Hello, I’m Edward Tierney and I understand how to bridge two very important worlds – Engineers and Non Engineers.
My collective experiences have given me entrepreneurial expertise, curiosity for the unanticipated, and a systems approach best suited for growing business environments. I bring time-honored traits including creativity, drive, and street experience to each of my efforts. Additionally, my work has honed skills important in today’s renaissance world including global vision, research acumen, and technology know-how that position me to lead innovative efforts.
I am firstly an Entrepreneur. Experience starting three companies (and selling one), a ongoing commitment to mentoring and teaching entrepreneurs, and research into what truly matters to an entrepreneur provide me an atypical perspective. I operate from the understanding that successful entrepreneurs rely far more on the human side of the equation (“Why”) than they do on practices, programs, and networking (“How”). Unfortunately, today, most of our collective focus is still on “How” rather than the far more important “Why”.
Work and research around cluster initiatives has led me to be a devout Entrepreneurial Activist. I am dedicated to protecting entrepreneurs while helping entrepreneurial regions become engines for economic development. Sustainable entrepreneurial success, at an individual or regional level, comes from grass roots collaboration and innovation. These require the type of nurturing and leadership I practice.
We live in a time when old systems no longer address the complexity of an interconnected globe and new systems are often fragile. As a Design Thinker and systems expert I connect disparate, and often unrecognized, points of information into salient, relevant, and actionable plans.
Markets and customers are no longer divided by boundaries, oceans, or time zones. Messaging, differentiation, and Go-To-Market strategies must adhere to think global, act local. As an experienced Global Marketer, I look to advantage the unlimited variety of opportunities and challenges arising from cross border, cross markets, and cross culture interactions.
2014 – Present
Founder of grass roots movement to increase participation by entrepreneurs in the regional development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Western New York. Hold monthly meetings to bring entrepreneurs together to identify opportunities and obstacles and invigorate a climate of collaboration and innovation to enable a sustainable environment for entrepreneurs.
2008 – Present
Co-owner of a boutique strategic business consultancy focusing on positioning ambitious entrepreneurial organizations for growth, partnership, and sustainability. Established to address growing need for authentic strategies that outpace the market by improving decision making, clarifying the organizations mission, and increasing staff and customer fulfillment. Grew from 1 office to 5 offices on east and west coasts. Worked to make brave men (and women) rich at all size firms and industries from private 3rd generation machine shop to Beijing Olympics.
Led clients through in-depth process of defining and establishing strategic direction and plans to help them own a market. Starting on the inside we helped clients create operational, organizational, and market facing development strategies to uniquely position themselves in growth niches.
Client decisions and options were based on evidenced-based data developed from internal and external audits and fact-based research. We used psychology-based interviewing techniques with a focus on open ended face to face conversations to move past demographics, gut feelings, and assumptions.
We created client outcomes that exceed expectations. For example:
Researched, conceived, developed and implemented brand strategy for a private start-up that went from 0 to $4 million in revenue in one year.
Established a brand for a public technology company that reduced sales cycles by 50%, doubled the average sale to $2.5 million and led to the profitable private equity sale of the company.
Personally managed our own in-house creative activities for our brand. Provided idea generation, development concepts, and final creations across all major business needs and platforms including: traditional marcomm, web and digital, social media and public relations, brand identity, messaging and voice, marketing campaigns, and brand launch.
Provided annual philanthropic support in the form of brand development for socially responsible or underserved niches and organizations.
2011-2013
Chairman of 20 person Advisory Board for University of Buffalo’s School of Management entrepreneurial outreach and economic development efforts. Led board through change process to energize participation and make board part of brand resurgence. Unanimously elected to unprecedented 2nd term by board members.
2005 – 2008
Executive team member responsible for brand development of a multi-million dollar, 135 employee, privately held technology company designing and manufacturing computer storage system products. Drove development and implementation of marketing and product development programs to ensure alignment with corporate strategic growth plans.
ATTO Technology, Inc. Director Product Mgmt Private Hi-Tech 2000-2005
DiRAD Technologies, Inc. General Manager Private IT/Telecom 2000
ABB Control Valves, Inc. US Sales Director Corporate Industrial 1997 2000
ICV, LLC. Founder, Co-Owner Start-Up Power/Oil & Gas 1993 2000
ABB Kent Introl, LTD. (UK) US Business Manager Corporate Power/Oil & Gas 1990 1993
Clarkson University Counselor Private Higher Ed 1988 1990
Allied Signal – Amphenol Sales Engineer Corporate Mil/Aerospace 1984 1988
Mars Hotel Distribution Co-Founder Start-Up Consumer 1982 1984
2008
1990
Concentration: Information Systems 4.0/4.0 G.P.A.
Dissertation: Group Scheduling Heuristics in a Dynamic Flow Through Cell Environment
Publication: “Dynamic Group Scheduling Heuristics in a Flow-through Cell Environment”.
Farzad Mahmoodi, Edward J. Tierney, and Charles T. Mosier.
Decision Sciences. Volume 23, Issue 1, pages 61–85, January 1992.
1984
