Marketing and Product Leadership

About Aaron Grote

I've been blessed with a unique set of experiences — both inside and outside of marketing — that have given me a diverse set of perspectives.

 

About

I’m a problem solver, pattern finder, and team-oriented leader. My one of a kind collection of experiences gives me a unique and constructive perspective.

 
 

🚨If you have a GPT+ account, you can query a much more detailed set of information about me at https://chat.openai.com/g/g-GQHJ9IIQ6-aaron-grote-s-career-explorer

Professional history

Where to start? I spent more than a decade as a leader in the hospitality industry — managing departments and business units, and leading amazing teams of up to 75 people. I got to live the dream designing and building terrain parks, and at one point that even included piloting a paddlewheel riverboat! I spent six years as a US Marine and served in the Crimean Peninsula (yup, that Crimean Peninsula), Iraq, Morocco, and Uganda, as well as across the United States.

My time as an independent social media marketer and web developer gave me the opportunity to do work for local professionals and retailers, governmental bodies, commercial landlords, and nonprofits. It also taught me to sell everything from geothermal HVAC systems to art studios to artisanal bacon. For two eye-opening years I supported that growing freelance marketing career by working nights as a jail guard.

It was my volunteer work with the Phakamani Foundation, a South African micro-entrepreneur organization for women, that led to me joining Great Clips where I spent six years creating local, regional, and nationwide marketing for that iconic 4,400 location brand. The brand-level work included supporting NCAA, NHL, NASCAR, AND X-Games official sponsorships. My work there produced profitable marketing programs and campaigns with demonstrable incrementality that won paid search, social media, and direct marketing awards. But more importantly, it helped the thousand-plus small business owners who bet their futures on the Great Clips brand to build the life and legacy they wanted.

Current role

Stirista is a data and digital marketing company that specializes in B2B and B2C segmentation, first party data onboarding, programmatic media buying, email marketing, and marketing measurement and attribution. As Vice President of Digital Products, I make sure we have the tools and team our clients need to run and measure performant, data-driven marketing campaigns. That includes our CTV-optimized AdStir DSP, Visitor Intelligence Graph website measurement tool, and suite of attribution products — all of which which tie directly into our industry-leading OMNA identity graph. Together, our products and the expert team that run them make an unbeatable all-inclusive performance marketing solution.

Personal notes

I live on a small hobby farm north of Minneapolis with my wife and two young children. I love being outdoors, reading, and spending time with my family. Splitting wood is my meditation. I wear a lot of hats. I mean literally, I like wearing hats. Ask me to tell you a story that starts with, "So there I was..."

Speaking and media

Want to get good at writing? Be an English major! Want to get good at speaking and presenting? Work in franchising!

Check and check.

In addition to the writing and presenting I do as part of my job, I appreciate opportunities to contribute to the marketing community. If you think I might be a fit for your conference, podcast, or publication, let’s talk!