PeteVanBaalen.com

Resume for Pete Van Baalen

Pete Van Baalen resume: a career spanning 30+ years in marketing, media, communications, and business operations leadership.

Core Skills

Marketing, communications, and project management leader with 30+ years of experience driving profitability, brand visibility, and operational discipline across every market and format he’s worked in. Known internally as a “glue player,” the person who builds the systems and mentors the people that turn big ideas into measurable results. Combines PR and media relations expertise, cross-functional team leadership, and a PMP-certified project management background to close the gap between strategy and execution. A creative strategist and systems architect who increases revenue and visibility through both traditional and digital channels while institutionalizing the accountability structures that keep teams delivering after he’s moved on.

Career satisfaction has come from building systems that outlast the person who built them, and from watching the people he’s mentored grow past the point of needing him.

Pete’s personal why statement: I build the systems and mentor the people that turn big ideas into measurable results.

Pete’s personal leadership statement: I lead teams to achieve strong business outcomes by cultivating a positive and productive work environment, and by equipping people with the frameworks to run their own workflows.

Pete Van Baalen Resume Highlights

Sweetwater Sound, Fort Wayne, Indiana

— January 2019 to present

Current role — Director of Business Operations / Director of E-Commerce Operations

  • Media Relations & Crisis Communications: Primary media contact for Sweetwater, writing press releases and securing coverage in national and industry press. Built the company’s crisis communications infrastructure from scratch.
  • Content & Social Media Team Leadership: Lead the Content Creator and Social Media teams through daily production and major workflow change, developing early-career talent into strong contributors.
  • Cross-Functional Project Management: Run company-wide action groups and lead major product launches (Airstream, True North Cable) across teams that started out in silos. Led the Sweetwater Museum project to an on-time finish.
  • Systems & Accountability: Introduced visual tracking, Gantt charts, and disciplined meeting cadence, replacing ad hoc updates with structure teams now run independently. Delivered hands-on AI training that moved teams to daily practical use.

Previous role — Director of Marketing, Sweet Family of Businesses

  • Multi-Business Marketing Leadership: Directed marketing strategy and execution for 15 business units under Sweetwater’s umbrella. Launched two restaurants and an internet service provider from scratch.
  • Revenue Growth Under Adversity: Achieved double-digit growth across the portfolio through the COVID-19 pandemic, revising messaging multiple times a day as guidance shifted.
  • Integrated Campaigns: Led a team of marketers and content creators to produce cohesive campaigns across web, social, print, and broadcast.

Fort Wayne Newspapers, Fort Wayne, Indiana

— May 2016 to December 2018

Role — General Manager

  • Operational Oversight: Managed all aspects of a multi-publication news organization, including editorial content for the News-Sentinel and Fort Wayne Magazine, printing, distribution, advertising, and business administration. Held P&L responsibility.
  • Sales Turnaround: Stabilized a declining sales department through new training programs and a targeted recruitment drive, rebuilding a high-caliber sales team.
  • Profitability Improvements: Conducted an extensive overhaul of products and internal operations, dramatically improving profitability and stabilizing the corporate P&L.

Federated Media, Elkhart, Indiana

— November 2014 to May 2016

Role — Publisher, The Elkhart Truth (promoted from General Manager, November 2014)

  • Executive Leadership: Led a multi-million-dollar, award-winning multimedia news organization serving Elkhart and surrounding areas, overseeing the daily newspaper, a weekly TMC product, niche magazines, and digital platforms. Full accountability for editorial, advertising, production, and financial performance.
  • Community Reengagement: Reinvigorated the publication’s role in the community through active involvement and strategic partnerships, boosting readership and advertiser confidence.
  • Turnaround and Sale Preparation: Implemented sweeping changes to product mix and operations that significantly improved profitability and valuation, positioning the business favorably prior to a successful ownership sale.

Community Newspapers Holdings Inc. (CNHI)

— August 1999 to October 2014

Role — Regional Advertising Director (September 2011 – October 2014)

  • Led the advertising department for a daily newspaper and its associated products, including niche magazines and digital offerings. Served as business analyst for financial forecasting and budgeting.

Role — Vice President of Sales & Marketing (August 2007 – July 2012)

  • Managed a high-performance regional sales team of 14 direct and 17 regional reports, plus an 8-person call center, across 30 newspaper properties throughout Indiana. Coordinated the launch of multiple niche and digital products.

Role — Regional Publisher (2006 – 2007)

  • Led operations for two daily newspapers (Greensburg Daily News and Rushville Republican) and one twice-weekly (Batesville Herald Tribune), increasing print circulation, online readership, and revenue two years consecutively.

Role — Group Publisher, Hendricks County (2005 – 2006)

  • Led a group of suburban Indianapolis newspapers, overseeing all revenue and expenses, and launched a new direct mail product alongside a redesign of the core newspaper.

Role — Regional Advertising Director (August 1999 – May 2005)

  • Managed the entire advertising and marketing operation for The Herald Bulletin (circulation 28,000), and served as Call Center Director for the Central Indiana group of newspapers (circulation ~150,000).

Thomson Newspapers – Central Indiana, Carmel, Indiana

— November 1997 to September 1999

Role — Indianapolis Sales Manager

  • Developed and launched a sales team focused on metro Indianapolis advertising opportunities. Netted $500,000 in new revenue within the first year and over $1,000,000 within two years.

Additional experience in sales, sales management, writing, and radio broadcasting

Education

  • Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management — Western Governors University (WGU), Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Associate’s Degree in Radio/TV and Communications — Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana

Additional Certifications

  • Advanced Digital Sales Certified
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) — Project Management Institute (PMI)
  • Google Project Management: Professional Certificate — Google / Coursera
  • CompTIA Project+ Certification
Pete Van Baalen resume headshot

For more details on my background and experience, connect with me on LinkedIn or visit my home page to explore more insights on leadership and business operations.