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Robert W. Bloch
Champlain College BYOBiz
Known as a marketing strategist and an astute business executive, Robert Bloch first built a successful sales and marketing career in the Fortune 500, and then translated his skills to the entrepreneurial arena. He has a keen ability to see significant strategic opportunities in complex business situations. With experience leading start-ups as well as $3B corporate marketing efforts, Bob is an executive who can lead organizations of all sizes to maximize such opportunities.
Over the past twelve years, Mr. Bloch has made his mark in two entrepreneurial, PE-funded ventures. First, as Co-founder & CEO of Northeast DBS Enterprises, L.P., he generated over 4 times cash on cash returns to investors in a rural distributor of DirecTV® broadcast satellite service. This was a business Bob literally built from the ground up, including identifying the market opportunity, raising the equity funding, and establishing operations. His strategic insights led to a unique selling process that catapulted this New England company to lead the nation in subscriber close rates and market penetration. The Company achieved positive cash flow and ultimately was sold, producing returns significantly exceeding investor expectations.
Bob also served as Chairman & CEO of the Ricochet Manufacturing Company Inc., where he strategically repositioned the business from solely a military gear provider to a more diversified manufacturer of protective garments for both military and public safety applications. He led the seed investor group, and subsequently completed second-round venture financing despite the venture capital recession. He successfully established the Ricochet brand as the innovative, customer focused brand in the space.
Prior to being an entrepreneur, Bob made his mark leading marketing organizations in global services companies. As Chief Marketing Officer for Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites, Inc. Bob had global responsibility for a $3.2B organization, with a marketing budget of $150MM and staff of 1,000. Prior to that, he served as VP of Strategic Planning. In both jobs Bob sat on the company's Executive Committee. During this time, Bob implemented innovative research strategies, which boosted customer service ratings and helped Marriott to focus more precisely on what customers wanted. These efforts contributed to Marriott establishing its position as the "most preferred hotel chain among business travelers". Bob was named one of the "Twenty-Five Most Influential People in the Travel Industry" by Business Travel News.
Earlier, Bob was CMO and sat on the Executive Committee of Four Seasons Hotels Ltd., headquartered in Toronto. There, he was responsible for the sales and marketing of this $400MM organization. Mr. Bloch successfully repositioned the company from a collection of 13 boutique hotels into a leading global luxury brand, and led the expansion into six new markets, effectively establishing the Four Seasons brand in the US.
He began his career in consumer packaged goods at General Foods. Bob was rapidly promoted into increasingly responsible product management positions in the $600MM cold beverage business (including assignments on Kool-Aid, Country Time Lemonade and in new product development).
Mr. Bloch received his MBA from Harvard University and his BA in Government from Cornell University. He is active in land conservation in his local community. Bob enjoys golf, skiing, motorcycling and other outdoor pursuits, and currently resides with his wife, Nancy, in Charlotte, Vermont.
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