Alfredo Piedra – Client
Former President of Bacardi Global Brands and Bacardi Innovations
“I grew up with Mark in the innovation business, having now worked with him as my innovation advisor for almost 25 years. I consider him and Creative Realities my innovation agency. Together we worked on three of Bacardi's most successful innovations: the creation of Bacardi Tropical Frozen Mixers (1986), Bacardi Breezers (1988), and Bacardi Limon (1995), each of which was a major innovation when they launched. In total, these Brands have contributed over $2 Billion in profits to date.
Currently, Bacardi is expanding two other innovations that were created on my watch with CRI: Vanille Royale (French Vanilla Cream and Cognac Liqueur) and Rubi Rey Rum. Mark’s ability to add value to the whole innovation process, from strategy through implementation, is second to none."
Year first hired: 1984
Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative
Michael Werner – Client
President – Globe Union International
Former President – Werner Ladder
"Creative Realities is a high impact organization. Not only did they help Werner Ladder develop both a strategic product roadmap and numerous specific new product ideas, more importantly, they trained us how to think and behave more creatively, yielding benefits in multiple areas. The investment was worth it for the training alone. I highly recommend Mark to any organization looking to break out of the box creatively, and eager to learn how to become higher functioning."
Year first hired: 1997
Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert
Gordon Roe – Client
Walt Disney World
"In 1989 we reviewed innovation resources and selected CRI to help us on a project to invent new restaurant concepts. The result was a unique restaurant that is still winning awards almost 20 years later. We continued to work with them for several years on a range of diverse projects. They led our teams through a variety of customized creative processes that pushed us to do our best work. He understood our company and its culture and that was critical to our success in being more innovative in everything we do."
Year first hired: 1989 (hired more than once)
Top Qualities: Great Results, High Integrity, Creative
Chuck Skillings – Client
CEO – Unity Health Center
"CRI completed an in-depth analysis of our needs, helped us establish a new vision, created a road map to get there, and kept us on track. There were times when they took us into uncomfortable discussions and there were times that we pushed back. They delivered what they promised and we had tangible, measurable metrics to demonstrate our success. There is no question that they played a vital role in the success of merging two extremely different cultures."
Year first hired: 2002
Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative
Marty Sunde – Client
Former President – Enron Energy Systems
"I was introduced to Mark by a mutual client who had worked with him for years. He came highly recommended. At the time I was president of a large division of an energy consortium and we worked with his Creative Realities team for two years until I left.
Here are a couple of the topics on which he helped us be more innovative:
- A major effort to kick-start the launch of an exciting new business that needed to ramp up faster. The innovation here was in the execution.
- Managing the collaboration between three different companies on the alignment behind a vision and strategy for a radical approach to fast food operating efficiency.
They have unique skills in the way they foster collaboration and creative problem-solving in pretty much any business situation."
Year first hired: 1999 (hired more than once)
Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, Creative
Mark Gallagher – Strategic Alliance
Founder – Blackcoffee Brand Expressionists
"CRI aligns organizations through a collaborative approach to problem solving that fuses insight with foresight. They balance abstract theory with real word practice to drive innovative solutions that are as effective as they are unexpected."
Kathy Laster – Client
VP - AT&T Consumer Products
Past President - Oklahoma State University Alumni Association
Chairperson Emeritus – Unity Health Center Board of Directors
"We’ve now worked together in business, academia and community healthcare, and in every situation CRI has customized just the right program. A major key in their success is their ability to engage people in the process, so that everyone has a passion for implementing what they helped to create. Another key is their ability to lead an organization through a process to help them “break out of the box” in their strategic visioning. CRI's founder, Mark Sebell, is passionately committed to whatever project he takes on and achieves the delicate balance of supporting and confronting leadership to push for maximum benefit. He is a consultant with “staying power”, creating results that last over the test of time!"
Year first hired: 1990 (hired more than once)
Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, Creative
Adam Crescenzi – Strategic Alliance
Retired Partner – Index
"Mark and his firm offer a unique set of services to bring strategic innovation from concept to reality with proven business results. He has a unique ability and expert knowledge in the keys to success in implementing innovation throughout the organization. Mark is honest, trustworthy, and operates with his clients with integrity. At times his passion to achieve results appears overly aggressive, but he is coming from years of experience walking through a filed littered with failures by companies that had great ideas but did not know how to move them through he organization. He and his firm do know how to get results."
Rob Waterhouse – Client
SVP & General Manager, USG Ceilings
"Creative Realities (CRI) has provided world class consulting services to USG. We implemented a Key Account Management Program and CRI was crucial to the project. They facilitated numerous meetings with a wide range of USG managers that resulted in:
- Developing an understanding on why the program was very important to our future
- Learning new skills that allow us to better understand customers and how we can serve them
- A disciplined process for the implementation of the program
During the overall process I observed four very distinct aspects that set CRI apart and are the foundation of my recommendation:
- They engaged us in such a way that they learned our company and our culture. This allowed them to drive the car from within the vehicle rather than attempting to steer via remote control.
- Their facilitation skills are the best I have ever seen, truly impressive
- They have a strong orientation to remain involved and invested in their efforts; they want to be involved all the way to program success for their client.
- Their ability to build trust and confidence within an atmosphere of positive change is very powerful.
I hold CRI in the highest regards and look forward to an ongoing relationship.”
Year first hired: 2005
Top Qualities: Great Results, Good Value, Creative
Steve Bjorklund – Client
Director, Marketing, USG
“I have had the opportunity to work with the Creative Realities team on several different projects and always look forward to having Jay as a member of the project team. Jay is able to become part of your company, while pushing you to stretch your imagination and the boundaries that might otherwise keep you from reaching breakthrough results. Jay and the team engross themselves in your business and really become a partner - they get results!!!”
Anne McGrath – Client
Manager, New Business Development , USG
“The Creative Realities team are great when you need to dig deep into customer motivation/need. The process they follow is well thought out, well executed and is geared to give you actionable information (highly valued when using consultants). Our team was able to use this information to create a strong product that was valued by the customer.”
David McDonald – Client
Senior Research Associate , USG
“Jay has provided us with business and product innovation services and he runs a team that is driven to obtain timely and innovative results. His innovation sessions always lead to large numbers of new and novel ideas that are then sorted into good business prospects resulting in workable business plans with targeted products and results. I would highly recommend Jay.”
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