Hilltop Innovation’s intuition and experience provides a unique perspective that enables us to spot opportunities and help you invent the new products and services that will drive top-line growth. Our expertise in leveraging technology into successful businesses will increase your speed to market.

Tara Whitney, Office Manager

John Bamforth, Business Mgmt and Marketing – Europe

Jackie Marolda, Packaging and Labeling Specialist

Jackie has nearly 20 years of professional marketing experience. She has focused on marketing communications and business development with business-to-business companies in a wide variety of industries, including material converting, food service, healthcare, safety, and packaging.

Jackie was most recently with Avery Dennison Corporation, where she ensured profitable growth for her division by initiating and building market-development with Opportunity Analysis tools . Jackie led Avery’s entry into the market for labeling fruits and vegetables, developing smart-label technology, and expanding the company’s role in food service and apparel labeling.

Jackie graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a B.S. in Marketing and earned her MBA in Marketing from DePaul University.

Dr. John B. Fenn Jr., Thin Film Coating Specialist

John Fenn is a recognized industry leader, known for his technical innovations, market development skills and ability to successfully manage start-up operations. He has founded several companies including Andus (sold to Courtaulds PLC) and NeoVac (sold to Bekaert Specialty Films in 2001). NeoVac’s mission was to design, develop and commercialize thin film coatings using vacuum processes.

John has served in a variety of technical, marketing and operational roles through-out his career. His expertise is well recognized in the Far East. He has successfully established start-up operations, from funding to profitability. He is familiar with barrier films, electron beam vacuum coating, reprographics and a wide variety of display films. He recently founded his own technical consulting firm, Fennagain.

John was awarded his B.S. in Chemistry from Tufts University in 1967 and his Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from Purdue University in 1972. He was a post-doctoral Fellow in 1973 at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Chemistry Department. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Vacuum Coaters and he was President in 2002. John was awarded the Nathaniel Sugerman Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in 2003.

Lisa Bauman, Agrichemical and Consumer Products

Lisa’s background includes 23 years of management, technical, and business experience with major consumer products and manufacturing companies. She understands the tools and techniques necessary to assess growth opportunities from a business and a technical perspective.

Lisa has extensive experience with Product-Development processes, including “stage gate,” portfolio management and prioritization, as well as knowledge in New Product Ideation and training. She worked on these skills during her four years with Avery Dennison and 19 years with The Dow Chemical Company.

Lisa graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Microbiology and received her M.S. in Organic Chemistry from Central Michigan University.

Bill Ludwico, Chemical Industry Marketing and Sales

Bill is an accomplished marketing and sales executive bringing over 25 years of demonstrated success in each stage of business development. Bill has worldwide experience in identifying new business opportunities, negotiating toll conversion agreements, and expanding sales programs.

Bill was most recently at Kimble Glass Inc., where he was the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Science Business Unit. Kimble Glass Inc. is a respected global leader in specialized glass for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and scientific research markets. Bill has also worked for the Rohm and Haas Company, as their Business Development Manager, where he started a new business venture in fiber optic lighting and plastic additives for polyolefins. Prior to that he worked for Mobay/Bayer where he held development positions in new polymer technologies, inorganic pigments and specialty products.

Bill graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and later received his PH. D. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Stephanie Spong

Steph is currently a Principle with Wasatch Venture Fund. She was instrumental in the early years of Hilltop and deserves credit for much of the development of our unique approach.

Stephanie has professional experience in strategy, organizational development and P&L leadership. She has served blue-chip clients in a wide range of functions, for various industries and in numerous cultures.

Until February 2001, she led the Los Angeles office of Razorfish, a publicly traded digital consultancy. Her staff of over 150 included web, broadband and broadcast strategists, designers, technologists and producers creating leading edge digital media and technology. Stephanie also worked as an engagement manager for McKinsey, and in various capacities for Citibank, Goldman Sachs, the strategy-boutique Monitor Company, and the change-management firm Symmetrix.

Stephanie received her MBA from Harvard in 1992 and graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1987, with a B.A. in economics and Asian Studies and minors in physics and Japanese.