CEDAR RAPIDS, IA—JANUARY 5, 2012—The Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC), a Cedar Rapids-based business accelerator, announced the addition of two new staff members. Julie Zielinski joins the EDC as VP of Marketing and Strategy. Most recently, Zielinski was the MBA Marketing Academy Business Director and Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Iowa Tippie School of Business, as well an independent consultant, and consultant to EDC. Hayley Fry joins the EDC staff as Client Services Manager. Fry recently moved back to Iowa after a working as Marketing Communications Specialist for an IT placement firm in the Washington DC area.
“We are pleased to add this expertise to our team,” said Curt Nelson, President & CEO of the EDC. “The skills and experience that Ms. Zielinski and Ms. Fry bring will allow the EDC to better serve our clients and guide their efforts in scaling Iowa-based businesses.”
Zielinski brings over 16 years of corporate marketing experience, most recently as Vice President of Marketing with Allsteel in Muscatine, IA, a global contract office furniture brand within HNI Corporation. Her corporate experience includes team leadership in Product Management, New Market and Product Development, Marketing Research, Branding, Strategic Planning, and Marketing Communications. As an independent consultant, Zielinski worked with local, national, and global organizations to identify strategic growth opportunities and translate these into executable business plans to strengthen their unique competitive advantage in the marketplace.
At the EDC, Zielinski will leverage her marketing and strategy expertise to help Iowa-based entrepreneurial clients identify strategic growth opportunities for their businesses and develop actionable business plans to achieve their growth objectives.
Zielinski holds a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Iowa.
Prior to joining the EDC, Ms. Fry served as a Marketing and Communications Specialist for Digital Intelligence Systems Corp. (DISYS), an information technology staffing and consulting firm. During her time at DISYS, she helped execute a corporate rebranding and the launch of a new website, developed a social media marketing plan, and created new channels for internal communications. Fry will lead client management initiatives at the EDC and utilize her social media and marketing experience to assist with EDC’s outreach efforts.
Fry holds a degree in psychology from Northwestern University with a minor in business institutions.
For more detailed biographies on Zielinski and Fry, visit www.edcinc.org/about.
About EDC
The Entrepreneurial Development Center was incorporated in 2003 as a community-sponsored, non-profit business accelerator. The company provides economic growth through the development and expansion of entrepreneurial enterprises and has successfully assisted over 400 Iowa-headquartered businesses. Its focus is on creating local wealth for area re-investment by growing and cultivating regional, national, and international businesses at all stages—from start up to mature.
