Kate Roa
Marketing Consultant
Collaborating with Kate will boost your endorphins. Clients see her as a sharp, lateral, and analytical thinker.
Kate launched her marketing career in 1985 to help people turn what seems to be a dream into actualized success. Her first adventure began two years after high school in a tiny ice cream parlor in downtown Denville, NJ.
She met a fellow who dreamed of turning an outdated ice cream parlor into a Tex-Mex cafe. Within two months, she rolled up her sleeves and started tearing up the floor tiles. One month later, Tapas Cafe opened the doors to a party of two, and the word spread.
Five years later, Tapas Cafe grew to three locations: Denville, NJ, Mt. Tabor, NJ, and Dover, NJ. Deep-pocket restaurant chains moved in as the Tex-Mex wave caught on, and Kate existed.
Kate then ventured into the corporate world to write investor relations material for a technology company. After a year, she pitched her industry experience to Public Relations firms and worked as a government contractor. She's credited with writing and executing an award-winning strategic communication plan for a project management office in NJ and DC.
When the government contract ended, Kate started marketing consulting contracts with small technology companies to move their stagnant projects forward. She scripted, secured media and interviews, and worked with local public relations firms to set up manufacturing plants. Static innovations found their place with new contract awards.
Before the industry turned down, Kate pivoted and started consulting projects with public relations, market research, and risk management firms. She studied each firm's product and service offerings, noted capability gaps, and filled sales pipelines. One consulting project with Kantar Media resulted in $2.5M of new business within six months. Another project with Kantar resulted in a lucrative business relationship with Booz Allen Hamilton.
Kate sees the significant picture potential in ideas; she's since worked with three food and beverage entrepreneurs to help secure ~$1.2M in investor funding and small business loans. And she's a powerful force with a can-do attitude, moving small business owners into thriving sweet spots since 2002.
Kate loves helping seniors set up easy-use marketing software to stay intellectually and socially active. Since 2015, she's helped 16 people develop extra income side businesses.
Kate lives in High Bridge, NJ, with her life partner, Lou, and two rascal pooches, Gil + Harry. She holds an MBA in Marketing and - a BS in Management - And is certified in Culinary Arts and Government Contracts.