We published our most recent “Brand Building for Small Business” article in April of 2023. If you’ve been wondering what we’ve been up to for the past two years, I suggest you keep reading. I will at least bring you up to date on some of Bob’s activities, though I will let Carole speak for herself other than to note that she continues to operate her thriving, on-line business while raising two teenagers – some would argue that alone is a full-time job. In other words, she and her family are well, and I still rely heavily upon her insights.
As for me, I have continued to pursue a life-long love of the written word while I sought to get my first novel published – an event which happened in June of 2025! My book, Divided States, is an example of dystopian speculative fiction. Set forward in time, the story explores a particular “What If” scenario about a possible future of the United States and in doing so becomes a cautionary tale of immediate relevance.
The process has been very interesting from drafting the manuscript to marketing the product to publishers and then working with the publisher’s editors and ultimately receiving my first printed copies and letting the world know.
I encourage you to check the book out, which is available on-line from about a dozen different sources. I also suggest you check out the Goodreads reviews to get a better sense of the story,
During a four-decade career in communications, Bob was responsible for developing the brand of a company that began as a small, one-state de novo operation (GUARD Insurance Group) with a dozen employees and sales of $500,000. During his tenure, that start-up grew to be active in all 50 states with 900 employees and sales in excess of $1.5 BILLION. Bob created the communications function within that organization and oversaw all aspects of the discipline across a 36-year period. During that time, the organization underwent several name changes and strategic rebrandings. That period included two sales to new parent corporations – the most recent to Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway family in 2012. Historically, the company’s communications activities (from advertising, web development, and public relations to more technical tasks) were all handled by an in-house staff of less than 10 people who created and maintained GUARD’s brand. Bob has often said that he has worked for a number of employers (from small to quite large) without ever having to change jobs. While he has enjoyed experiencing the size and scope of the current variation (Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies), he has always had a particular fondness for the smaller versions.
In addition to insurance, Bob has experience with branding- and communications-related activities for the following industries: commercial real estate, banking, technology, and retail operations. He is a graduate of Bucknell University.
Bob and his wife Molly have two adult children (Caitlin and Dylan) and split time between Dallas and Harvey's Lake in Pennsylvania.
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Brand Building for Small Business 