[Faculty Spotlight: Meet Jeffrey Heilbrunn by Michael Melero. Elizabeth did the editing. And Edward did the final proofread for typos.]
Adjunct Faculty Spotlight: Jeffrey Heilbrunn
-
My Interview with an Incredible Business Owner and Marketing Instructor
by Michael D. Melero
Can you remember a time when you had to work for someone else, even if it was for a fair salary, just to make ends meet? A job where you are expected to put in long hours of physical labor at a warehouse or do a mountain of paperwork between 9 to 5. Perhaps you are employed full-time, and this is the predicament you are currently in.
Have you ever thought about starting your own business—and don’t know where to start? Think about how different your life would be if you were your own boss instead of an employee. I was fortunate enough to talk to former American Marketing Association (AMA) Chicago Chapter President Jeffrey Heilbrunn, who went on to own his own business in 1994, named Dowell Group.
In addition to running his own business, he now spends his time teaching marketing and business management at universities to young people who want to follow in his footsteps.
He has a lifelong history of marketing to associations and organizations. He has experience with the vast majority of the commercial business software. He is an expert in building websites and e-commerce. He also has extensive knowledge in the field of web development and electronic commerce. He is even known among his peers in the AMA Chicago Chapter to be one of the most creative marketers due to his standout writing and speaking skills.
For a deeper understanding of the business and marketing world—I conducted the following interview with Jeffrey Heilbrunn.
Please tell me about your educational experiences.
Well, I started my education in 1968 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and I took my Bachelor of Science in Marketing. I had some great teachers and some great mentors as well. I think mentors are a very important part of the education experience. As far as my master's degree, I went on for an MBA from Loyola University in Chicago. I like to tell the story that I had straight A's except for one B.
Continuing on, I did a lot of things. I studied statistics and multivariate statistics under Jagdish Chef. He is one of the most popular premier marketing professors in the world.
You run your own business. Can you describe what your business is all about?
I started out in the market and research business. I didn't want to get pigeonholed into marketing research, although it was and continues to be extremely valuable. Then I got into product development, which I did for eight years. Following this, I entered the nonprofit world and became the president of the American Marketing Association Chicago Chapter, which was a great honor.
After leaving the AMA in 1993, I decided to open up my own business. It was called the Dowell Group, an advertising and promotion business. One of the projects I worked on was the World Cup soccer tournament. That work took me up to 1995, and I continued the Dowell Group on the sideline, getting involved in other things, such as startups with other firms.
What kinds of responsibilities do you take on to run your business?
Well, when you run your own business, you do it all, right? So, everything from getting business with different companies to filing your taxes. I worked with a lot of non-profit organizations here in Chicago.
One of those was a medical products company. The mid-90s was the beginning of a lot of people doing startups. I was working with a gentleman out of Lake Forest, and we helped to create a medical products company. Part of that process was raising money. I was lucky enough to sell off some of those shares and made a small bit of a fortune that allowed me to do other things.
Back in the late 90s. I also decided that I would also work to give back. I was already 25 years into my career and decided that teaching was something I wanted to do.
What prompted you to write a book about marketing?
About a year ago, I was having a chat with one of my colleagues at National Louis University, and we were talking about college student knowledge retention. And as we talked about it, I thought, I want to make sure that if my students want to retain more, I ought to write it all down. That's why I wrote the book. And it is free. I wanted my students to be able to remember all the good lessons.
Each chapter is in three sections, and there are 19 chapters. Each chapter deals with an important topic in marketing that I would teach in my classroom. And the three sections include my handwritten notes, an explanation of my notes, and then a resource list of books, videos, and articles. So, if you wanted to know more about storytelling and marketing, this is a great book. I also wanted to have a legacy for my students.
Describe the most significant setback you've ever experienced. What are some lessons you learned from it?
I think my career got out of balance at one point. I was working for my Board of Directors as the president of an organization. My Board of Directors decided that after eight years, it was time for me to move on. Those things happen in a career, and you have to be able to bounce back from that. And it gets to the importance of balance. If you are out of whack or out of balance, you will fall into a deep hole.
My advice is to be balanced and know that you've got a career, you've got a family, and you have your own personal life that you need to balance. As part of my teaching philosophy, I like to teach life lessons, and I work a few of those into my classes.
When you wake up first thing in the morning, what do you look forward to?
Well, nowadays, I teach. I'm usually up every morning at 7. Even though I'm 71 years old and I have my obligation to teach, I tell my students I'm online every day. Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, you name it. I enjoy my job enough to get up by 7 a.m., even at my age.
What is a valuable life lesson about business and marketing?
Marketing is a dynamic business. From 1968, when I entered the industry, to 2022, everything has changed. Some of my students come to me and ask, “Isn’t everything in marketing related to social media?” My response is, “well, let's talk a little bit about public relations, sales promotion, and selling,” Marketing is a field of study that has grown and changed tremendously over the years. Especially in the internet age due to consumer behavior. In the old days, we would buy a TV set. We'd go to a physical store. Maybe we would talk to our parents or some other people we know for recommendations. Today, it's all about reviews and internet sites. And by the way, it keeps changing.
Considering how far you've come as a company owner and marketer, describe your proudest accomplishment.
Well, it's been a long road. I've made money, spent money, and even started a company. I've had publications that have sold significantly. But my greatest accomplishment is the fact that as I look back over my last 25 years of teaching, I have taught approximately 10,000 students.
I'm very proud that as part of the process of being a good person, I'm giving back to all of my students. That's what I'm most proud of. Or, as McDonald's would say, “10,000 students served.”
Michael D. Melero is a junior, majoring in Communication and Media.
Credits
Writer: Michael D. Melero
Editor: Elizabeth Schaefer
Proofreader: Edward Gomez
Comentarios