various times, he has taught concept development, business marketing and creative writing.

David Barr, Partner

David Barr has more than 17 years of experience developing growth strategies for businesses, markets and products. Prior to joining Smith, he was the owner and principal consultant of a marketing communications and business development firm, dedicated to helping small businesses and middle-market clients grow through communication and innovation.

A student of structured innovation and creative problem solving methodologies, David has a deep background in TRIZ and Facilitated Innovation™. He has applied these processes with remarkable results in major manufacturing, healthcare, education and other transactional environments.

In addition to having been a university instructor for several years, David has held positions including:

  • VP of Business Development
  • Director of Business Development
  • Developmental Editor
  • Product Manager
  • Project Manager
  • Senior Editor
A gifted speaker and facilitator, David earned a BA in English and a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan, and an MA in Creative Writing from Eastern Michigan University.

Areas of expertise:

  • Business development
  • Ideation facilitation
  • Innovative problem solving
  • Marketing communications
  • Product development
  • Process improvement
  • Strategic communication
  • Strategic planning

Todd Crandell, Partner

Todd is an experienced consultant and entrepreneur with 20 years of sales, marketing, and product development experience in manufacturing, software, aerospace, and Rich Internet Applications.

Among his many pursuits, Todd successfully designed, prototyped, and marketed custom fabricated components for clients who are leaders in healthcare and defense. He also led efforts to build the nation’s first Web content development company as Director of Business Development for Smith Content, Inc., focusing on company positioning, competitive differentiation, and client capture.

As a partner in his own consulting firm, Todd positioned and packaged a client’s Intellectual Property Portfolio for an eventual $1.4 million. This transaction led to his becoming the CMO of the company, which ultimately commercialized proprietary semantic processing technology in a Web-based research and collaboration portal. As CMO, Todd built and managed the launch strategy that resulted in market penetration at over 200 universities and research institutions worldwide in six months.

An expert in messaging and positioning, Todd has helped his past clients secure over $250 million in funding commitments for start-up ventures through strategic advisory, relationship building, and facilitation. Most recently, he worked on an Economic Development Plan for a Native American tribe, consulting the group on culturally significant business ventures that will contribute to the tribe’s economic sovereignty, including a plan to build and develop a biomass power plant.

Areas of expertise:

  • Strategic thinking, planning, and implementation
  • Product and/or service ideation and development
  • Product launch
  • Social Media strategy
  • Marketing planning
  • Sales strategies and coaching
  • Joint ventures and partnerships

Todd is active in his hometown of Baltimore, MD, both in politics and community economic development. He also volunteers time to the Baltimore Healthcare for the Homeless Development Committee.

Timothy Hayes, Partner

Timothy Joseph Hayes is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After graduation he served as a commissioned officer and aviator in the U.S. Army. During his tour of duty he successfully held positions of Platoon Leader, Section Leader and Company Commander. He completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Airborne School, Rotary Wing Officer Basic Course and the Aviation Officer Advanced Course.

After the military, he traded successful check rides for commission checks, selling a diverse range of products and services to include wholesale gasoline and lubricants, business automation technologies and complex financial services. Tim has held front-line sales, sales management and marketing positions for companies that include Mobil Oil Corp., John Hancock, Harris Corp., Motiva Enterprises, and DiningIn.com.

Tim owned and operated a freelance copywriting business and a direct marketing consulting firm. He helped business owners in the B2C and B2B markets acquire new clients and drive top line revenue growth by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of their marketing strategies and programs.

Areas of expertise:

  • Developing successful revenue growth strategies
  • Implementation of direct marketing strategies and tactics
  • Identification and development of new sources of business income
  • Return on Investment analysis for all existing marketing strategies
  • Direct response copywriting
  • Developing profitable joint venture opportunities
  • Creating multi-channel marketing programs for all available media
  • Shift paradigms to solving problems, not selling products or services
  • Unique positioning to differentiate a company from its competition

An avid reader and lifelong student of sales and marketing, Tim draws from a depth of knowledge and real-world experience. He uses that knowledge base to show small and medium-size businesses how to adapt and adopt the best strategies and tactics to create rapid growth for their companies.

Ted Moss, Partner

Ted is a seasoned marketing and communications executive, award-winning writer, entrepreneur and consultant. He is passionate about applying his knowledge and experience in helping young and growing companies achieve breakthrough success.

He brings more than 15 years of experience to Smith Growth Partners, including various marketing and creative development roles at Xerox, Roberts Communications, and Millennial Media.

Previously, Ted served as co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Brandserts, LLC, an interactive print media company specializing in high-impact, brand-sponsored inserts. His leadership was key in creating strategic partnerships with major U.S. publishers including USA Today, Primedia, Tribune Corporation and American Media.

He also served as Vice President, Marketing for Notemarks, LLC, a Web 2.0 start-up company featuring the Notemark®, an innovative desktop application designed to give Web users a better way to save, share and organize content.

Areas of expertise:

  • Marketing and marketing communications
  • Strategic planning and implementation
  • Branding and identity development
  • Creative concepting and ideation
  • Web and interactive media development
  • Quality management systems and processes
A native of Rochester, New York, Ted is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English.

Robert Hallock, Associate

With over thirty years of experience in senior management, marketing and business development, Bob is passionate about aligning companies internally and externally, so they achieve their goals, exceed customer expectations and function effectively.

While VP of Marketing for Medifast, Inc. (NYSE:MED), a national weight loss program, he drove the marketing effort that increased revenue from $25M to $74M within three years. He accomplished this by focusing the brand and its messaging on the key values to customers, overseeing a redesign of the Website and packaging, and creatively promoting the brand nationally through online, print, radio and TV media.

While VP of Business Development at Lion Brothers, the world’s largest manufacturer of embroidered emblems, he created new relationships with international apparel companies in the U.S. and Asia. He also spent eight years as Chief Executive Officer/General Manager of Lion Brothers Headwear, overseeing the operations of this baseball cap manufacturer, and marketing their products nationally.

Areas of expertise:

  • Marketing and branding strategies
  • Strategic growth strategies
  • National and international sales development

Bob is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania (BS in Economics) and Georgetown University Law Center (JD).

Brian Wojcik, Associate

Brian Wojcik is a graduate of Clarkson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Management, and a minor in Technical Communications. He worked his way through various roles in Project Engineering, Department Management, and Construction Management in the Manufacturing industry. Most recently he was the Vice President of North America Service Operations for an international filtration company. He turned around a $5.5M business with declining sales and increasing costs. Under Brian’s leadership, in 3 years sales grew to $17.5M, customer satisfaction improved dramatically, employee satisfaction increased, and costs were reduced to record levels. The business operations paradigm Brian created was then adopted globally.

Brian is driven by results and inevitably identifies ways to develop and improve even the best run companies; you can expect nothing less when he’s working on your project.

Andrew Kreinik, Associate

Andrew owned and operated consumer product manufacturing and distribution companies for over 20 years. He established international distribution networks and serviced chain stores, independent shops, mail order catalogues and Internet-based businesses. An early adopter of Web-based marketing, Andrew established one of his companies as a seminal industry leader with over 10,000 unique visitors per week to his site.

He has lived and worked extensively overseas. Andrew established distribution networks throughout Europe and Asia for one of his companies and was based for two years in Germany working in the marketing department for a multinational chemical corporation.

For several years, Andrew has been involved with the sustainable community. He is:

  • Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance
  • Member of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Coastal Climate Change Insurance Advisory Committee
  • Judge (2008, 2009) for William James Foundation Sustainable Business Competition
  • Certified real estate EcoAssociate

He is also a mentor for start-up businesses through MercyCorps, a Portland, Oregon– based non-profit that assists microbusinesses worldwide.

Areas of expertise:

  • Successful growth strategies
  • Consumer product marketing and sales
  • Web marketing and sales
  • International marketing and sales
  • Green technologies/products
  • Mature market (55+) products and services

Andrew is a graduate of University of Western Ontario (Honours BA), Universite d’Aix-Marseille III (Diplom) and Thunderbird School of International Management (MBA).

James (Randy) Farnum, Chief Financial Officer

Randy began his professional career in the commercial banking industry, and over the course of 17 years he held a number of executive-level positions. He was actively engaged in developing and implementing creative financial solutions for business owners.

In 1998 Randy became the COO/CFO of a privately held Baltimore-based financial services firm where he designed and executed a successful consultative management program for entrepreneurial organizations. In 2003 he founded Alliance Advisory Group to provide strategic operations and financial guidance to businesses in need of expert management advice.

Randy earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University Maryland. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Finance with the Sellinger School of Business, Loyola University Maryland, and has taught at the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education, Johns Hopkins University.

Randy holds a number of leadership positions within the community. He, his wife Linda, and their children, reside in Lutherville, Maryland. As a large and active family they are engaged in numerous professional, educational, recreational and church-oriented activities.

Dawn Evans, Controller

Since 2001, Dawn Evans has served as controller for Smith Growth Partners, bringing loyalty, honesty and integrity to her professional role. Dawn graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a degree in Information Systems Management. With her personal philosophy, “Do it right the first time,” Dawn offers a high level of accountability and accuracy that is critical to Smith Growth Partners.