Mike brings more than 30+ years of retail, marketing, branding, services and leadership experience to the business and a track record of driving growth and creating long-term value. As a proven strategic and
creative leader, Mike contributes experience, discipline and passion to helping clients succeed.

In addition to being chairman and owner of Qantm Creative, Mike is the CEO of a multinational marketing and merchandising services organization that works with some of the world’s most compelling brands across nine countries. Before this, Mike served as the chief administrative officer and chief transformation officer for Dollar Tree and Family Dollar Stores, chief executive officer for The Parker Avery Group, vice president of strategy and operations at Manhattan Associates and vice president of product and operations and managing director of Europe for Evant.

Outside of work, he serves on several charitable organization boards and enjoys spending time with his wife and children and serving up aces on the tennis court.

Jean’s been around. In a good way. Besides being our faithful leader aka owner and CEO, her experience runs deep. In addition to serving our Qantm clients, Jean has experience working with the University of Richmond alumni group, Virginia Housing Development Authority, Richmond SPCA and more. Her coolest place to work aside from Qantm, of course was the Capital One think tank. Jean LOVES expressing herself through visual art. She is also the pretty dang proud mom to three adult children and is an aspiring dog groomer to goldendoodle Bayley, the agency’s unofficial office manager, err, mascot.  

What percolates Jean is to be the coffee bean. If adversity were boiling water and the choice was being a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean, she explains, one should pick the coffee bean. That same coffee bean envelopes its surroundings and blooms into something wonderful. So … BE THE COFFEE BEAN.

With over 30 years in this ever-evolving industry, Bill, a former Navy brat has collaborated with such clients as Arby’s, Do it Best Corp., STIHL, City of Norfolk, Norfolk Festevents, City of Virginia Beach, McDonald’s and Stellantis, just to highlight a few. Bill has that relentless desire to help clients’ brands stand out in a crowded marketplace.

What puts wind in Bill’s sails besides spending time with his kids and grandkids, his greatest achievements and loves? He says it’s quite literally sailing … and windsurfing, scuba diving and swimming. Seeing a theme?

Nicole is a sales and marketing veteran. She has nearly four decades of industry experience and 20 years of online advertising experience. Throughout her career, she has created thousands of comprehensive plans that include traditional media to SEM, SEO, display, email marketing, native and content solutions. Skilled in evaluating, implementing and tracking marketing strategies for positive results, she enjoys providing digital training and extraordinary customer service to clients. In addition, Nicole has coordinated and successfully executed numerous professional and community events from conferences to live auctions.

She has range. Nicole is a Girl Scouts volunteer leader with two troops, cigar aficionado and coffee overachiever. Her claim to fame is being born at the now Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and having lived in Virginia her entire life, a true local. Her greatest achievements by far are her amazing children, who are hardworking, loving and inclusive individuals.

This guy is an innovative and passionate graphic designer with decades of experience in traditional and digital advertising, marketing, editorial and website design. Throughout the years, he has led teams of designers, photographers, videographers and illustrators and produced many award-winning, high-end visuals and branding for products, businesses and publications that are not only strategic but also often emotionally resonate with audiences. He has worked with thousands of clients over the years in almost every industry.

EJ also is a capable musician, amateur chef, coffee addict and animal lover. His greatest fears are being trapped in a small space and, thanks to watching the movie “Jaws” as a child, being eaten alive by sharks. To quote the wise Quint, RIP, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat!”

A true native of the Hampton Roads region, Kim has worked only with advertising agencies in her 40+  financial career. She’s seen everything. She’s had first row seats watching ad agencies evolve from a Mad Men-esque vibe and manual input to where it is today, a more inclusive and tech-driven digital industry, which still has much capacity for relationship-building. She always gives 110% and takes her job very seriously. Kim’s supportive of her peers and clients.

Her greatest passion and what fills her cup is helping those less fortunate in our community and the fellowship that comes with this. She loves, quite literally, coming to the table to feed and break bread with those in great need. With her financial background, Kim also serves as the treasurer at her church. In her down time, she’s a big summer fan, beach worshipper, reader of romance novels and avid card player.

Sheryl jumpstarted her career with former tech superstore Circuit City, then migrated toward agency life at The Martin Agency, Reed & Associates, Paraclete Marketing Group and now Qantm Creative.  For more than two and half decades, she has worked, led or collaborated with clients such as District, Got Milk?, Virginia Natural Gas, Aruba Tourism, Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development, Gates Milling, Navy League of Hampton Roads, TV Land Nick at Night and many more.

Sheryl, who believes all work is better performed as a team, loves taking ownership of projects and putting in hard, collaborative and independent work, which brings on the thrill of seeing it to completion.

In addition to being a travel junkie, beach bum and book worm, especially of true crime, Sheryl is a mad pickleball player, podcast fan and trail rider (4-wheeler style). Plus, her favorite card game is Five Crowns. “It’s anyone’s game right until the end,” she explains. She also finds a sunset as the best way to close a day and think about how today’s challenges and opportunities will make you better tomorrow.

Peyton is a dynamic, highly organized professional with a critical eye for detail. She has extensive experience in social, digital and traditional marketing, project management and strategic communications. She has spent several years honing her skills in the nonprofit sector, where she oversaw campaign strategy and execution for a variety of organizations, and now she uses her work style of calm, cool and client-first (we love alliteration) to lead with clients such as the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, City of Manassas and Virginia Health Services.

She really enjoys getting involved in the community and is an active member of the Portsmouth Service League. Peyton also is a self-described gardener and travel junkie. Growing up near a beach, she’s come to love a good sunset and wants to vacation anywhere with white sand and blue water.

If you ask Jay about his work style, he’d say he is laser-focused on detail and values communication above all else for an efficient work-flow. As creative director, Jay enjoys being able to get his hands into all aspects of the creative department, utilizing his experience collaborating on teams large and small, building brands in industries ranging from Destination Marketing to Automotive to Hospitality and many more.

Jay loves living around the water and enjoys paddle boarding, especially in the winter (Brrrr!). He prefers sunset over sunrise, as the former is far less frowned upon to enjoy with a cocktail in hand.

Miscellaneous Fact: He also owns a women’s clothing store with his wife.

Almost two decades in the biz, Lori has covered fractional CMO with over 30 law firms and served businesses such as Registrar Corp, Cox Communications, STIHL and Currituck County, North Carolina.

At Qantm, she works with clients such as The Breeden Company; Carmines, Robbins & Company; Gates Milling; Colley Executive Offices; Hampton Roads Workforce Council; Lago Mar Beach Resort & Club; Manassas Economic Development; Historic Manassas; Manassas Parks and Recreation; City of Norfolk, City of Manassas; Sail250; Sundial Resort & Spa; Virginia Health Services and Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development. Digital marketing makes her happy because of how highly targeted and measurable it is.

Something to know about Lori: she loves her dog Luna, a sometimes visitor to the office and her beach buddy, which makes sense because both prefer vacays in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. A wildcard Lori fact: she still has two baby teeth.

The daughter of an accomplished Black former executive in the industry, the communications business is just a part of Nealy’s DNA. In the industry herself for a couple of decades, Nealy started out as a journalist and copy editor and has since transferred her skills to the corporate, nonprofit, government and now agency world. As PR director, she brings her passion for storytelling, relationship building and attention to detail and grammar to her role. Nealy has helped companies win several awards, including a Stevie International Business Award, Public Relations Society of America Pinnacle awards, an LACP Vision award and a Nielsen Norman Group Intranet Design award. She received her bachelor’s degree in mass media arts from Hampton University and a master’s degree in writing from DePaul University and has her accreditation in public relations. She is also a former Maynard Institute Fellow and was part of the LEAD Hampton Roads Class of 2014 (the best class ever!).

Nealy is also active in her community, serving on the Norfolk Tourism Foundation and Virginia Beach Public Library Advisory boards. Nealy is also a member of Black Brand, the Hampton Roads Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Public Relations Society of America.

Outside of work, she is a published author with a passion for short-term mission trips with her church. She also practices aerial arts, can eat fire, loves spending the spring and summer berry picking and is her family’s appointed baker. Her claim to fame? She’s related to the great late jazz musician and bandleader Dizzy Gillespie … but failed miserably at learning trumpet.

Abby works with clients across diverse sectors, including the maritime industry, nonprofits, personal injury law, home services, automotive and transportation. Known for her comprehensive note-taking and thorough follow-up questions, she also prioritizes building empathetic relationships with both current and potential clients.

In her burgeoning career and community involvement, Abby has already earned recognition as a 2023 COVABiz NextGen honoree and the 2023 Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach New Member of the Year. She actively volunteers as a board member with the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce’s young professionals tHRive organization and the Propeller Club. Abby’s personal passions include collecting houseplants, enjoying beach life, experimenting as an amateur home chef, reading fiction, attempting crosswords, weightlifting and practicing yoga.

Maria has been in the creative field for almost two and a half decades. Whew! Clients and places with whom she’s worked include Booz Allen Hamilton, Department of Defense, Defense Technical Information Center, National Association of College and University Business Officers, Virginia Opera, American Library Association, The Health Journal, Newport News Tourism, City of Manassas, Virginia Health Services, The Local Scoop and City Center at Oyster Point (Newport News, Virginia). She is described by her peers as dependable. Her work for the Manassas 2022 Annual Report was recognized with a Graphic Design USA 2023 award.

Maria is home chef de cuisine & baker with her kitchen being her very happy and Zen place. Feeding family and friends and having them enjoy her food is how she shows love. She’s also a Star Wars and Marvel Comics movie junkie, loves romantasy books and period romance dramas like Bridgerton and Pride & Prejudice.

Shaun has the kind of experience you want to see from a creative. With almost two decades worth of experience, his diverse client base ranges from a front-end developer with hospitality to a real estate developer and several municipalities. Through the years, Shaun has maintained a strong focus on work and deadlines while adopting a relaxed, laid-back approach.

Outside of work, Shaun can often be found at the gym building up stamina for chasing after his young children. He is also a certified coffee addict and loves a good sunrise. Yet, he also makes time for gaming, collecting minifigs, being an amateur chef (his fave pasta noodle is pancit habhab) and being a certified plantita (google it). He lives by the words of Boris Pasternak: “Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”

Originally from the great state of Texas, Maddie is a recent graduate who studied graphic design and photography during her time in college. Although her personal design style is colorful, illustrative, and somewhat maximalistc, she loves a good design challenge that takes her outside of her creative comfort zone. In the past, she has worked in athletics and university marketing, and now enjoys being a part of an environment like Qantm where she can get her hands on a variety of different projects and truly put her skills to the test. 

When she’s not busy photographing or designing, she likes participating in one of her many hobbies, including lifting, hiking, running, brushing up on scientific research, trying new recipes, fishing, line dancing, fiber arts, and being an amateur plant mom to her only child, Jefé.

With a B.S.B.A. in digital marketing from Old Dominion University, Jadea brings great knowledge and creativity to Qantm Creative, especially serving the City of Virginia Beach and travel and leisure clients such as Florida-based Lago Mar Beach Resort & Club and Sundial Beach Resort & Spa. Her role encompasses mastering various digital channels to reach target audiences effectively, developing digital marketing strategies, creating engaging content, managing advertising campaigns, analyzing performance metrics and staying updated on industry trends and best practices.

Outside of the office, Jadea can be found listening to live music, discovering and sampling diverse, local cuisine reading on the beach or enjoying a beautiful sunset, it’s how she recharges.

Although Kerry self-identifies as the office gremlin, she is far from being anything outside of an agency godsend, especially when it comes to all things hospitality related. She is the agency subject matter expert and has been working and nurturing relationships with our resort, hotel and restaurant clients for more than 13 years. In her role, Kerry is at the front lines of our clients’ digital communities. She manages Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest accounts. In addition, she writes blogs for several agency clients. Kerry keeps an eye on the social world and easily adapts social marketing strategies with the ever-changing rules taking place across all platforms.

When left to her own devices, she loves to cook and meal prep.  In fact, her most recent professional award was taking first place in the agency chili cookoff (thank you, J. Kenji López-Alt and “Serious Eats”). She also enjoys reading in the tub and catching up on Bravo shows with her two dogs.

Lauren is an experienced marketing professional with over a decade of expertise in brand marketing, account support, and creative project management. Recognized for her exceptional organizational skills, she is a proud alum of Old Dominion University, where she earned a B.S. in Marketing Management.

With experience as a Marketing Director for an international manufacturer, Lauren has honed her skills in strategic marketing and brand management, aligning initiatives seamlessly with operations, sales, and customer service to drive business success. Lauren now brings her expertise to Qantm as an Account Manager, dedicated to delivering meaningful results and fostering strong client relationships.

Outside the office, you can find Lauren leading yoga and sound healing classes in her community as a dedicated yoga teacher. She firmly believes in a holistic approach to life and work, integrating mindfulness into everything she does to foster well-being and positivity.

An alum of Elon University, Hannah would describe herself as detailed and driven. She’s a beast with creating content, managing accounts, formulating strategies and monthly reporting for The Breeden Company, Breeden Construction and the City of Manassas Economic Development Department. In addition, she skillfully manages Qantm Creative’s social media channels .

Hannah’s passion in her away-from-work time is working on Send It For Shane, the nonprofit organization her family started to honor her late brother.

Her favorite fuel on a busy workday is caramel iced coffee with almond milk. Hannah’s words to live by: “Welcome to the real world! It sucks. You’re gonna love it.” – Monica Geller, Season 1, Episode 1 of “Friends.”

Anne Porter has a passion for the people of Hampton Roads. From growing up in Virginia Beach to attending Christoper Newport across the water, she has a love of the area that runs deep. 

She began her career in social media management in Virginia Beach, where she built relationships with wonderful local clients, which only reinforced her desire to offer measurable insight to companies seeking growth. She aims to understand the story behind each client and their ideal audiences’ desires and motivations to act. She loves the opportunity to play a part in the success of each business and organization to thrive.

When not at work, you can find her on walks with friends, at the hot yoga studio, trying new local spots, or reading a good book by the water (she’s always accepting book recommendations).

Becky brings almost two decades of experience with event planning and administrative operations. At Qantm, she does the media buying for the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, Lago Mar, Sundial and the cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk.

Becky is a big fiction reader; she especially loves mysteries. Her guiding work ethic is integrity and keeping on top of things. Her work beverage of choice is a couple of Dr Pepper Zeros during the day. Her superpower: she can wiggle her ears.

Since publishing his first newspaper in third grade, Andrew has always had a keen eye and passion for creating effective and creative communications. A proud native of Nebraska, Andrew decided early to see the world. He was fortunate to do so while living in Washington, D.C., and working with public relations and marketing firms promoting American hardwood products throughout Asia.

Since moving to Hampton Roads, Andrew has worked with Sentara Healthcare, led rebranding efforts for area non profits, published a print and digital magazine for the Hampton Roads LGBTQ community and most recently served Samaritan House as a one-person public relations and marketing team for Samaritan House.

Outside the office, Andrew enjoys travel, food and eating (in that order.) Additionally, he loves vintage cinema, MCM furnishings, cooking, history and he excels at retrieving items from high shelves for anyone height-challenged.  

Gina has enjoyed a variety of careers throughout her life, including working with at risk teenagers at a wilderness school, starting a therapeutic and able-bodied horse back riding program from the ground up, finding new homes for animals via the Norfolk SPCA and working in the fitness industry as a Director of Health and Wellness, a Manager of group fitness instructors and finally managing two gyms local to Norfolk. She grew up in Florida but, after living in Norfolk for over 20 years, calls Virginia her home. One of Gina’s superpowers is extreme attention to detail. If you want to know her other superpowers, just ask! She loves serving others and finding small, simple ways to make people’s lives easier. 

Take Gina places she’s never been before! Travel and adventure are her love languages. Community theater, baking delicious goodies and socializing with friends are just a few things she does with her free time. She couldn’t be more proud of her two teenage boys and is lucky enough to share her life with her creative and hilarious husband. Every day, she lives the words “Work hard and be nice.”

Tanya has been in the PR arena for many loops around the sun. Her communications skill set has supported municipalities, the hospitality industry, countless arts, human service and family not-for-profits, military groups, foundations and corporate entities. One highlight was working alongside The Chrysler Museum of Art with the “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm” exhibit. Passion, kindness, curiosity, collaboration, successful client outcomes and lifting people up are what makes her wheels turn round.

Tanya really loves to cook for others because food is love. She served as a Coast Guard spouse for over 20 years. She’s rabid about inclusivity in her community (she’s a volunteer board member and her civic league president), the arts, travel and music, live or otherwise. Her favorite Bravo show hands down is Top Chef. She’s met a ton of musicians in her decades of working in a record store, her perfect side hustle. Wacky facts: she taught middle school English for six years and was a VISTA volunteer (now Americorps).

Erin is an enthusiastic and dynamic addition to the public relations industry, currently assisting with high-profile clients such as Hypertherm, Breeden Company and the Chrysler Museum of Art. As a PR assistant at Qantm, Erin infuses every project with collaborative energy and positivity. Her commitment to growth and passion for making a significant impact in public relations drive her to excel and innovate within the field.

Erin is also a dedicated strategic communications student at Old Dominion University, where she actively participates in the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter, further honing her skills and expanding her professional network.

Outside of work and academics, Erin enjoys sharpening her culinary skills, diving into captivating books and relaxing with her cat while indulging in reality TV.

Woof woof! Bark bark! Ruff ruff woof!