Meet the team

Creating a company that stays on the forefront of branding, customer experience design, and innovation research, means having the right team in place. Stone Mantel prides itself on the extensive experience and expertise represented in its team of senior-level professionals. With more than 100 years of combined experience in branding, business management, marketing and research, teaming up with Stone Mantel is nothing short of a win-win for your team. 

Below is a little bit about each member of the core Stone Mantel team. If you’d like to know more about what who we are and how we can enhance your competitive advantage, contact us today!

The expertise to help you create a meaningful brand experience

Dave Norton, PhD
Dave Norton is responsible for Stone Mantel’s strategy, vision and growth, as well as business development and managing major client accounts. He is well known for in-depth ethnographic research, insights on how to most effectively innovate and his unique ability to provide clients with a five-year competitive advantage. Norton is sought after for his thought leadership on making brand experiences meaningful and has lectured at Harvard, Columbia Business School and Fortune magazine’s annual summits. Prior to establishing Stone Mantel, Norton was vice president of Yamamoto Moss, a strategic branding firm, for nearly a decade. 

B. Joseph Pine II
Internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor Joe Pine serves as Stone Mantel’s Strategic Thought Leader, directly assisting clients in the pursuit of meaningful brand experiences.  Joe contributes the vision, ideas, and thinking tools from his entire body of work in the context of Stone Mantel's offerings, helping clients seek and design new customer experiences founded on deep insights into customer behavior.  In addition to his ongoing writing and speaking work with his firm Strategic Horizons LLP, Joe’s vast knowledge of the Experience Economy now directly informs and influences Stone Mantel’s research and facilitation process. 

Bryan Searing
Bryan Searing is responsible for managing client services, leading research activities, overseeing insights development and handling project management for Stone Mantel. Searing brings to Stone Mantel more than 20 years of experience in advertising, brand and marketing strategy, direct marketing, product development and marketing communications for a variety of industries. Prior to joining Stone Mantel in 2007, he held senior-level positions at Deluxe Corporation, PC Connection, Inc. and USA.NET.  

Jennifer Zighelboim  
Jennifer Zighelboim serves as an account manager for Stone Mantel, overseeing strategy, project management and other client needs, particularly for Royal Caribbean International. She brings to Stone Mantel over 15 years of experience in branding and marketing within the travel industry. Previously, Zighelboim headed up Royal Caribbean International’s Domestic and Latin American collateral and promotional marketing efforts. In addition to adding strength to Stone Mantel’s travel industry expertise and capabilities, she offers vast experience in producing collateral, point-of-purchase materials, television, and video and still productions.

Michael Baskin
Michael is an account partner who is responsible for project management, conducting research and providing strategic insights. Michael joined Stone Mantel in 2010 and has been part of the team focused on reinventing the future of banking for SunTrust Banks as well as contributing to the Royal Caribbean International and Deluxe Corporation businesses. Michael brings to Stone Mantel over 25 years of consulting experience as a senior advertising executive responsible for leading the development of integrated marketing communications strategy for a variety of Fortune 500 companies including PNC Financial Services Group, Owens Corning, HGTV and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse. 

Irene Sibaja
As Market Strategist, Irene helps clients understand the full potential of an experience strategy applied to their market situations, and identifies the unique solutions Stone Mantel can design to give clients new revenue-generating opportunities and sustainable competitive advantage. Irene began her career as a consultant at Bain & Co, where she developed a strong framework for identifying and analyzing a wide variety of strategic problems. She spent ten years of her career at 7-Eleven, Inc. in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, and spanning multiple functional areas from the Office of the President to Store Operations, where she had responsibility for a P&L over $70MM. Most recently, Irene has worked as an independent marketing and strategy consultant at the TESA Group.

Doug Parker
Doug Parker supports the overall marketing of Stone Mantel’s offerings and client work, possessing over 25 years of experience leading marketing efforts for B2B firms.  He helps audiences understand the power of Stone Mantel’s approach and the nature of its outcomes, and assists in the overall communication efforts to help create demand. Since 1996 he has worked with Joe Pine as Managing Partner of Strategic Horizons, overseeing the management of the firm and guiding the publishing and marketing efforts of major thought pieces.  Prior to Strategic Horizons, Doug held senior marketing positions in agency advertising and commercial aviation before entering the consulting world.

Judy Close 
Judy Close provides administrative and office management support to the entire Stone Mantel team. She is the superwoman who keeps the team organized and on task by managing a myriad of details related to every project we touch. Close provides extensive support and experience in data processing and analysis, research support, travel research and arrangements, as well as project management. She has been with Stone Mantel since its founding in 2005, serving as Dave Norton’s original right-hand “woman.”

What’s your toughest question? Contact us for insight and answers!