About Van

Van Carpenter is an, Business Innovator, Marketing & Growth Strategist and Creative & Communication Catalyst. He is no stranger to success in the competitive world of business and consulting.  Van has global corporate, military, governmental, creative agency, and entrepreneurial experience.  He brings a unique 30+ year business success perspective on implementing effective change, communications, training, sales, marketing and innovation for all sized companies and individuals.

Corporate Management roles and experience in marketing, communications and strategic partnerships at IBM, Fujitsu and Cooper Industries built Van’s knowledge of working with large corporate accounts, associated budgets and international trends and cultural influences on business success.

In his advertising, marketing, communications, & public relations agency executive and management roles, Van has prepared and coached all sizes of businesses for success.  He has created effective strategic and marketing plans, conducted market research and validated customers. He has created hundreds of campaigns leveraging traditional tactical and online marketing, advertising, web, and catalyst event solutions designed to promote and sell products and services for small and mid-sized companies.

His promotional and public relations roles (accredited public relations APR) , experience and programming have assisted all-sized companies and non-profits in establishing and maintaining their best public image, while fulfilling their community responsibility.

As a retired Naval Commander, Van has global experience in leadership, warfare skills, international protocol and public affairs. As an active duty officer he served in numerous line and staff roles aboard guided missile destroyers, in communication facilities and at the Naval War College.  As a reserve officer he was a Commanding Officer four times for units supporting active duty units. He was recalled to active duty to serve in media relations roles in Desert Storm for the Commander Naval Reserve Forces. He also planned and served as the National Director of the 75th Anniversary of the Naval Reserve directing 650 volunteers in executing a year-long celebration. He retired as a Commander with 26 years of combined service.

As an entrepreneur, Van has founded and built four of his own startup businesses with three successful exits.  He has also consulted with and coached over 250 small to mid-sized companies and non-profits to identify their success objectives, engage their customers, build ongoing relationships and grow revenue. He has served as an advisor and executive coach to three start-up companies in their initial start-up phase and is well versed in Lean start-up principles.

As a certified business and executive coach, Van has employed his diverse life & business experience, natural intuition, and ability to ask good questions to effectively guide executives to attain their goals, increase productivity, grow and be successful. His clients include a diversity of business owners, corporate executives, individuals, educators, and organizations. He is the originator of the D3 Framework for Creating Effective Change.

As a national speaker and trainer of “The ONE Thing” and his own business and personal development material, or as an adjunct professor at over four Universities, Van is comfortable with the rigors and challenges of standing before demanding audiences and delivering an informative, and entertaining presentation.  He is an entertaining and informative speaker with a wealth of speaking topics. He is also a recognized developer & trainer of leadership, marketing, innovation and communication training courses and programs.

Van is an experienced, recognized  and credentialed success catalyst and advisor.  He is a certified business coach and holds a Bachelors degree in Social Sciences and a Masters degree in Mass Communications & Media Arts from the University of South Carolina. He has earned an APR Accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America and was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the Governor of NC for his work in promoting the NC Information Highway Broadband Communications Project.  He is active in his church as a Deacon and also participates on and counsels numerous civic and corporate boards. Van is proud to be a retired Commander in the Naval Reserve.

The goals of Van Carpenter for you and your business are to:

• Strategically position your company, with tailored planning and implementation, to harness the power of effective change to create and sustain extraordinary success.

• Provide measurable value to achieving your goals and creating effective change proactively.

• Innovate your existing business structure, products & services, and marketing

• Utilize D3 Implementation Framework coupled with design thinking, planning in order to innovate and grow your business;

• Create entertaining and enlightening education and training that increases knowledge, skills, and profit.

• Intuitively advise & coach, focused on change creation, growth and innovation.

• Provide practical implementation of strategic solutions, from concept to completion.