EDC Investor Categories: Marketing and Advertising

Google

Google is an American multinational technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics.




Taylor Ferguson

Taylor Ferguson serves as Google’s Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy in the Southeast, United States. He brings nearly a decade of political, government and campaign experience. In this new role, Taylor focuses on protecting the technology company’s interests across a variety of issues related to advertising, social media and artificial intelligence.

Before joining Google, Taylor served as Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Parallel, the largest private medical cannabis company in the country. In that role he helped the company build relationships with state and local governments while navigating a maze of complex industry regulations.

Taylor has held several positions within Florida politics and state government, as well as in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill. Taylor previously worked as the Legislative Aide to Florida Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, where he helped facilitate allocations for the state’s $100 billion balanced budget. He has also served as a Legislative Aide to former Hillsborough County State Representative Jake Raburn. During the 2018 election season, Taylor played an integral role in a key Florida State Senate race, which led to a landslide victory and secured a majority for the incoming Senate President.

Taylor is a Palm Beach native, now based in Tampa, and a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University with a bachelor’s degree in political communication.

Taylor Ferguson
Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy Southeast, US

Vistra Communications

Vistra Communications LLC, (Vistra) is an SBA 8(a) and service-disabled veteran-owned small business providing integrated strategic communications, marketing and consulting services to corporate, government and nonprofit clients, with offices in Tampa, FL and Northern Virginia.  Vistra, founded in 2007, is an award-winning company comprised of a team of nearly 100 diverse professionals with varied experiences, backgrounds and training, producing exceptional results for clients in a variety of industries.




Maureen Butler

As Vistra’s Executive Vice President, Maureen is involved in all aspects of Vistra’s strategy, administration, operations and financial management. She served as CFO from the company’s founding in 2007 until 2016. Maureen was a key player in establishing Vistra’s administrative and financial operations including accounting, HR and contracting.

Maureen’s experiences as a U.S. Army Finance Officer, staff accountant with a property management company and small CPA firm, and consultant to small businesses and nonprofits have enabled her to contribute to the growth and development of Vistra. Maureen spent 4 years as an Accounting Professor at the University of South Florida and 9 years at The University of Tampa where she earned tenure prior to leaving academia to join Vistra full time in 2019. She is an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at The University of Tampa teaching Financial Management in their Nonprofit Management Program. She has published research in the areas of nonprofit management, defense contracting and outsourcing in the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, the Journal of Business Research and the Journal of Accountancy.

A Certified Public Accountant licensed in Florida and Virginia, Maureen holds a B.S. in Accounting from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville. She is a member of the Hillsborough Education Foundation Program Oversight Committee and a current instructor, former board member and former board treasurer of the Nonprofit Leadership Center.

Maureen Butler
Executive Vice President

Elevate, Inc.

 

 

Elevate, Inc. (“Elevate”) is a Florida-based strategic business development consulting firm providing a multitude of services. Founded by community leader Aakash M. Patel in 2011, Elevate is in the business of helping our clients Learn, Connect and Grow.  Whether you are looking to expand your public relations efforts, community relations activities, or general marketing endeavors, the Elevate, Inc. team has the talent, experience, and resources to meet and exceed your organization’s goals. More than a traditional business development consulting company, Elevate, Inc. uses public relations efforts, community relations activities and general marketing endeavors to help clients achieve their goals. Through our unique relationship based approach, we set ourselves apart from our competitors.




Aakash Patel

As the founder of Elevate, Inc., Aakash Patel helps business owners learn, connect and grow in the community. Patel is a graduate of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Tampa, FBI Citizen’s Academy, Tampa Police Citizen’s Academy, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s Mayor’s Neighborhood University, Tampa Bay Public Leadership Institute, Leadership Tampa Bay (Executive Committee since 2014), Tampa Connection, and College Leadership Florida. He is a current class member in the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Pete program. Prior to Elevate, Inc.’s launch, Patel served as an Editorial Assistant at the Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau, the Public Relations Coordinator for the Westin Tampa Bay hotel and Aqua restaurant, and was the founding Business Development Director for Chamber.com.

Aakash Patel
President & Founder

ChappellRoberts

 

 

ChappellRoberts was founded in 1978 as a Tampa-based public relations firm. In 1992, the company acquired a local advertising agency and began the process of building one of the region’s first integrated agencies. In 2002, Colleen Chappell joined the agency and developed the Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) service offerings. Their expanded services include proprietary brand discovery and development, comprehensive marketing, sales and social media strategies and full digital capabilities. Today, the agency continues to build on its 35-year history with more than 30 talented professionals delivering branding, advertising, marketing, public relations and digital strategies to a diverse client roster. ChappellRoberts is located in Historic Ybor City and has a strong reputation for its work with regional and national clients as well as service to the Tampa Bay community.




Colleen Chappell

Colleen Chappell’s mantra, “Leap and the net will follow,” came to life when she left corporate America to transform a local ad agency. A decade later, ChappellRoberts is one of the largest advertising agencies in Tampa Bay with a national client roster. In 2012, Chappell was awarded the coveted international Bronze Stevie Award for Business Services Female Executive of the Year. She was also named 2010 Businesswoman of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Today, she proudly serves on the American Marketing Association Global Headquarters Professional Chapters Council. Leveraging nearly 25 years of experience, Chappell specializes in brand development, integrated marketing, advertising, public relations, pricing strategies and distribution channel launch and growth. With a bachelor’s in mass communications from the University of South Florida, Chappell also completed business courses at Dartmouth College, is a Dale Carnegie graduate, and is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America.

Colleen Chappell
CEO