Get to Know Us Better.

What do you like to listen to while working?

Working from home, I usually keep it silent or have cable news playing in the background. From time to time I'll use my Spotify playlist which is eclectic to say the least- it will jump from Sinatra to Eminem to Mozart to Fleetwood Mac to Chuck Mangione to Led Zeppelin, and everything in between.

What are your favourite business books, podcasts, and blogs?

I’ll read any blog post if the topic interests me! However I’m not much of a podcast guy

• The McKinsey Way - Ethan M. Rasiel

• Managing the Professional Services Firm - David Maister

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey

Who are you most influenced by?

I’ve been really lucky to be surrounded by so many positive influences. At Stratford I get the privilege of being around such great people, like Jim Roche and Natalie Giroux, who have taught and shown me so much. My parents, who each ran successful companies, have also been a great source for me in my business and personal growth and have been a wonderful influence for almost four decades.

What is one piece of advice you find yourself constantly sharing with your clients?

Log everything!
*Bonus advice: IP is an asset, not a liability or annoying expense. Start acting like it! Think long term.

How do you add value to your clients?

Stratford Intellectual Property offers CEOs peace of mind when it comes to IP protection. Contributing to that peace of mind can take many forms, such as setting up and implementing efficient IP processes or portfolio management that is always due diligence ready.

What do you think makes Stratford unique?

Stratford was a pioneer in the world of virtual IP management (what we call our VIP Department service). Our model gives clients access to an amazing team of IP experts that are available to them practically 24/7. It’s an entire remote IP department, reducing overhead like office space and insurance.

For early-stage growth companies, they may need different types of IP experts (agents, strategists, admins, analysts, etc.) in truncated volumes. With VIP they get as much of each that they need at a fixed rate, one that is equivalent to hiring a part-time admin.

What is your favourite type of client engagement?

A VIP engagement with a company that just closed their Series A funding. The passion around innovation peaks at that time and makes for the most fun work, plus it feels so rewarding to then see our clients achieve their IP goals.

What are some of your favourite past times?

Hockey and golfing are right up there, but my married life in Southern California is the pinnacle. I’m living the dream!

Any recommended movies or TV programs?

Oh, so many - I’ve always been a movie guy! Last year I finally put together a list of all the films that I still ‘needed to see’. I continue to add to it as I remember more must-sees. It quickly grew to 145 films, of which I have seen about forty so far. From those forty, my favourites were:

• The Maltese Falcon

• Aliens

• Metropolis

• There Will Be Blood

• The Grapes of Wrath

Any recommendations on people to follow on their LinkedIn accounts?

Stratford and Stratford Intellectual Property, of course!

Why?

All joking aside, I love that Stratford produces high-quality social media content that blends personal stories with professional advice. The personal/professional hybrid results in a great read that resonates with followers and has them coming back to see what’s next.

What’s one of the biggest obstacles you’ve had to overcome as it relates to your career?

Hitting the reset button on my career at age 31. I knew I wanted to get into management consulting, but I also knew I’d have to start at or near the bottom in order to accomplish that and go back to school. During my first year in consulting, I finished my college degree by condensing three years worth of courses into an overly-accelerated 10-month schedule. The grind of taking 8 courses at once while working crazy hours tested my limits daily. But it was the best decision I ever made, and I couldn’t have done it without the support of those at Stratford.

 Do you have any favourite quotes?

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

– Chinese proverb

If there is one thing you hope your clients gain from working with you, what would you want it to be?

Commercially, I would hope my clients gain the best value for their IP.

Internally, I hope my clients gain the education to treat IP with the resources and focus it requires in order to achieve their innovation objectives.

Philosophically, I hope that by working with me (and Stratford) that our clients gain respect for those in management consulting and for the value they can bring to companies.

Before working with Stratford, our clients were probably losing sleep over something. So perhaps more than anything, I hope our clients gain some needed sleep and peace of mind.