Meet the Golden Shovel Agency Team
5 Jan 2021
News, Blog
The Golden Shovel Agency is built of many unique, passionate, hard-working individuals. Whether you are a client or not, we're going to bet that you don't know everyone on our team personally. So it's time we introduced ourselves and tell you some fun facts about us.
Meet our team!
Ron Kresha, CFO/COO
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- When, by Laura Jaffe
- Passion of the Western Mind, by Richard Tarnas
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Favorite TV Shows
- Jesse Stone
- Yellowstone
- Mandalorian
Favorite Songs
- Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, by William Nelson
- Pancho & Lefty, by Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson
- El Paso City, Marty Robbins
Hobbies
- Flying airplanes
- Fishing
- Hunting
John Marshall, President
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Any book by Vince Flynn
Favorite TV Shows
- Walking Dead
- Hell on Wheels
- Breaking Bad
Favorite Songs
- Friends in Low Places, by Garth Brooks
- Shoulda Been a Cowboy, by Toby Keith
- Sweet Caroline, by Neil Diamond
Hobbies
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Traveling
Aaron Brossoit, CEO
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- The Portal Podcast
- The Music Lesson, by Victor Wooten
- The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin
Favorite TV Shows
- Firefly
- Game of Thrones
- Breaking Bad
Favorite Songs
- Istanbul, by They Might Be Giants
- Film, by Apex Twin
- The Middle, by Trampled by Turtles
Hobbies
- Playing board games
- Playing bass
- Hiking
Darren Varley, VP of Client Retention & Creative Services
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- The Bill Simmons Podcast
- The Press Box Podcast
- In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt Podcast
Favorite TV Shows
- Better Call Saul
- What We Do in the Shadows
- Yellowstone
Favorite Songs
- Kyoto, by Pheobe Bridgers
- Ladies, by Fiona Apple
- The Adults Are Talking, by The Strokes
Hobbies
- Listening to podcasts
- Watching TV shows
- Listening to songs
Bethany Quinn, VP of Strategy & Content Development
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Philosophize Podcast
- The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
- Judgment in Managerial Decision Making, by Max H. Bazerman
Favorite TV Shows
- Schitt's Creek
- Madam Secretary
- Blacklist
Favorite Songs
- Crowded Table, by The Highwomen
- Mamacita, by Black Eyed Peas, Ozuna, J. Rey Soul
- Knockin' on Heaven's Door, by Guns N Roses
Hobbies
- Traveling
- Visiting museums & other cultural activities
- Being with family
Amanda Jenkins, Gatekeeper Client Manager
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Brendon Burchard - Podcast "The Brendon Show" and Book, "High Performance Habits"
- The Nomadic Executive Podcast
- "How to Travel on $50 a Day" - Matt Kepnes aka "Nomadic Matt"
Favorite TV Shows
- New Girl
- Brooklyn 99
Favorite Songs
- Anything by Johnny Cash or George Strait
- No Woman, No Cry, by Bruddah Waltah & Island Afternoon
- Hey Jude by The Beatles
Hobbies
- Blogging about remote work and slow travel as a digital nomad
- Yoga
- Learning Spanish
Laura Christie, Director of Business Development
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, & Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand
- The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Any cookbooks
Favorite TV Shows
- Dexter
- 90 Day Fiance
- Anything on Food Network
Favorite Songs
- Starting Over, by Chris Stapelton
- Billie Jean, by Michael Jackson
- All I Want for Christmas is You, by Miriah Carry
Hobbies
- Cooking
- Sewing
- Traveling
Warren Westcott, National Sales Manager
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- This American Life Podcast
- How I Built This Podcast
- Ted Talks Daily Podcast
- Traction: Get a Grip of Your Business, by Gino Wickman
- Show Dog, by Phil Knight
- An American Life, by Ben Franklin
Favorite TV Shows
- Designated Survivor
- The Blacklist
- Preferably shows without "Bachelor" or "Bachelorette" in the title :-)
Favorite Songs
- Semi-Crazy, by Junior Brown & Dave Dudley
- Act Naturally, by Buck Owens
- I've Been Everywhere, Hank Show
Hobbies
- Family road trips
- Collecting Country music albums & memorabilia
- Watching Documentary films
Chris Vogesser, Terriroty Sales Manager
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- The Outsider, by Stephen King
- Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
- Lucky Man: A Memoir, by Michael J. Fox
Favorite TV Shows
- The Ranch
- Seal Team 6
- Bull
Favorite Songs
- One Margarita, by Luke Bryan
- Sugar Coat, by Little Big Town
- Tennessee Whiskey, by Chris Stapleton
Hobbies
- Hiking
- Golfing
- Fishing/hunting
Kris Hasset, Territory Sales Manager
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain
- The Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi
- This American Life Podcast
Favorite TV Shows
- Seinfeld
- The Morning Show
- Temple
Favorite Songs
- It's Good to Be King, by Tom Petty
- Buttercup, Jack Stauber
- C.R.E.A.M, by Wu-Tang Clan
Hobbies
- Hiking (working to complete Catskill 3500 Club)
- Sporting Clays
- Cooking (in another life he was Chef in NYC 3 & 4-star restaurants)
Greg Kolbjorsen, PlaceVR Executive Producer
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Shovel Talk Podcast (of course!)
- Shovel Talk Podcast (again, of course!)
- The Shining, by Stephen King
Favorite TV Shows
- Breaking Bad
- Frontline
- Full Custom Garage
Favorite Songs
- Goodnight Song, by Tears for Fears
- Satellite, by Guster
- Economic Development is the CAt's Meow, GSA Players
Hobbies
- Water sports
- Being outdoors
- Pretending to play guitar
Matt Lamb, Territory Sales Manager
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Fantasy Football Weekly Podcast
- Game Used, by Dick Bremer
- Life Stories, by Willy Hayes
Favorite TV Shows
- Game of Thrones
- The Sopranos
- Pawn Stars
Favorite Songs
- Anything by the Grateful Dead
- Anything by North Mississippi All-Stars
- Anything by String Cheese Incident
Hobbies
- Golfing
- Mountain biking
- Fishing
Audrey Anderson, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Inbound Success Podcast
- Building a Storybrand Podcast
- Never Lose a Customer Again, by Joey Coleman
Favorite TV Shows
- Grey's Anatomy
- Friends
- New Girl
Favorite Songs
- Bang!, by AJR
- Unforgettable, by Thomas Rhett
- Ice Ice Baby, by Vanilla Ice
Hobbies
- Play with black lab and kitten
- Being crafty
- Binging Netflix shows with husband
Victor Perez, Director of Communications
Favorite Podcasts & Books
- Stuff You Should Know Podcast
- Shovel Talk
- The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, by Robin Sharma
- Art of War, by Sun Tzu
Favorite TV Shows
- Black Mirror
- Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
- Saturday Night Live
Favorite Songs
- Every Breath You Take, by The Police
- The Girl from Ipanema, by Antonio Carlos Jobim
- Proud Mary, by Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Heart of Glass, by Blondie
- Imperial March, by John Williams
- Te Quiero, by Rio Roma
Hobbies
- Watching movies
- Listening to music
- Doing jigsaw puzzles
More Topics
Best Economic Development Websites for 2021
Dec 18 2020A common question that our team is asked is "Can you give examples of the best economic development websites for 2021?"
Each year, backed by research, conferences, and the latest trends, the Golden Shovel Agency team puts together a list of what we consider to be the best economic development websites...
The strategy of simply creating a website and hoping new businesses will look at your community isn’t going to work by itself. You need a marketing plan to work along with it. A workforce attraction and business growth strategy need to target specific industry sectors. A solid strategy will hav...
Authors don’t write books for librarians, they write books for readers. So why are economic developers creating websites just for search engines?
The sole focus on search engine rankings has moved economic development website marketing away from the true intended purpose - connecting communities to business owners and expanding economic growt...