 Deirdre
Cavener, Owner
Deirdre has decades of
diverse and high level experience in business, marketing,
information technologies and entrepreneurship. She earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Business with a minor in Management
Information Systems from the University of South Florida
graduating Magna Cum Laude and holds a professional
certification from Microsoft in Analyzing Requirements and
Defining Solutions Architecture.
Deirdre is a visionary, strong
leader and global thinker.
She has worked in several
industries including finance, education, networking,
telecommunications, architectural, housing, recruiting, mental
health and accounting.
In Information Technology she has
experience in computer programming, database design, data
warehousing, system analysis and design, and web application
development.
Strengths Finder Results
Ideation, Maximizer, Strategic,
Achiever, Learner
Visit the
Strengths Finder website to find our what hidden talents
you posses, where you should focus your energy, and live your
passion. We give this test to everyone that works at
Kiss Marketing, Inc. to ensure that we assemble the best team
for the company.
KISS
Marketing Job Responsibilities
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Corporate
strategic planning, analysis and implementation.
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Creates search
engine optimization plans for clients, company and corporate
brands.
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Conducts
keyword research and analysis to align clients marketing
strategies with growth.
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Creates
Internet marketing plans for clients.
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Manages client
projects.
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Writes digital
marketing proposals.
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Creates
alliances with strategic partners.
Professional Accolades
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One of 30
business owners across the United States invited by Google and
the Interactive Advertising Agency to travel to Washington DC
to lobby for small business publishers. (June 2009)
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Tampa Bay
Business Journal, Business Woman of the Year Technology
Finalist (June 2009)
Education &
Certifications
|
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University
of South Florida
College of Business Administration
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Management Information Systems (MIS)
Honors: Magna Cum Laude
Graduated: August 9, 1996 |
|
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St.
Petersburg College
Degree: Associate in Arts (AA)
Graduated: May 6, 1994 |
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Certification: Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
Area of Expertise: Analyzing Requirements & Defining
Solutions Architecture |
Deirdre Cavener I.T. Doesn't Get Any Better
By Chary Southmayd
Deirdre Cavener makes an indelible
impression on you from the moment you meet her. Her statuesque
appearance and easy smile that exudes friendliness and
confidence are immediate clues that this is someone who has it
all together. Scratching below that attractive surface in
conversation reveals an extremely intelligent and focused
woman who has always known exactly what she wanted and has
been willing to work for it. Cavener followed a bit of a
circuitous route on the path to success, but there is no doubt
that she was born and bred to lead the charge in today’s
digital frontier.
Cavener is the creator and driving force behind Seminole-based
KISS Marketing, a full-service digital marketing company that
specializes in search engine optimization, Internet marketing,
Web site development and digital advertising. In 2001, she
launched Go Local Tampa Bay, a local Web site portal (portal
with a personality, she calls it) comprised of 150,000 pages
of anything you could ever want to find in the Tampa Bay area.
She has also created Women Empower and My Green Pages Local
Network, an online business directory network for 150 cities
found in every state across the USA.
Cavener was motivated to start her business 7 years ago in
part by frustration at what should have been an easy task,
coupled with disgust at the good ol’ boy attitudes she
encountered in the corporate world. Searching the Internet for
a dentist in the Seminole area, Cavener wasn’t able to find
exactly what she needed. She knew there was a huge void that
begged to be filled. “Knowing my database background, I was
thinking how easy it should be,” she said.
“If you put the yellow pages and chamber of commerce in a
blender, out would come Go Local Tampa Bay,” Cavener said.
“And now we have Tampa Bay’s first customized local search
engine.”
A self-described “whiz at data entry,” Cavener’s love for
everything computer started early in life. She worked at a
computerized tax firm when she was still in high school. She
has always had the innate ability for high-speed analysis.
“My brain works like a computer,” she said, in understated
fashion.
She was motivated even more to follow her vision and take the
leap to business ownership when she overheard the president of
a Clearwater company in which she was the vice president of
application development, refer to her as “his token female.”
“I walked in at 5:00 the next morning, packed up my desk and
left,” she said. “I was determined to open my own business.”
Cavener’s family thought she was “nuts” to walk away from a
six-figure job and enter a realm of financial uncertainty, but
this very determined woman never looked back. She had a vision
and followed what have proven to be very reliable instincts.
Deirdre is at the youngest end of the baby boom generation.
Like many other baby boomers, she encountered and ultimately
conquered a bit of a bumpy ride en route to achieving her
goals. After moving from the Washington D.C. area where she
had grown up to Madeira Beach at age 20, Deirdre quickly
learned she was in for a rude awakening. The fact that she had
proven herself to be highly motivated in D.C. didn’t matter
when she hit the Sunshine State. Without a college degree,
finding a job here was tough. She settled for a job working in
a gift shop at John’s Pass before landing data entry
employment at the Eckerd Corporation offices. From there she
moved on to Fotomat in downtown St. Petersburg, working in
computer operations.
At Fotomat, fate stepped in. She met her future husband, fell
in love, married and had back-to-back pregnancies. It was not
exactly what she had envisioned for her life. “Growing up, I
swore I would never have kids. I was on the total corporate
track,” she said.
The marriage eventually ended, leaving Cavener to raise her
two young daughters, Brittany and Danielle, on a very tight
budget. They had to go on food stamps to make ends meet. That
experience made a lasting impression. “I remember that ordeal
as if it was yesterday,” she said. “It was the most mortifying
thing I’ve even been through. They are so mean to you in those
offices.”
A single mom with two daughters to care for, Cavener did what
was necessary to get by. She badly wanted to complete her
college education. She took classes at night and ran a day
care during the daytime. She also worked as a statistics
teaching assistant at USF. “It paid me a big $5 an hour, but
it was sink or swim. I wanted to do what it took to raise my
kids how I grew up,” she said.
And she grew up in a family of considerable means. Cavener was
born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. When she was 12, her father, an
engineer at Magnavox, moved the family to Washington, D.C. and
started his own engineering company, which became very
successful. “I saw my dad take that step – moving out of the
stability of Magnavox where he had worked himself way up,” she
said, revealing insight into a scenario that she would later
mirror.
When she was just 14, she worked in her father’s office,
typing the company’s computer documents, for which she was
paid $1 a page. She keeps a treasured photograph of her and
her father posing with one of the very first computers in the
1960’s. “That put me on the path I stayed on, and am still on
– anything to do with computers,” she said.
At age 32, Cavener graduated from USF with a 3.9 GPA. Her
first job after graduation was a Faculty position at the
University of South Florida FMHI, running computer operations.
She fondly remembers the day a doctor at FMHI told her that
someday she would be president of her own company. “He was
right, I was so driven,” she said. “I’ve always been an
over-achiever.” After 5 years at FMHI, her desire to excel led
Cavener to seek her next challenge.
“My entrepreneurial spirit leads me to move on when I see that
my job is done and there is nothing else I can do to benefit
the company,” she said. Referring to herself as a “database
design guru,” Cavener was hired at Lucent Technologies, where
she designed the entire enterprise data model for the company.
After less than two years there, she accepted that ill-fated
job with a Clearwater start-up company where she encountered
the “token female” comment. That small-minded insult
catapulted her to seek independence, financial security for
her family and personal satisfaction.
Cavener credits her parents, James and Joyce, who were
excellent role models, with instilling in her a strong ethical
foundation. She is disturbed by the lack of ethics she
encounters among others working in search engine optimization,
which is one of her specialties. “That’s a very corrupt
field,” she said. “Lots of people are being ripped off.” With
all that she has achieved, if she could have any one thing
come true, she said it would be to spend one more day with her
mom and dad, who are both deceased.
Cavener also credits two high-profile people with changing her
life in recent years – Dr. Wayne Dyer and Joel Osteen. “I’ve
always known what I wanted, and they’ve taught me that if you
put it out to the universe and you are willing to work for it,
it will be delivered to you when it’s time,” she said.
“Nothing fazes me anymore, because everything will work out
OK.” She watches Osteen’s television program every Sunday
morning, calling it “a half-hour of making me feel good.”
She also credits her business partner, Patty Sebok, with
making a tremendous difference in her life. Sebok was actually
Cavener’s first client, before later coming on board at KISS.
“She is my Godsend and one of the most phenomenal women I’ve
ever met. I’m an idea person, but I don’t want to do the daily
part of things. Patty does that, she is my rock. It’s the best
relationship I’ve ever had. We fit together exactly as two
business partners should,” Cavener said.
A third link in the KISS Marketing partnership will be added
this summer when Jen Seaman officially comes on board,
handling sales responsibilities. As the former owner of the
Las Vegas restaurant guide, Seaman relocated to this area and
found her niche with Cavener and Sebok.
Anyone who would assume that such successful women on the
digital frontier must dress to the nines and head to a lavish
high rise office every day might be surprised to find out that
nothing could be further from the truth. “People think we are
some big operation,” Cavener said with a bit of a mischievous
smile. “It would be funny for them to see how we really work -
out of my house, wearing baseball caps and tennis shoes.
That’s exactly how I wanted it. I did my corporate gig and I
would never want to do that again.”
Cavener has settled in to a very rewarding life, with a deep
love for her daughters, pride in their accomplishments and the
peace that comes with achieving total freedom. “I never want
to have to rely on anyone else. When I turned 40, I got my
wings,” she said. “I’m so peaceful and content now. Everything
is going exactly the way it should be.”
Previous
Professional Experience
October 2000 – July 2001, Digital
Vault, Inc.
Vice
President of Application Development
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Responsible for strategically
planning all digital marketing initiatives for corporate
clients.
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Wrote development contracts and
managed projects from inception to completion.
-
Researched marketing trends and
emerging technologies.
-
Development information
architecture for web initiatives.
February 2000 - October 2000,
Lucent NetworkCare
Team Lead/Project Manager
Environment: MS Project, Oracle
7.3.2, VBA, Access 2000, Front Page 2000, T.O.A.D., ERwin,
Visio, HTML, ASP, Informatica
-
Responsible for managing a team
of 15 Enterprise Data Analysts, Web Developers and
Informatica Developers.
-
Conducted technical interviews
and wrote pre-hiring assessments (SQL and Data Modeling).
-
Established new hire guidelines
and trained staff on company policies, procedures, and
software tools.
-
Responsible for all Project
Management in the department.
-
Researched emerging
technologies, wrote white papers on those technologies and
presented them to upper management.
-
Planned and managed the
development and delivery of the department intranet.
November 1999 - February 2000,
MGA Technologies/Lucent NetworkCare
Senior Enterprise Data Analyst
– Responsible for the Designing the Enterprise Logical Data
Model
Environment: Oracle 7.3.2, VBA, Access 2000, Front Page 2000,
HTML, ASP
-
Constructed ERD’s for the
Enterprise Logical Data Model and various software
applications
-
Conducted technical interviews,
wrote skills assessment, and recommended on-site interviews
based on the completed assessment
-
Wrote Data Modeling 101 training
and taught data modeling class
-
Developed project database
application used to track Enterprise projects, status,
documentation, project owners, tasks and sub tasks.
1998 - 1999, Independent
Consultant
Business Systems
Analysis/Systems Development/Project Management
Environment: SQL Server, Visual
Basic, VBA, Access, MS FrontPage 2000, ASP
Conducted requirements analysis,
designed, and developed six major client/server database
applications using MS Access, Visual Basic, VBA, and SQL
Server. Provided Y2K platform and software remediation.
Analyzed requirements, designed, and developed the following
client/server line of business projects.
-
Intermedia Communications
Incorporated: Reviewed, analyzed, and re-mediated the
Service and Work Order Tracking System incorporating over
500 code modules, 100 stored procedures, and 300 tables
using off-the-shelf analysis tools and custom-developed
utilities in VBA which exploited the Access environment COM
object model.
-
Stern and Associates, Inc.:
Developed Recruitment Client Job Tracking Application
-
Bay Area Systems, Inc: Point of
Sale System incorporating customer tracking, cash layaway,
account management and reporting.
-
Mezrah Financial Group:
Executive Benefit Tracking System incorporating customer
identification, benefit deferral and allocation.
-
Dealer Profit Systems:
Distributed Client/Server Invoicing System.
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Tampa Housing Authority: HUD
Property Appraisal incorporating property development,
construction, and unit assessment costs.
-
Optical Imaging, Inc.: Analyzed
existing database applications for design flaws and
performance improvements. Provided on-site consulting and
training.
1996 – 1999, University of South
Florida/Florida Mental Health Institute
Senior Developer/Web
Master/Project Manager - Faculty Position
Environment: MS Access, Visual
Basic, VBA, NT 4.0, IIS 4.0.
Developed requirements,
constructed, and managed multiple database software projects
for FMHI. Designed and built ERD models and table
relationships. Enforced integrity rules: entity,
referential, business. Identified criteria, established
validation rules, and set required properties. Produced
aggregate quality assurance reports. Managed NT 4.0 domain
user and workgroup level security. Integrated information via
import and export specifications. Programmed CBF and modules
using Visual Basic (VBA). Developed and managed web sites.
Published end-user manuals. Trained end-user’s and provided
product support.
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Developed a complete mental
health software suite currently being used at all mental
health providers in Florida.
-
Statewide Outcomes Web Site:
Designed, developed and managed IIS 4.0 web site providing
access and download capabilities to a geographically
disperse client base.
-
Keynote speaker on user-centric
design, Behavioral Health Care Conference, 1996 and 1997.
1994 – 1997, University of South
Florida/Information and Decision Sciences
Teaching Assistant, Statistics
II
Liaison
between professor and students in video taped classroom
presentations. Responsible for supervision, testing, grading,
and tutoring of Statistics II students for the University of
South Florida's St. Petersburg Campus. Trained and assisted
students on statistics software package (ASP).
1991 –
1994, Self Employed
Environment: IBM PC
-
Managed a licensed daycare center while
attending college full-time during the evening.
-
Responsible for record-keeping, taxes, and
licensing requirements.
1987 –
1989, Recordcopy Services, Inc.
Computer
Operator/Trainer
Environment: IBM PC/Proprietary
Payroll Software
-
Responsible for operational management
functions in the organization.
-
Developed quality control procedures for
accounting and payroll IS systems.
-
Consulted on all customized mission critical
software programs.
-
Trained new employees on data processing
operations.
1985 –
1986, Allstate Insurance Company
Unit Leader/Auto Claims Computer
Data Entry Operator
Environment: IBM Mainframe
-
Assisted supervisor on work distribution,
scheduling, and forecasting.
-
Trained staff on various computer
applications and business rule processing.
1980 –
1984, Tymshare, Inc.
Data Entry Supervisor
Environment: Nixdorf Mainframe
-
Supervised staff of 40 day shift data entry
operators and 1 night shift supervisor.
-
Responsible for system saves, weekly
automatic batch loads, batch processing, and disaster
recovery.
-
Trained data entry operators on processing
and verifying individual, partnership, and corporate tax
returns.
-
Responsible for staffing and organizing
the department during each tax season (November - April 15)
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