Meet our leadership.

Rusty is the “big idea” visionary when it comes to strategic marketing ideas. He has more than 35 years of hands-on experience in marketing, sales, advertising, branding and graphic design. He’s a highly-respected digital marketing, SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) strategist, has developed national business and consumer directed sales programs and teams for various corporations and has received national awards for his advertising, graphic design, branding, copywriting and creative television campaigns.

Prior to founding Avenue 25 in 1991, Rusty was an advertising and marketing executive at Best Western International where he developed and managed advertising, branding and marketing for Best Western Hotels throughout the U.S. and Canada. Rusty has also worked in advertising at Pepsi Cola and at an agency where he handled automotive and financial accounts. After starting Avenue 25, he developed, sold and directed multi-million dollar advertising & sales programs for ten popular, national hotel chains and the American Automobile Association.

Rusty attended the University of Hawaii and the University of Arizona where he degreed in marketing, communications and psychology. He has started, managed and sold numerous successful small businesses, coached basketball for many years, enjoys fishing, hiking and other outdoor sports, actively supports various local non-profits and is highly active in Rotary of Arizona.

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Co-founder of Avenue 25 and Operations Director, Kelly manages the financial, logistics, and human resources of the business, and has also structured and managed multi-million dollar sales programs for Avenue 25 clients. In her spare time, Kelly is the Executive Director of the Phoenix Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, handling events and meeting planning in the Valley. She also has inspired countless individuals as a Group Fitness Instructor for over 33 years at local gyms, including leading Butts & Guts, Pilates, Barre, and Stretch & Restore classes.

Prior to founding Avenue 25, Kelly held marketing positions at two large marketing and production companies. There, she managed national infomercial and direct mail marketing campaigns and worked on the production of the SuperBowl halftime show.

Desert-born and Arizona-grown, Kelly received her marketing degree from the University of Arizona. She prioritizes community engagement, including long-time volunteering for SunSounds of Arizona and involvement in a local chapter of Rotary International. As a proud parent of two, she balances her diversified life with a hearty dose of family and friends time. She enjoys traveling, hiking, fitness, and reading.

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Rob helps brands figure out what makes them worth noticing—and makes sure their audience notices. As Vice President and Creative Director at Avenue 25, he guides companies through our signature brand strategy process to uncover their voice, define their visual identity, and bring it all to life with clarity and confidence. He’s worked with businesses of all shapes and sizes, from ambitious startups to widely recognized national brands.

With over 30 years of experience in design and brand development—and a long-standing leadership role at Avenue 25—Rob knows how to turn complexity into simplicity, and ideas into action. He believes every brand has a story worth telling, and it’s his job to make sure it’s told well, whether through identity design, packaging, websites, or the occasional hard truth about Comic Sans.

Rob has completed the Chicago Marathon, hiked rim to rim across the Grand Canyon, and stayed loyal to the Bears through some very character-building seasons. When he’s not working or running, he’s probably talking football, trying a new Arizona restaurant, or planning his next trip south of the border.

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The Avenue 25 resident comedian and Mr. nice guy, Jeff, is our gifted, bottomless pit of technological web designer and developer information, ideas, and know-how. He also has a knack for explaining it all in everyday language that clients can understand and the rest of us fully appreciate. Able to develop complex e-commerce sites and leap tall servers in a single bound, Jeff is also a clean-coding perfectionist. His approach to simple, elegant coding and adhering to W3C standards means his websites load faster and search engines love them. Faster, higher-ranking websites are the result.

Jeff’s well-rounded, expert abilities extend deep into other areas as well, such as search engine optimization, website analytics, graphic design, woodworking, jiu-jitsu and all things football related. We found Jeff in April of 2013 at a large web design and SEO firm where he wasn’t being encouraged to flex his broad range of abilities, creative ideas and customer relations skills. For this, we are grateful.

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Kristie is the youngest of six children and found out early on that asking questions is one of the best ways to grow. She has taken this skill and cultivated it into a career of building relationships. Kristie is passionate about being a resource and advocate for clients, helping them navigate challenges with thoughtful solutions and a personal touch. Throughout her career, Kristie developed relationships with organizations such as the University of Arizona, Mesa Center for the Arts, Gilbert Public Schools, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Tucson Medical Center, and Davis Monthan Air Force Base, to name a few. She is a problem solver with a knack for making puzzle pieces fit.

Kristie is a fifth-generation native Arizonan who has worked with companies in both of the state's major markets as well as Las Vegas and the surrounding areas. She is a published writer in collaboration with Arizona State University and Greenwood Press, and loves nothing more than getting to write about Baseball. She brings with her over twenty-five years of Business Development and Marketing experience for companies such as Costco Wholesale, where she successfully opened 9 of the wholesaler’s locations in both of Arizona's major markets. Communicative and driven, Kristie brings a depth of experience and a client-first mindset to every project she touches.

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With almost a decade of experience in the digital marketing space, Erika brings enthusiasm, inspired ideas, and a valuable perspective to client projects. She holds a degree in Communications and has completed specialty certifications in UX Design, SEO, and website design.

Leveraging her talent and expertise in graphic design, social media, web design, and digital marketing, she ensures clients get the most out of their partnership with Avenue25.

Combining her contagious, positive energy and attention to detail with her extensive experience in all things marketing, Erika is the Client Account Manager that business owners dream about! From consistently identifying new opportunities for our clients to her prioritization of open communication, organization, strategic planning, and delivering data-driven results, our clients (and our entire team) love working with her. Outside of work, you’ll find her hiking, running, or doing yoga with her dog, Cooper, right by her side!

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Daniel is our digital marketing guru. With a sharp analytical mind and a deep understanding of SEO, content strategy, and paid media, he has developed strategies and optimized content that often outranks even the industry giants. Daniel holds over a dozen Google certifications in Digital Marketing & E-commerce, and he approaches each campaign as a new puzzle to be solved. With Daniel behind your digital marketing efforts, you get results.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Arizona State University, combining his love for data, math, and market behavior. Outside of work, Daniel’s passion for travel led him to spend a year living and studying in Italy where he became fluent in Italian and developed a lifelong love of global culture.

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