Clients

The following examples attest to the strategic vision, dedicated teamwork and value Savvy Marketing Group adds. Read below examples of why clients rate Savvy 100% on value addition.


TECHNOLOGY
Savvy’s technology clients include innovative software and clean tech companies.

“When Grace came highly recommended by our Bay Area venture fund, we met with her and decided to engage Savvy Marketing Group to accelerate our marketing efforts. The Savvy team quickly assessed our marketplace to help us refine our messaging and pulled together a marketing plan. Grace also made introductions to get us on the radar with key influencers.

Practical and steadfast, Savvy has turned around deliverables under very tight timelines. When we hit strategic issues, we also turn to Savvy to leverage Grace’s network and know-how. Direct and honest, the Savvy team provides ‘truth, not comfort’-- which is critical for a fast-paced venture.”

Gretchen Joyce
Co-Founder and President
MaxPoint Interactive





“Having already built a successful technology and product, we wanted to continue aggressive growth goals which would necessitate taking marketing to the next level. Finding the right marketing partner is often challenging – after learning of Grace’s credentials, however, we decided quickly to engage Savvy Marketing Group. Through her proven “Discovery Process,” Grace quickly analyzed our business and added strategic insights into our marketing plan. Savvy Marketing Group was able to add value in a short timeframe - we look forward to continuing to utilize their services to grow our marketing team and insure we meet our corporate objectives.”

Ping Fu
President, Chairman, and CEO
Geomagic

CASE STUDY: Geomagic

"After hiring Savvy Marketing Group to conduct an extensive Marketing Audit, we have retained the firm to focus on a few key identified issues which they address both strategically and tactically. Well connected and intelligent, Grace and her firm have become a trusted partner for SciQuest. I highly recommend the services of Savvy Marketing Group for companies that want to take themselves to the next level."

Stephen Wiehe
President and CEO
SciQuest





“When Grace came highly recommended by those we trust, we met and decided quickly to engage Savvy’s services. Working closely together over the last year, she was an invaluable contributor to our corporate positioning and communications. Grace truly cares about the success of her clients and is a pleasure to have as part of the team.”

Chris Neal
CEO
BlueStripe Software





“I have come to count on Savvy Marketing Group as my ‘go to’ marketing resource. From calling on them initially for a quick turnaround project for our annual customer meeting, then managing quantitative customer research and a best practices study, to serving as our outsourced marketing team, I have appreciated their thoughtful counsel, ability to turn around quickly on deadlines, and produce quality work. I highly recommend Savvy Marketing Group.”

Sean Murphy
Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Business Development
NeoNova Network Services

"SciQuest engaged Savvy Marketing Group to perform a validation study on our current marketing programs and messaging. They assisted us in clarifying our market segmentation, honing our message and targeting our public relations activities. With this new focus, Marketing is well positioned to support SciQuest's growth initiatives!"

Suzanne Miglucci
Vice President Marketing and Strategic Alliances
SciQuest





"As I was ready to take my early stage venture to the next level, I thought of Grace since I had worked with her when she successfully led business development at Interactive Magic. She has brought in her strong team to help with our business plan, fund raising, and marketing strategy. I know that I can always count on Grace.”



Jerry Heneghan
Founder and CEO
Virtual Heroes, Inc. [acquired by Applied Research Associates]

CASE STUDY: Virtual Heroes





“I wanted to hire a partner to audit our marketing, facilitate messaging and renaming, and make recommendations on how to take our company to an accelerated level of growth. I had heard of Grace’s reputation from trusted sources – hiring Savvy Marketing Group was an easy business decision. I look forward to Grace’s advisory services as we continue to tackle our tough business decisions.”

Gene Pease
CEO
Capital Analytics





"As the founder of a fast growing new venture, I was looking for a business and marketing strategist who had proven success to advise Instancy to reach its fullest potential. Grace's outstanding track record and strong reputation for results were very compelling."

Harvey Singh
CEO, Instancy
Founder, MindLever





"Grace provided us outsourced Chief Marketing Officer services to take our company to the next level of growth. She worked very hard with input from our executive team to quickly assess our status and make strategic, practical marketing and distribution recommendations that we plan to implement. Grace forged through some unexpected challenges with impressive focus and diligence. She made a deep contribution to our corporate strategy and marketing efforts and was a pleasure to have on the team. We look forward to the opportunity to continue our work together."

Jack Killian
President and CEO
Voice Automation





"Through the Duke Startup Challenge, I learned of Savvy Marketing Group and their Resolute Ventures™ services - Grace coached us through the entire business planning process - going the extra mile on intense deadlines to ensure we delivered the best results for our fund raising efforts. I have recommended Savvy Marketing Group to others who are starting new ventures based on the high quality work she did for us."

Rasheed Wiggins
Co-Founder and CEO
Adrelief




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HEALTHCARE
Savvy’s healthcare clients include visionary medical technology and patient & medication safety companies.

“When we were finalizing our market requirements to bring our technology to market, I was highly referred to Savvy Marketing Group. Grace and her team got up to speed very quickly, created an on target discussion guide, conducted high quality research with surgeons in a timely manner, and shared findings and insights that met our needs perfectly. We look forward to calling upon Savvy Marketing Group again in the future. I definitely recommend their services.”

Mike Russell
Clinical Training Manager
TransEnterix






"As an early stage company with the need to quickly expand our commercial capabilities, Savvy Marketing Group came highly recommended to Centice. We quickly became impressed with Grace Ueng’s solid network of marketing and PR contacts in the area which enabled us to bring on marketing talent within very tight time frames."

Ray W. Swanson
CEO
Centice





"Savvy Marketing Group got up to speed quickly and efficiently to help us at a critical juncture of readying our technology for market. Adding value to our marketing plan, facilitating corporate and product messaging sessions, conducting key market research, and providing interim marketing leadership, Grace and her colleagues became part of the Centice team."

John Davis
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Centice



“As I was starting my new venture, I was highly recommended to contact Grace when the time was ripe to start thinking about marketing. I knew that intelligent marketing strategy and planning would be critical for maximizing the potential of the opportunity of our new venture – for that reason, I chose Savvy Marketing Group.”

Dennis M. DiVenuta
President and Chief Executive Officer
Unit Dose Solutions





“My experience with Grace has met my needs perfectly. As an experienced pharmaceutical sales and marketing executive, I knew how to operate effectively in a Fortune 500 environment. I called upon Savvy Marketing Group’s Resolute Ventures ™ Services to help me navigate through the business planning and fund raising process for our startup medical device company. The introductions to key individual and resources which Grace had access were invaluable – she provided counsel that was on target to make our company have the best chances for success in fundraising and future commercialization.”

Gopal Muppirala
Co-Founder, Mardil Medical
President & CEO, Compass Consulting International Global Commercial Strategy Director, GlaxoSmithKline



“We had the technology to develop a new medical device, but needed help with reviewing our business plan and coaching in preparation for our first presentation to the venture capital community. We were very pleased with the guidance and advice which Savvy Marketing Group’s Resolute Ventures™ Services provided us – Grace knows the venture world and what to expect having worked for five successful startups. As we think through the best ways to commercialize our technical expertise and experience, we will definitely continue to utilize Grace and her team to insure our success.”

Vijay Dhuler
President and Founder, H-Cubed
Senior Development Engineer, JDS Uniphase
Founding Member and Senior Development Engineer, Cronos Integrated Microsystems




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FINANCIAL / BUSINESS SERVICES
Savvy clients span from private equity and telecommunications to waste management and sales and marketing services firms.

“Before raising our next fund, we decided to step back and gain third party feedback with our key stakeholders.

It was an easy choice to hire Savvy Marketing Group. A quick study, Grace immediately “got” our key issues and carefully crafted the right questions to ask. She analyzed a large set of interview data into thoughtful insights and recommendations that have given us a clear roadmap to follow. We continue to seek her counsel.

If you are facing strategic juncture in your business, I highly recommend investing in Savvy Marketing Group.”

Lister Delgado
Partner
IDEA Fund Partners

"Having already built a successful business within one vertical, we wanted to take our company to the next level and to partner with a proven business strategist - after investigating various options, we chose Savvy Marketing Group. Through her effective "Discovery Process", Grace became a key strategic partner and quickly analyzed our business and offered on target strategic insights and recommendations on how to efficiently execute our marketing and distribution plan in order for us to meet our growth goals. Savvy Marketing Group not only met but exceeded our expectations - we look forward to continuing to utilize their services to insure we meet our corporate objectives."



Bobby Martin
President, First Research
[acquired by D&B, merged with Hoover's]

CASE STUDY: First Research

"Grace was extremely resourceful in sizing up the market opportunity, gaining consumer insight, and making on target recommendations - she met and exceeded our expectations - I highly recommend the advisory services of Savvy Marketing Group."

John Mazzarino
Managing Director,
Cherokee Investment Partners





"As vice president of marketing, Grace worked hard to build a strong relationship with the OpenSite Sales organization - she was very dogged in delivering just what was needed to drive revenue - with her partnership, we beat plan every month for two years. When we founded A Shred Ahead, one of my first initiatives was to hire Savvy Marketing Group to review our strategic positioning in the marketplace and provide marketing advisory services during this ciritcal high growth stage of our business.”

Tom Hanlon
Partner, A Shred Ahead
Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development, OpenSite Technologies





“We chose Savvy Marketing Group to tap into their expertise as we headed into our annual marketing planning. Their advisory services provided a good sounding board and their industry research was insightful. Their focus, flexibility and resourcefulness make them a very helpful partner. I look forward to continuing to work with Grace and the team she has carefully assembled - I highly recommend Savvy Marketing Group and their services.”



Adrienne K. Lumpkin
President and Director of Marketing
Alternate Access





“When I was facing a key business juncture, I asked trusted friends for advice. When Grace’s name surfaced the second time as one to call, I contacted her and hired Savvy Marketing Group on the spot. Grace and her team helped us with an incredibly tight deadline – facilitating the process and asking challenging, targeted questions with our best interests in mind. I have already referred Savvy Marketing Group to other businesses based on their work for us.”

Reid Fogleman
Managing Partner
Maxwell Marketing




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CONSUMER
Equipped with brand management experience from leading Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods companies, Savvy has served clients in the consumer packaged goods and educational software to luxury goods and lawn & garden businesses.

"We hired Savvy Marketing Group and its Resolute Ventures™ services as an external extension of our in-house business development team. They performed thorough due diligence and made on-target recommendations for a potential technology partnership to contribute to the growth of our division's aggressive growth strategy."

Regis Rulifson
Director, Business Planning & Development
John Deere Worldwide Commercial & Consumer Equipment Division





"During a business review of our key brands, we read Savvy Marketing Group's published framework and decided quickly to engage them to audit our business.
The Savvy team rapidly grasped the dynamics of our category, thoroughly analyzed our business and marketing plans, and made actionable recommendations to help us allocate our marketing dollars more effectively.

In addition, Savvy identified the additional resources needed to achieve long-term growth for the House-Autry Mills franchise. We were pleased with our engagement and look forward to continuing to work with them."

Craig Hagood
President
House-Autry Mills, Inc.




"Grace Ueng is a fantastic marketer who adds value. She has an uncanny ability to identify winning solutions and then work with others to make them come to life. Her passion for excellence and joy for life make her an asset to any team."

Marc Belton
Executive Vice President
General Mills





“By using analytical and creative skills, Grace not only managed to maintain the profitability of the largest flagship brand at Clorox, but came up with innovative ways to develop new products to increase the company’s brand presence in multiple channels.”

Lauren Barley
Brand Manager
Clorox

“Having a true new venture spirit, Grace creatively managed the efforts of launching a new business for an established brand – Sports Illustrated."

Linda Rolle
Consumer Marketing Director
Sports Illustrated, Time Warner Inc.





"Grace was a key driver toward converting us from a development driven to a marketing driven model during the critical period after our IPO. Her leadership in product line management was recognized company wide. She earned the respect of the software development team by working hard to learn the products and the development process. Her contributions led to top selling software products that fed the strong valuation of our company."

Kathy Quinby-Johnson
Executive Vice President, Marketing
The Learning Company





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EDUCATION AND NON-PROFITS
Savvy clients include facilitating strategy sessions and advising on growth plans for educational firms and non-profits. We also serve as adjunct faculty in domestic and global business programs.

“We engaged Savvy Marketing Group to assist us in confirming our strategic direction and to explore requirements for faster and broader adoption of our products. After evaluating several options, we selected Savvy Marketing Group. They clearly demonstrate an ability to quickly understand and embrace a project, and then deliver results on time and within budget. Their work clearly met our objectives.”

Ron Raup
CEO
MakeMusic, Inc.





“When we decided to rebrand our organization, we interviewed several firms and quickly chose Savvy Marketing Group. After listening intently to our key stakeholders, Grace moderated our vision, positioning, and naming sessions with poise. We then asked Savvy to facilitate creation of a new business plan for our envisioned future. After creating a marketing plan to take us to the next level, Savvy now serves as our long term outsourced team to keep our marketing strategy and plans moving forward.

Additionally, Grace instills our board’s confidence with her regular updates and has helped attract new talent to our board. I highly recommend the value Savvy brings to the table.”

Lenwood V. Long, Sr.
President
The Support Center





“When you are ready to take your new venture to market, call on Savvy Marketing Group. We did and it made all the difference. They have teamed with us to make a big Splash!”

Alan Young
CEO Splash!
Language Immersion





“As a growing business, Briere’s Goalie School appreciated Savvy’s focused dedication and creative resourcefulness in helping us expand. The Savvy team's extensive experience in partnering closely with entrepreneurs helped us quickly set priorities, improve our existing marketing plan, and identify the specific type of additional resources we needed to reach our vision. We plan to continue to engage Savvy at critical junctures."

Steve Briere
President
Briere's Goalie School






“I am so happy that I fought to get off Professor Ueng’s extensive waitlist as I will keep the thinking she left in my mind forever. My two favorites were (1) her teaching on innovation and (2) having Lenovo’s East China country manager as our guest speaker. I learned so much from the combination of the Lenovo Harvard Business School case discussion paired with having our “rock star” Lenovo guest that my group was most excited about making our final exam presentation on the company born in China.”

Alberto Agnese
Visiting Student at Fudan international MBA Program 2008
Marketing Management at Bocconi University Milan Italy





“I was so moved by Professor Ueng’s class discussion on the Harvard Business School case on Burt’s Bees and her strong grasp of the issues facing the company, that I spent 5 weeks collecting feedback from over 300 consumers in 6 cities in hopes of better understanding the opportunities for Burt’s Bees in the China market. Professor Ueng is my business inspiration – she straddles understanding of western and Chinese cultures."

焉娇 Joanna Yan Jiao
Fudan-MIT International MBA 2009
Visiting Student to Bocconi University, Italy 2008





“I remember Professor Ueng vividly and recommended her to many first year students – hence, her class roster had a long wait list the second year of her teaching at Fudan’s international MBA program in Shanghai. I found the knowledge she taught me, especially regarding the high tech marketing technology adoption life cycle, immediately helpful in my summer internship. My favorite case was “Ice Breaker – China Entry”. We enjoyed wearing our technical gear to class and debating about the company’s entry into our country. I feel very lucky to have had Professor Ueng – she showed us an example of an excellent marketer. After our last class with her, my classmates gave her a standing ovation and applauded her for changing our way of thinking. The benefits she brought us in our four intensive day experience will benefit me for the rest of my life. I will not forget our experience with this wonderful east meets west professor.”

科丹张 Larry Zhang
Fudan-MIT International MBA 2008





"In taking Entrepreneurial Marketing, I found Grace to be an excellent professor who cares deeply for her students' well being and success. We were the beneficiaries of the strong relationships she maintains with dynamic business leaders she invited to share their invaluable lessons with us. We looked forward to these “real life” case studies since they gave us the perspectives and insights that a typical classroom presentation or spreadsheet would never be able to provide. As a mentor, she has provided sage advice and is an excellent sounding board for questions regarding my post-MBA career.”

Bert Tong
MBA Class of 2008
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School





“When we were looking to scale our organization, we immediately thought to engage Savvy Marketing Group to run an offsite board retreat to strategize and update our business plan. Their thoughtful preparation, in session facilitation and on target exercises, and follow up topline deliverable provided the roadmap that will take us through our next phase of desired growth. I highly recommend hiring Savvy Marketing Group if you are thinking of holding an offsite for your board or executive team.”

Sarah Powers
Executive Director
Visual Art Exchange (VAE)




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TESTIMONIALS:

"Grace was one of my key management team executives at OpenSite - a strong and respected leader of a world class marketing team which she built from scratch - very results driven - I knew I could always rely on Grace."

Kip A. Frey
Partner, Intersouth Partners
CEO, OpenSite Technologies Vice President and
General Manager, Siebel Systems





"Grace is one of the finest marketing executives in the Triangle - she played a key role in adding value to one of our largest portfolio successes - she has the maturity and experience to advise growing entrepreneurial startups toward a successful outcome."

Steve Nelson
Managing Director & Partner
Wakefield Group

“As a fellow advisory board member for NC Chinese Business Association, I’ve witnessed Grace's passion for educating entrepreneurs – both in the Triangle and through her teaching in China. If there are strategic issues that your company is facing and you need expert opinions, I highly recommend calling Savvy Marketing Group. Grace and her team will quickly analyze a situation and offer thoughtful solutions."

Michael Chen
Chief Operating Officer, Lulu
Board of Advisors, NC Chinese Business Association



“As vice president of worldwide marketing, Grace moved TogetherSoft toward a market driven culture - working closely with Development to make it happen successfully. She assembled a world class marketing team in record timing and with her motivating and focused direction, led them to achieve great results for the company - contributing to the successful exit for our investors."

Todd Olson
Chief Scientist, Together Solutions, Borland Software
Vice President, Product Development, TogetherSoft
CTO, 6th Sense Analytics



"Grace had an intensity for getting the job done. The TogetherSoft sales team benefited enormously from the programs and sales tools that Grace and her world class marketing team provided."

Greg Burnell
Vice President, North American Sales
TogetherSoft
CEO, 6th Sense Analytics



"Grace was responsible for building the ubiquity of the OpenSite brand - and for literally creating a new category - all in an incredibly tight timeframe. Her passion and dedication contributed to the fulfillment of the vision and mission for OpenSite."

Michael Brader-Araje
Managing Partner and Founder, truePilot
Founder, OpenSite Technologies



"Grace is a highly regarded marketing executive in the Triangle...I know many who would love to have the opportunity to work with her. Having worked with Grace at two successful technology companies, I can honestly say that her leadership is unmatched. She possesses the unique ability to provide the needed direction to her team to achieve the desired results while engendering the passion of both internal and external marketing partners so that we felt empowered to deliver our best efforts. She is truly a force to be reckoned with and I encourage you to take a chance, you won't regret it."

Kristi Lee
President
Crossroads Public Relations

"Grace is a person of passion, dedication and service - she was an instrumental member of the integration team After the acquisition of OpenSite by Siebel Systems. I have a great deal of respect for her character, her work and her intellect."

Rick Widin
COO & General Counsel, Campbell Alliance
Senior Corporate Counsel, Siebel Systems




“As vice president of marketing at SmartPath, Grace juggled furthering our relationships with key industry analysts and media, building our brand awareness, maintaining and leveraging strong customer relationships, and generating viable leads in a challenging environment. She helped SmartPath with the difficult task of establishing its identity in a new market, paving the way for SmartPath’s acquisition by DoubleClick.”



Scott England
Vice President, Sales SmartPath
Director of MRM for North America, DoubleClick



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COMMUNITY SERVICE
Savvy believes in giving back to the community.

“Grace's passion for the Society's mission, coupled with her marketing expertise, makes her an invaluable member of our Board of Trustees and chair of our PR and Marketing Committee. She helps me in my role as the head of the chapter to connect with new audiences in a strategic yet practical way that only Grace can do. Grace's positive energy is contagious!”

Robin Boettcher
Executive Director
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Eastern North Carolina Chapter





“Having seen Grace in action, it was clear that she would be an invaluable Chair for our Board of Advisors – her passion for adding value in the China business food chain as well as her reputation in the Research Triangle made her a natural choice. In a very short time, she has added tremendous value toward the vision of our organization.”

YanChing Zhang
President
North Carolina Chinese Business Association





"As a dedicated director on the board of the Harvard Club of Research Triangle Park, Grace possesses the unique leadership to attract both new members to the club and fresh talent to the board, while making a significant contribution in recruiting quality speakers for our club programs."

Bob Whyte
President
Harvard Club of Research Triangle



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