Meet our team.
OUR TEAM OF AGENCY EXPERTS
BRIAN KESSMAN
Founder & PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
Brian Kessman works with agency leaders who are ready to think differently and unlock their firm’s full growth potential.
As Lodestar's founder and principal consultant, Brian helps agencies move beyond billable hours and commoditized services to scalable, profitable models centered on client outcomes.
His strategies tackle the toughest agency growth challenges: redefining market position to attract premium clients; developing value-led pricing approaches to increase deal size; and creating diverse revenue streams for predictable income.
His programs deliver results. A full-service agency nearly doubled revenue from premium clients (from 36% to 73%) and increased overall income by 39%. A content agency grew a retainer deal size by 50%. Other firms boosted margins by optimizing their client mix, redesigning their offerings, and modernizing operations.
Brian is a founding member of the 4As Expert Network, and his transformative approach has been shared across the industry through presentations for Mirren, the 4A’s, AMIN, Magnet, Worldcom, and other top industry organizations. Combining hands-on and advisory expertise, he is a trusted partner to leadership teams looking to break free from outdated models and thrive in an era of disruption.
TIM WILLIAMS
BUSINESS PARTNER
Tim is an ad industry veteran and a noted author and presenter for major industry associations and business conferences worldwide on the topics of positioning, pricing strategy, and business models. As the founder of Ignition Consulting Group, Tim has worked with hundreds of agencies ranging from mid-size independents to multinational networks.
ADRIANNE CALABRIA
RESEARCH LEAD
Adrianne is the founder of C2B Research and Market Research Consultant. She manages the administration and analysis of Lodestar’s Diagnostic surveys. She specializes in quantitative methods after honing her skills in both client and agency market research positions, such as at Bayer, Cotton Incorporated, and full-service agency, McKinney. She has designed and executed research programs ranging from Fortune 100 company initiatives to non-profit organizations.