In 2009, after a seven-year stint working for agencies in Chicago, Lori and her husband decided to call it quits on city life and return to live on the family farm in central Kansas.

Armed with knowledge from working on Fortune 300 brands, Lori launched BowerComm in January 2010 in response to a trend she was seeing: organizations running to try the latest marketing fad without thinking through what would really make a difference. Her clients range from local companies to global conglomerates, headquartered throughout the U.S. The list currently includes Chicago ad agency Slack & Company, and organizations including General Electric, the Society of Actuaries, Hutchinson Community Foundation, McPherson Industrial Development Company, and many others.

Prior to starting BowerComm, Lori served as Account Director with Fathom Communications in Chicago, leading brand advertising, CRM and dealer marketing efforts for multiple Navistar brands (International Truck, IC Bus, MaxxForce Engines, NC2). The highlight of her career was developing a “truckers’ advocate” campaign centering on the premiere of a 50-minute documentary about three truckers, which she executive-produced with an Oscar-nominated director.

Her role at Fathom followed a three-year stint as direct marketing and b-to-b account leader for John Deere at FCB in Chicago. She helped develop a “content-on-demand” online ad and direct mail tool for Deere’s dealer network, as well as designed direct mail segmentation and creative tests that led to improved response rates. Though many a co-worker suspected it, Lori officially revealed her “data nerd” status when compiling a comprehensive historical document detailing Deere lead generation programs from 1995-2005 and running through the halls (barefoot) with excitement about the findings. Lori was also integral in helping FCB win the AAA account—one of FCB’s first truly integrated marketing clients, with everything from parking garage tickets, to online advertising, to radio, to outdoor.

Prior to moving to Chicago, Lori was an account executive with Armstrong|Shank in Wichita, where she honed her marketing skills through working with clients in agriculture, fundraising, banking, manufacturing and higher education. She took this position after running the 4-H program (K-State Research & Extension in Butler County, Kansas) for two years and completing her master’s degree in communication at Wichita State University. She also holds a BA in Modern Languages (German) from Kansas State University.

A self-described reality show junkie and amateur fashion designer, Lori secretly aspires to be a contestant on the next season of Project Runway.  When she’s not quizzing fellow air travelers about how many ears are on a stalk of corn, she (still) attempts to complete a blog chronicling the three-month trip around the world she took with her husband in the fall of 2009 (www.gallopingtheglobe.wordpress.com), as well as sings toddler opera with her daughter and son.