Management Essentials
EXPERIENCED
LEADERSHIP
John Lucas
Founder / Owner
John Lucas is a naturally caffeinated leader that has over 27 years of professional experience working with small, medium and large companies in a variety of roles where he has been responsible for playing key roles in driving sustainable business growth. John has demonstrated success in building and leading teams, understanding how to smartly grow business, and has a passion for helping small and mid-sized businesses reap the benefits of “big company capability at a small company price tag”.
Dr. J.J. Walcutt
Psychologist, Human Performance Expert
Dr. Walcutt is a psychologist, strategic designer, and expert in cognitive optimization. She draws upon a wide range of experience from basic research, to development of military training and education, to large scale talent management design. Dr. Walcutt has worked with public and private sector clients at the local, national, and international levels including work in the Pentagon and representing the US at NATO. She helps individuals, teams, and system designers optimize and accelerate innovative thinking, mental capacity, cognitive agility, and decision making under stress. Her goal is to help the brain operate at the Olympic level of business.
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Beth Grabowski
Senior Marketing Strategist
Beth Grabowski is an expert in areas of Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research and Integrated Marketing Communications. She was the Senior Director of Marketing at Shedd Aquarium where she worked to maximize Shedd’s brand and marketing presence while leading a task force charged with diversifying revenue opportunities. Before her time at Shedd, Beth was the Director of Marketing and Business Analytics at the Chicago White Sox where she was named to Crain’s Business Journal Chicago’s “40 under 40” class of 2017. Beth also spent significant time working in the Marketing Department of Northwestern University’s Department of Athletics and Recreation while also teaching in Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies. She holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University as well as an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
Tom Malone
Chief Storyteller
Tom Malone is a content creator who tells stories through writing, photography, and video. He has written journalistic and nonfiction pieces for national publications, award show scripts for public figures, and branding content for various companies, along with multiple fiction novels. Malone’s photography has appeared in magazines and brand social media platforms, highlighting people, places, and products. He has also created video content for businesses, athletic programs, and musicians. Malone enjoys helping people and companies share their stories and showcase their messages through whichever medium fits the project.
ABOUT US
WE MAKE COMPANIES BETTER.
OUR STORY
We make companies better. We do this through the assembly of best-in-class capabilities and strategic planning in skill areas focused on helping you reach your peak performance. Believing there is no difference between the board room and the dining room, we employ methods and resources that help our clients at both work and at home, leveraging skills levels typically reserved for only the Fortune 500. Watching companies wrestle with growth and balancing critical needs with limited resources has provided the inspiration behind Management Essentials. We provide elite skills without the high costs.
Management Essentials was founded by John Lucas who attributes his skills in growing people and businesses to a diverse career which exposed him to a wide array of skills. This included roles as a Detective, running a world-class attraction, to Directing a global team to develop next-generation software solutions for some of the largest and most notable brands in the world.
John hand-selected his team at Management Essentials from individuals he has found through his career to be top performers in their respective areas of expertise.
