Mike Ferguson

Owner (2007 – 2009)
Fresh Ground Consulting (Fullerton, California)
Fresh Ground Consulting provides content, marketing, and strategy consulting, primarily to coffee companies. Clients also include charitable organizations, trade associations, trade show producers, and others.

Senior Consultant (2008 – 2009)
Coffee Solutions (Hopedale, Massachusetts)
Provide marketing and communications support for Coffee Solutions and client
consulting consisting primarily of industry insight, analysis and strategy, facilitation of networking, roduct positioning and market entry, and content development.

Director of Operations (2007 – 2008)
Zoka Coffee Roasters & Tea Company (Seattle, Washington)
Provide planning, direction, and leadership for the daily operations of Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea ompany and its 85 employees. Formulate policies, manage for efficiencies, and coordinate the use of material and human resources. Oversaw accounting staff.

Chief of Staff (2005 – 2007)
Specialty Coffee Association of America (Long Beach, California)
Part of the executive management team along with the executive director, handling a wide range of atters of institutional importance on behalf of executive director, and overseeing all non-financial perations of the association headquarters, including management of staff, administration, policies, and rocedures. Directly supervise 12 employees and numerous vendors while staffing the association’s board f directors and acting as senior planner and marketer for the world’s largest coffee conference and trade how. Selected responsibilities and outcomes:

• Established new internal control policies and procedures relative to separation of duties, isbursement of funds, and expense management, and actively managed the interface etween controls and staff.
• Executed successful significant reduction in operational costs across all functions, directing imited resources, counseling staff and overseeing ongoing communications among a wide ariety of stakeholders while pursuing new revenue strategies.
• Continued to function as Chief Communications Officer.

Chief Communications Officer (2003 – 2005)
Marketing Communications Director (1998 – 2003)
Specialty Coffee Association of America (Long Beach, California)
Responsible for strengthening the association's communication effectiveness with its membership hrough both internal and external communication tools; overseeing the association's membership evelopment and revenue driving efforts through marketing of the association's services, programs, and roducts to the coffee trade; and establishing the association as the leading voice of the coffee industry or technical, marketing, and consumer information on all aspects of specialty coffee through external edia strategies. Directly supervise five employees and numerous vendors while staffing the association’s oard of di rectors. Selected responsibilities and outcomes:

• Created and hired a sales position and oversaw an increase in association membership from ,400 companies in 1998, to 3,000 in 2005.
• Played a key role in increasing the association’s total revenue from 2.5 million in 1998, to 4.2 illion in 2005 through renewed positioning of products and services and creation of new roducts and programs.
• Oversaw the restructuring and revitalization of the association’s brand, including a new logo, he introduction of brand-discipline, and the complete redesign of all key communications, ncluding newsletter and website.
• Responsible for stewardship of the association’s strategic plan, keeping all stakeholders on ask and within the parameters established by an extensive strategic planning process.
• Increased daily press contacts from an average of one a day to an average of four a day. uoted hundreds of times in trade and consumer media, including each of the top 10 daily ewspapers.
• Substantially increased the association’s presence in the trade media without a corresponding ncrease in ad budget.
• Published articles in Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, Fresh Cup Magazine, Specialty Coffee etailers, and Gourmet Retailer. Authored the preface to “Effective & Essential Marketing for he Specialty Coffee Retailer” by Bruce Milletto.
• Established the association’s comprehensive library and information services programs, ncluding the hiring of a professional librarian.
• Played a critical role in planning and marketing for eight profitable coffee trade shows, the argest gathering of coffee professionals in the world.
• Implemented improvements in the design and execution of the association’s sponsorship rograms, resulting in an increase in conference and trade show related sponsorship revenue rom $60,000 to $185,000.

Consultant, Self-Employed (1995-1998)
Opus Unlimited (Los Gatos, California)
Services included proposal writing, funding research, creation of internal procedure and process manuals, olicy review and updating, development of marketing materials, research design and analysis of results. lient list included United Way, San Jose State University, Aspen Health Services, Role Model Program, ollege Health Enterprises, Awareness Films, and Social Model Recovery Systems.

Allocation and Evaluation Specialist (1995-1996)
United Way of Santa Clara County (San Jose, California)
Responsible for liaison activity with United Way agencies. Involved in policy review and development, and erved as a policy advisor to committees and board. Played a leadership role in restructuring the system or allocating funds to agencies. Wrote the proposal for and won an outside grant on behalf of United ay for the creation of an innovative incubator program for start-up nonprofits. Managed an emergency
loan program for nonprofit organizations experiencing cash flow shortages due to state budget delays.

Director of Programs (1994-1995)
Homeless Program Coordinator (1993-1994)
Volunteer and Vocational Programs Coordinator (1992-1993)
Homeless Program Counselor (1992-1992)
The Mental Health Association of Orange County (Santa Ana, California)

Education
Masters of Fine Arts in Writing (1998)
Course work included writing workshops and a variety of seminar-style classes on craft, essay, ontemporary fiction, and contemporary thought. Taught freshman composition. Helped create the iterary magazine “In • Tense” and then served as its first Fiction Editor. Served as Director of the orthern California Student Writer’s Exchange.

MA (incomplete), Counseling (May 1987-88)
Course work included classes in psychological assessment, crisis counseling, research, psychopathology, and internships at local counseling centers. Attained 1,000 hours of counseling experience toward licensure.

BA, Adolescent Education and Psychology (1985)
Course work consisted primarily of studies in adolescent psychology, theology, and organizational development. Wrote sketch comedy and slide-show scripts for recruiting department.