Your Strategists
Susan Swanson
Susan earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and her Master of Science degree in Decision Sciences from Georgia State University. She also completed her Ph.D. coursework and dissertation research at Georgia State University before moving into market research. While working in market research, Susan earned a certificate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for Tackling the Challenges of Big Data, a program developed by the faculty of the MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
In her twenty-nine (29) years as a market research professional with companies owned by Cox Enterprises and eventually Cox Media Group, Susan completed thousands of studies for a huge spectrum of businesses, helping them identify target markets, increase market share, and build their brands.
In this position Susan also served as a representative on the radio and television committees of the Media Rating Council, Committee for Innovation at Cox Media Group, and, most recently, the Artificial Intelligence Committee at Cox Media Group. During her long tenure, she also created and managed research internships with media and research students from Europe - namely Germany and Italy.
Simultaneously, Susan taught quantitative reasoning to M.B.A. students at University of Phoenix for nine years. It was during this role that she was asked to serve as a subject matter expert on quantitative reasoning multiple times for several iterations of the course design.
In addition to market research, Susan has an extensive background in training, innovation, and team building. Some of her volunteer activities have included hosting and volunteering with more than twenty (20) exchange students, teaching G.E.D. math, and mentoring students of all ages.
Rob Swanson
Rob earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, graduating with honors, from University of Phoenix. Since 2007, Rob has owned and operated two businesses in the green industry. He has been an internationally certified arborist since 1992. Currently, he is called upon to lead instructional sessions for students hoping to pass the International Society of Arboriculture's arborist exam, a role which has gained him acclaim on YouTube.
Rob's specialty in arboriculture is plant healthcare - a subcategory of arboriculture that has helped him create and hone successful business-to-business targeted avenues of revenue for his clients by teaching them to build plant healthcare sales and production staff. In these arboricultural roles, Rob has created materials for and led hundreds of strategic business meetings related to increasing sales, increasing market share, company mission/vision, and employee education.
Rob's teambuilding and management expertise has not only been used in the workplace with production and strategic teams, but also as a nationally certified soccer coach.
In addition to his interests in information technology and arboriculture, Rob's interest in other cultures has prompted him to host and volunteer with more than twenty (20) exchange students. He is a huge fan of soccer, running, cycling, and fishing, and has mentored students of all ages.