Over the years my work life has followed the path of "a create your own adventure" career rather than a cookie cutter trajectory. This has given me tremendous opportunities to be more or less at the ground floor of many cool and innovative organizations and projects.

While in college I ran the college/community radio station KAOS - as the program director I developed a new radio program/format that lives on almost 20 years later. Out of college I began with a position at Hear Music, a precursor to what is now Starbucks Music. From there I moved into working for the first and now one of the largest organic produce wholesalers in the Northwest (Organically Grown Company), first as a delivery driver then as a sales associate and creator/manager of a consumer direct sales program. During that time I helped it grow from 6 to 20 employees and into new markets. Deciding to take my passion in sailing to new waters, I left OGC and embarked on a two year sail education adventure as crew for tall ships in the Northwest and New York state. Ready to "swallow the anchor" I landed at Unity, Inc. a mental health provider in Portland, where I created my own positions. Here I began as a temporary employee developing spreadsheets for tracking client information, and quickly advanced into a Site Operations Business Manager running the largest clinic and supervising an administrative team. After a few years, to add more challenge and learning to my work life, I moved into fundraising, event planning and communications & marketing, at what had become (through mergers) Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, Oregon's largest mental health and addictions provider. And then came 2007/2008.

That year the economy tanked, Cascadia entered serious financial troubles, and the entire communications team was laid off. Fortunately I had developed a connection to the owner of a boutique communications company (Sundrop Media) with plenty of work. They invited me to join their three person team and together we ran PR campaigns for Street of Dreams, California Pizza Kitchen, Animation Mentor, Zamberlan Footwear, and others. This was the seed for Crandall's Corner.

I went on my own after a year with Sundrop Media and began working more exclusively with independent musicians, following my passion for the tunes and the people who create them. Also during this time I fostered relationships with organizations and began teaching myself web design. For the 2010 season of the Portland Jazz Festival I became its Marketing & Communications Manager, successfully creating a campaign that helped to sell out seven of eight shows, well under budget and return the festival to financial solvency. Since that time I have created websites and intranets small and large for a range of clients - from a simple site for a counseling practice to a 500+ page intranet. 

Read my resume to learn more about my work life

"What do you do?"

One of the most common questions we are asked when meeting someone for the first time. Often the answer is just one part of the picture, so here I attempt to briefly give you the rest which gets more to to the root of how I approach work and life.

I see the big picture and make unexpected connections. Whatever project I am working on, I have a knack for seeing how it fits within the larger context and how connections can be made between apparently disparate angles. This creative approach to work brings about innovative results. As well I constantly strive to introduce people and organizations who may have synergy.

I listen. Customers (that'd be you) know what they want. My job is to help you bring your ideas into the world in a way that more people understand what you are passionate about.

I like to learn. Work is learning. Life is learning. Mistakes happen. Continuous improvement... that's how we achieve excellence.

I'm passionate. When I love what I am doing it's pretty difficult to stop me from thinking and doing, and creating.

I am a thoughtful person who considers the impacts of my and my client's decisions on others, whether a friend or a large group of people.

My patience flows throughout my approach to work and people. We only live once, so why push it, unless it truly is necessary? People do their best work when empowered and inspired, not coerced.

I'm a dad. In addition to the feel good benefits that come from raising a child, being a dad has taught me more about the preciousness of time, and time management.

I've always been part of the independent music scene, starting in high school (1986-1990) where my friends and I produced "coffeehouse" concerts to promote environmental protection, featuring bands from around Massachusetts. By college I was a trained jazz pianist and expanded my interest in music to audio production and radio dj’ing. My show during morning prime time, Crandall's Corner, was a favorite among KAOS Radio listeners looking for independent folk and Celtic tunes in the morning. My passion for radio led me to become the station's Program Director until 1995 when I moved to Portland, Oregon.

Prior to graduation from the Evergreen State College I wrote a piece on the Rounder Records brand that was personally recognized as a great contribution to their history by CEO Ken Irwin. Rounder was one of the pre-eminent independent record labels in the United States now owned by Concord Group. Their values paired well with mine as they strove to take a risk on artists they believe in, even without being mega sellers.

My work life in Portland started with a position at Hear Music (because I love independent music), the predecessor to what became a record label for Starbucks. After that stint I led a meandering path through organic produce wholesaling, tall-ship sailing, non-profit business management, communications and marketing, and finally to today's small business Crandall's Corner. Throughout this path I have been energized by and involved in the independent music scene in Portland as a friend and advocate of musicians, and a core coordinator for events including Voices for Silent Disasters, the Portland Jazz Festival and the Rogue Bones & Brew. I took on a consultant’s position as the Marketing & Communications Director for the 2010 Portland Jazz Festival which successfully sold out seven of eight shows, an income that allowed it to continue after a couple of rocky years.

Some of my most memorable musical experiences are the most unexpected and the most intimate. This is why I love independent music, where the audience can be part of the show. There are no security guards, no troughs in the restrooms, no overpriced food and drink, just a room or hall full of music lovers who there to listen to some great music and discover the unexpected.

As far as recorded music goes, I like a fairly wide variety. Here's a Spotify playlist on the Sidebar page.