Kyle B

Astonish has been busy scouting the best software developers in the biz and we’re happy to announce that we finally found them! Allow us to introduce our newest team members, Mike Benveniste and Kyle Bober. Mike joins the Astonish family to fill the role of Senior Software Architect and Kyle takes the title of Senior Software Engineer. With tons of software development experience and a passion for all things technical, these two are sure to bring even more innovation to the Astonish system.

 Mike Benveniste joins us from an international software company in Burlington, MA. Mike’s experience with software development will assist Astonish’s software team in designing and building amazing new products. Our successful clients already love using the Astonish digital marketing system and they’ll be even more impressed with new updates and additions.

Mike is excited to break ground on building new software to enhance the Astonish experience. He’s already in love with the culture at Astonish and how every employee displays a “get it done” attitude. When he’s not building killer software, Mike enjoys photography and coin collecting.

Kyle Bober brings over ten years of Java development experience to the Astonish software team and is “committed to building the next generation software platforms for Astonish.” He comes to us from a company that specialized in SEO and SEM software building. Kyle’s experience working with a team of whiz-kid developers should come in handy as the new Astonish software engineering team is constructed.

Mike B.

When he’s not working on techie things, Kyle loves to spend time with his wife and 18-month old daughter. He also digs snowboarding in the winter and relaxing on the Rhode Island coast in the summer.

The enthusiasm of our newest software masterminds is contagious! We’re psyched to have Kyle and Mike leading the Astonish software development team through the implementation of upcoming cutting-edge ventures. With the expertise and gusto of these two, Astonish clients are in for several amazingly useful tools and even more success.

In this week’s eMarketing Minute, Adam DeGraide sits down with Jim Armitage, the Chairman of Agents Council for Technology (ACT), and owner of Arroyo Insurance. They discuss his role with ACT and how the organization is helping insurance professionals embrace and leverage huge technological changes in the industry. The new video is available now exclusively on Insurance Journal TV.

Jim has a passion for teaching industry professionals how to use the latest online advancements, including social media and mobile strategies, to stay one step ahead of the competition. In this video, he emphasizes the importance of a group like ACT because the collaboration and sharing of information between carriers, agents, vendors, and user groups is priceless in their professional pursuits of success.

Established in 1999, ACT is a part of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Members of ACT are invited to numerous educational conventions and networking events where they can learn more about the latest online marketing tactics and gain advice from peers in the industry. Members are also treated to webinars such as “Facebook for Insurance Professionals” and “Creating a Successful Agency Website”, white papers, and other informative resources so they can study the implementation of the latest strategies straight from the technology experts.

In the video, Jim explains that the goal of ACT is to educate industry professionals on important online strategies for marketing, communication, and networking. This education allows them to keep up with competitors, discover easier ways to communicate with clients, and interact with prospective leads.

At Astonish, we’re inspired by Jim’s feverous enthusiasm in assisting agency principals and other industry professionals to navigate the new online marketing world. With his dedication to ACT, insurance professionals will find it easier to enhance their clients’ experiences with online tools. Be sure to watch this week’s eMarketing Minute to learn more about Jim’s role with ACT!

This week’s Insurance Journal TV eMarketing Minute features Jon Spaugy, the president of company council for Brokers Insurance Group. Adam DeGraide sat down with Jon to get the scoop on his rapidly growing organization. In this video, entitled “Brokers Insurance Group or B.I.G”, Jon’s passion for helping insurance agents to network, market, and grow is truly inspiring.

Jon started B.I.G in sunny California as a simple meeting of the minds for agency principals and insurance professionals. Jon feels the only way to keep the insurance agent alive in today’s world is to stay connected and share ideas. The first organized meeting had a surprising 200 people in attendance. With so much interest, Jon parlayed the next meeting into a full-blown convention and was ecstatic when over 800 industry professionals attended to network and get informed. Jon expanded B.I.G to neighboring Nevada and 1,100 people attended his tradeshow last year. This year’s B.I.G event is expected to bring in over 1,500 industry professionals including carriers, suppliers, and agency professionals from both California and Nevada.

As he discusses in the video, Jon attributes his organization’s staggering growth to their involvement in social media and other digital marketing avenues. He feels digital marketing is the only way insurance professionals will be able to thrive in this increasingly technological world. By attending B.I.G tradeshows and conventions, agency members can exchange digital marketing ideas and learn from each other’s experiences. Connecting with each other and sharing this valuable information gives agency professionals a chance to expand their marketing efforts and compete with bigger companies.

With events like a beach bash, charity golf tournament, and industry cruise to Mexico, B.I.G takes networking and education and rolls them into fun social events. Astonish is proud to watch Jon use digital marketing and his passion for the industry and truly make it B.I.G!

Last December Astonish raised over $28,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and now local publications are taking notice! Providence Business News recently published an article highlighting the company’s contribution to the charity. Astonish is honored to be included in such a prestigious local publication and to be a growing, integral part of the Rhode Island business community. The Astonish family is so proud of this accomplishment and the dedication of their employees to this well-deserved local organization.

Astonish was committed to raising an impressive sum of money for the Rhode Island Make-A-Wish Foundation and was thrilled to achieve such a lofty total. The attention of local publications is just the icing on the cake! Providence Business News delivers informative stories to over 35,300 local businesses every week and recognizes Astonish for its charitable work in the forefront of the local business community. The article also brings light to the amazing local Make-A-Wish foundation and what the organization achieves. Astonish hopes this story inspires other local businesses to get involved with charitable efforts and fundraising for this remarkable foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island was founded in 1987 and grants the wishes of local children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. With the help of generous business contributors like Astonish, the Foundation has served over 4,500 children in Massachusetts and 1,000 in Rhode Island.

Astonish CEO and Founder, Adam DeGraide, formulated the efforts of the fundraising campaign during the month of December. The company accumulated portions of sales proceeds and pledged $1 for every new Facebook ‘Like’ throughout the month. The Astonish executive team also generously matched the funds contributed, calculating a grand total of $28,950.

The average cost to grant a child’s wish is around $6,500, so the money contributed by Astonish will grant at least four wishes for local children. “The decision to partner with The Make-A-Wish Foundation was a simple one. Not only do we have an opportunity to give back to the local community, but we are directly supporting the most important aspect of our future—the children,” stated DeGraide. Astonish looks forward to its growing partnership with the local Make-A-Wish Foundation and to future involvement in the Rhode Island community.

From April 30^th to May 2^nd, Astonish Results will be meeting, greeting, and inspiring over 600 insurance program business professionals at the Target Market Program Administrators Association 2012 Mid Year Meeting. This year, the TMPAA meeting will be held in West Copley Place, Boston, MA, and is featuring Keynote speaker Ted Koppel and Industry Speaker Dr. Robert P. Hartwig from the Insurance Information Institute. These four days are jam packed with education and networking opportunities. Insurance masterminds can get involved in several program workshops and social events. Mid Year Meeting attendees are also encouraged to learn more about vendor services and enjoy industry award ceremonies. 

Astonish Results has recently joined the TMPAA and is now included in the ranks of more than 240 Program Administrators and  50 Carrier Members. The company is getting fully involved in the Mid Year Meeting with a vendor booth that will present information on its one-of-a-kind digital marketing system. Adam DeGraide, CEO, and Tim Sawyer, Co-Founder and Head of Client Services, will be representing Astonish Results at a program workshop with an enlightening and motivating speaking engagement that will get every attendee excited about their business. Tim and Adam will be speaking on Monday, April 30^th, at the 21^st Century Program entitled “Selling to the Modern Consumer.” Program attendees will get a taste of the enthusiasm and forward thinking Astonish Results brings to insurance marketing. These attendees will also be the first to hear about an exciting new Astonish product line. The Astonish executives are planning to blow the roof off of each professional’s marketing plan and open their eyes to profitable opportunities that target extreme business growth.

Those who visit the Astonish vendor tradeshow booth can expect to have their socks knocked off by the wealth of information on Astonish’s newest insurance marketing systems. The booth will showcase the revolutionary Astonish Results digital marketing system and how it can be applied to any insurance business. Astonish representatives look forward to interacting with Managing General Agencies and wholesale companies that are geared toward finding higher quality agencies, leveraging social media and the Internet, supporting their distribution channels with powerful marketing tools, and binding more premium. Visitors at the Astonish booth will learn the importance of digital marketing and how the Astonish system can save time and money with cutting edge automated features.

The TMPAA Mid Year Meeting promises to be a great networking and learning event for insurance professionals. Astonish is ecstatic to be a part of this professional association and can’t wait to meet and speak with its members. This is an exciting opportunity for Astonish to inspire many important professionals in the insurance industry and announce the release of a great new product line. For more information on the 2012 Mid Year Meeting, visit http://www.targetmkts.com/.

Astonish recently appointed the final members of our executive team and we couldn’t be more excited! The new members complete our rock star team of executives and include: Dino Cattaneo as Digital Marketing Officer, Eric Johnson as Chief Financial Officer, Rishi Bhatia as Chief Technology Officer, Stuart Ganis as Executive Vice President of Sales and Development, and Topher Grant as Executive Vice President of Marketing. They join existing members: John Boudreau, Chief Operating Officer; Tim Sawyer, President and Head of Client Relations; and Adam DeGraide, Chief Executive Officer.

In his new role as DMO, Dino Cattaneo will focus on planning new marketing strategies for Astonish clients to improve their social media, email campaigns, and lead sources. His extensive experience in the digital marketing field will complement our team.

Eric Johnson joins Astonish with extensive budgeting experience for large companies such as Intel. He’s held various roles in the financial industry and as our new CFO, will keep our finances on track as we grow.

With over 17 years of technology development experience for both start-up and Fortune 500 companies, Rishi Bhatia brings tons of knowledge to the table in his new role as Astonish’s CTO. He’ll be creating new products for our awesome clients, and improving existing products, including the Astonish Virtual Profit Center.

Stuart Ganis has over 33 years experience in managing and owning independent insurance agencies. He’s no stranger to leading stellar sales teams to exceed their goal. Stuart’s new role as EVP of Sales and Development allows him to seek new sales opportunities and inspire the sales team to excel.

When it comes to the marketing and brand consistency of Astonish, Topher Grant has got it in the bag! He’s been with Astonish since its inception and says he is honored for being appointed to EVP of Marketing. He’ll be developing and executing a killer marketing strategy to spread the good news about  Astonish digital marketing to the independent insurance industry.

Astonish is growing and these recent additions to the executive team will bring us to new heights. Each individual’s talent, enthusiasm, and experience are valuable assets to our company and we’re psyched to have them on board!

Astonish is proud to introduce our newest team member, Dino Cattaneo. Dino is taking on the role of Digital Marketing Officer and he is nothing short of a dynamo! He joins our talented digital marketing team to assist Astonish clients with increasing their results, especially in social media and email campaigns. Dino has already set some amazing goals for his department, including expanding lead sources and helping clients to capitalize on their local presence through digital media.  With his diverse experience in the digital media field, we have no doubt he’ll be able to achieve these goals!

Dino has been working in digital marketing agencies for the last ten years. Most of his clients were in the financial, high-tech, and service industries. They included large companies like Best Buy, General Motors, Liberty Mutual, and JD Powers and Associates. Dino assisted these clients with websites, brand awareness campaigns, SEO, SEM, and customer loyalty. The last project he worked on that holds a dear place in his heart was a redesign for Aspen Ski Resort’s website.

Born and raised in Italy, Dino attended Italy’s #1 University for Business and Economics, Bocconi, and earned his laurea, which is equivalent to a M.S. in the United States. Dino also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He’s always had a true passion for digital marketing and loves learning about new technology and online marketing tactics.

When Dino isn’t elbow-deep in digital marketing or learning about new techniques, he enjoys running, skiing, and spending time with his wife and two children. He is also a music fan and plays the guitar and bass. While he loves all music, Dino has recently discovered a love of playing country music. He is also a Patriots fan and an enthusiast of all Boston sports teams.

Dino is already enjoying the culture and environment at Astonish. “I love coming to work every day to a place where everyone is so enthusiastic about what we do,” he said. Astonish is excited to have Dino as a part of the digital marketing team. His experience and passion will ignite our gifted team to do big things. Welcome to the team, Dino!

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a shout for Alicia Collins, our February Employee of the month!

Alicia is our Social Media Manager, and an invaluable member of the Astonish Results family. Within Astonish, Alicia manages and monitors our social media sites to spread the news about Astonish and keep our clients up to date with Astonish happenings. She is the positive, helpful, informative voice of our online social presence and is in charge of building our online community.

Alicia presenting in New Jersey

Alicia is stellar social media manager, and also works to help our clients with their online social presence. She is directly involved with helping clients set up and manage their social media sites; reviewing and revamping their social strategies; and blogging, reporting, and analyzing to improve their insurance marketing efforts. Alicia is dedicated to educating our clients and hosts monthly webinars about different social media platforms, offering best practices and ideas to maximize their results in each area.

One of Alicia’s favorite things about Astonish is the people she works with. ”Everyone here really does work towards the common goal of helping our clients succeed and grow their business. I feel that all Astonish employees are the best and brightest when it comes to digital marketing, and are always willing to help one another with a project, issue, or help strategize to better a process. I think the people that work at Astonish are what makes the company so great, and the results for the clients show!”

Alicia’s goals for 2012 are centered around the feedback from our 2011 client survey. She aims to dive deep into metrics, use them to understand how the best social media results are achieved, and then share that pathway with other clients. She also wants to provide more training for topics that clients have requested, such as Google Plus, Pinterest, offsite blogging, and Facebook contests, among others. Find Alicia on Twitter at @astonish_alicia.

As the fastest-growing technology company in Rhode Island, Astonish Results is committed to maintaining solid leadership, the right people, best resources, continued development of our system and tools, and opening new Astonish Results career paths.

In this ongoing effort, we have acquired a new Chief Technology Officer, Rishi Bhatia. Rishi is an extraordinary addition to our executive team, and we are thrilled to have him on board. As CTO, Rishi will be leading the enterprise-level development of our Virtual Profit Center’s consistent improvement, along with with Jon Boudreau, Jon Wellington, Wade Leveille, and the entire Business Software Engineering team.

Rishi is very experienced and passionate about launching new products that create value for customers, and Astonish is pumped about the innovation that will soon be available to our clients. Rishi has over 17 years of extensive experience in creating and leading technology development, from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies in many different verticals.

Immediately prior to joining Astonish, Rishi was CTO of Pangea Media, where he led the development of SnapApp—a marketing platform that enables brands to build affinity and drive sales by allowing them to connect, converse, educate, and entertain on the web, social, and mobile venues. Within 12 months, Rishi led the project from concept to development and implementation for over 350 clients. In that time, SnapApp earned the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Award (MITX) for 2011 Direct Response. The MITX program is noted in the San Francisco Chronicle as “the largest and most prestigious awards competition in the country for technology innovations, and [it] celebrates the best creative and technological accomplishments emerging from New England.” You can find Rishi on LinkedIn to see more of his career feats.

Rishi is originally from India, where he earned a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from Punjabi University. He currently lives in Walpole, MA with his superstar wife and two children. Rishi says he loves New England for “its rich culture, diversity, world dominating sports teams, and because people are direct so that you always know where you stand.”

Astonish loves that we have another technology genius in our midst, and we offer this warning: local insurance agencies need to prepare for what’s about to hit them!

Astonish Results is pleased to introduce Eric Johnson, the latest member of our executive team. Eric has taken on the critically important role of Chief Financial Officer for Astonish, and will be ensuring that our finances will be managed properly and used effectively to serve our clients and help our company grow.

Eric has an impressive education, with an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. That makes Eric the second chemist among our executives, along with John Boudreau, our COO. We are bound to benefit greatly from the addition of another analytical mind at the helm.

Prior to joining Astonish, Eric worked for Intel in Arizona within various finance roles for 10 years. He also co-founded a solar cell manufacturing business, SpectraWatt, Inc., which he and others spun out of Intel with the help of multiple investors. Eric served as the VP of Finance at SpectraWatt for three years prior to taking on his new role at Astonish.

Eric was one of the first four employees at SpectraWatt, and says that he was able to meet every new employee one at a time, as they joined. In larger companies like Astonish, he says it’s always a challenge to remember names and faces all at once when joining, but he’s enthused. Eric was introduced to us for the first time during our annual, company-wide Astonish Results family meeting this past week, which he said was “definitely a bonus!” His favorite part of Astonish so far is “definitely the employees—all the people who work here. I love their enthusiasm.”

Outside of work, Eric enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and fishing. He’s also excited about Super Bowl 46 this year. Who is he rooting for? “Without question, the New York Giants,” Eric says. “I’ve been a Giants fan my whole life having grown up in New England, so this year looks to be a fun one.”

He even has a bet with a buddy over the game. If the Giants lose, Eric says, “I’ll have to place a Pats bumper sticker on my car for a year. But I’m really thinking my buddy is going to get lots of compliments on his brand new Giants sticker. I’m totally looking forward to that.” We’ll be looking forward to how his bet turns out, as well!

Thanks, Eric, for taking on the monumental role of CFO in our company. We’re grateful for the knowledge and experience you are bringing to the table to help our company succeed this year and in the years ahead.