Jim has honed his branding chops over 35-plus years, crafting successful strategies and memorable brand experiences for both B2B and B2C clients. His view of branding is unique and holistic: he believes it’s a financial business decision capable of driving superior P&L performance and balance sheet equity.

From his early work as a consumer researcher through his three decades with Howard, Merrell & Partners—a leading brand development agency where he served 12 years as COO and CEO—Jim crafted a model of brand value creation that today is a holy grail sought by companies large and small.

He has worked with more than 50 brands, in consumer packaged goods, pet care, sporting goods and services, power equipment, financial services, health care, agricultural chemicals and more. His clients have included BB&T Bank, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Bausch + Lomb, STIHL and Georgia-Pacific.

In 2017, Jim founded The Bloodhound Group (BHG) as a supercharged brand experience agency. BHG applies neuroscience to brand meaning and customer emotional engagement and combines this with single-minded focus on superior strategy delivery within and outside client organizations. The Bloodhound Group name? A metaphor for relentless pursuit of insights that lead to exceptional brand performance. As company founder, he brings a keen ability to sniff out opportunities and doggedly pursue them for his clients’ success.