Who We Are

Hi there,

Dolomite Marketing was founded by me, Ben LeFort.

When I graduated with a degree in English Literature from Grinnell College, I was told that my degree was “good for everything”. I took that idea and ran with it.

After graduating, I earned a CTEFL degree (Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language) that helped me land a job in Santiago, Chile. Besides learning Spanish to the point where I was able to edit a bilingual book, I spent 3+ years teaching adults the ins and outs of regular past tense verb pronunciations, mysterious idioms, and the joy of singing Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon” (among other things).

Then I returned to my beloved home turf: the Upper Midwest.

(That’s where the “dolomite” in Dolomite Marketing comes from. I was raised in the western suburbs of Chicago, where the dolomite limestone bedrock gave rise to the native prairies. And now I’m in Southeastern Wisconsin, where my home in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood rests upon a bluff of dolomite.)

Back in Chicago from South America, I worked as a reporter for a bilingual Spanish/English neighborhood newspaper as well as an educational publishing company. I learned the finer points of copywriting, editing and project management, got to explore the city’s fascinating Latino communities, and volunteered to teach creative writing workshops at a public library.

A job managing communications, marketing and volunteers for a nonprofit that delivered food to over 8,000 families every month brought me to Milwaukee. During my 7 years there, I touched every aspect of their communications and marketing. I built strategic marketing plans (they didn’t have any when I started), learned about GRPs enough to buy print and TV and radio spots the smart way, coordinated outdoor advertising campaigns, produced fundraising materials and annual reports, and modernized the organization’s online marketing by launching their presence in social media, email marketing, and paid search as well as fine tuning their website’s search engine optimization (SEO).

Photo Credit: Ben LeFort

As it turned out, I really liked SEO. I moved to Milwaukee’s premier agency specializing in search engine marketing (SEM) where for 3+ years I focused on keyword research, content writing and optimization, technical SEO, local SEO, and link building.

I eventually helped lead the SEO department, formalized and optimized internal processes, and contributed to sales efforts. Beyond working for a number of clients in a diverse array of industries, I got to rub shoulders with very smart people every day and learned more about leadership than I ever thought imaginable.

In 2015 I started an independent consulting business, marrying up my passion for nonprofits, social impact ventures and small- to medium-sized businesses with my strengths in strategic thinking, project management, exacting attention to detail, clear communication, and a collaborative work style.

So here I am, ready to put my shoulder to the wheel.

Cheers!

Ben

PS –  Here’s my LinkedIn if you’d like all the details.

PPS – Got a question? Fill out the form on our contact page, give us a call, or write an email. 

Contact Us

Header Photo Credit: Ben LeFort