WHO: TIM NELSON
Job: President, Chicago advertising agency Tris3ct LLC
Vitals: 47 years old; bachelor's in history and economics, Brown University, 1985; master's in business administration, Kenan-Flagler School, University of North Carolina, 1990; various roles, Philip Morris USA and Miller Brewing Co. under Philip Morris Cos., Milwaukee and New York, 1990-96; marketing consultant, Strategic Insights, Cambridge, Mass., 1996-2000; marketing director, Transora, Chicago, 2000-03; vice-president, Arc Worldwide Inc., Chicago, 2003-07; senior vice-president, Y&R Inc., Chicago, 2007-08; executive vice-president, then managing partner, Tris3ct LLC, Chicago, 2008-11.
Strong suit: “He's not the lightning rod,” says Clive Sirkin, global vice-president of integrated marketing planning at Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark Corp. “You feel his impact but you don't feel him.”
Résumé gap: This is Mr. Nelson's first true general management position.
Track record: He has played a central role in building up the agency's client base and staff. Since he joined Tris3ct in 2008, revenue has quadrupled to $10.2 million and 2011 revenue is expected to grow to $15.1 million, based on retained contracts and projects.
Job one: Getting big-name marketers outside Chicago to bring their work here.
Obstacle: The five-year-old independent agency has to prove to prospective clients that it's as capable as the big network shops.
The plan: Show clients “that we can bring (multiple partners) to the table without adding complexity,” he says.
From this week's People
