About Yastrow & Company

Steve Yastrow
Steve Yastrow’s passion is creating revolutionary marketing systems that yield major profit breakthroughs. Steve has been called a thought leader, marketing guru, provocateur and business visionary. He challenges organizations to take a fresh look at themselves from the inside out.

Steve Yastrow is the author of two books, We: The Ideal Customer Relationship and Brand Harmony.  Management guru Tom Peters says, “When Steve Yastrow writes, I pay close attention.” Peters called Brand Harmony “compelling and powerful,” while describing We as“a superb book.” 

As an author, Steve excels at identifying the things that truly matter in business, dissecting trends and blending his observations with philosophy and science. He identifies the questions that are crucial to business success and helps his readers answer those questions for their own businesses.

As a consultant, Steve and his company create brilliant brand strategies that pinpoint the profit breakthroughs for their clients. He helps companies reach their ideal future by identifying sources of latent profit, then building a strong internal alignment to create powerful and compelling beliefs in the minds of employees and customers. He and his company provide clear action steps to improve business performance.

As a speaker, Steve brings fresh, provocative insights to corporate or association audiences. He challenges them to reinvent how they connect with customers. Everyone-- from the front-line to the boardroom-- is inspired to act after attending one of Steve’s engaging speeches or workshops.

The concepts behind Steve’s ideas were developed in the “real world” through his work as president of Yastrow & Company, a Chicago-based consulting firm. He has assembled a stellar team of associates who work with a variety of companies, from the Fortune 500 level to smaller owner-managed businesses. Yastrow & Company has served such clients as McDonald’s Corporation, The Tom Peters Company, Discover Financial Services, Kimpton Hotels, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Agilent Technologies, Jenny Craig International, Great Clips for Hair, Cold Stone Creamery, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Viacord, Dental Care Partners, Private Business Jets and many other organizations.

Steve was previously vice-president of resort marketing for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. He earned an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.A. from Indiana University.  Home is Deerfield, IL, where Steve lives with his wife Arna and three kids, Nurit, Levi & Noah.  Steve and Levi play in a band, Shakshuka, which recently released its third CD.

Learn more about how Steve’s revolutionary ideas can improve your business at yastrow.com, where he regularly updates his blog and newsletter. He is also a contributing writer for tompeters.com.
 
 
Diana Lackner
Diana has worked with Yastrow & Company for 10 years. Her keen strategic, financial, and business insights have been pivotal in the development of Yastrow & Company strategies with clients in real estate, consumer goods, financial services, and health care. Diana has an MBA from the University of Chicago and brings years of experience from her time with Searle, Citigroup, and BioStrategies, a health care consulting firm.
 
 
Caroline Ceisel
Caroline has been integrally involved in all Yastrow & Company consulting projects for the past five years, and assisted in the research and editing for Steve Yastrow's new book, We: The Ideal Customer Relationship. Caroline has played a key role in developing many brand strategies for clients and in translating those strategies into programs that drive results. She runs most of Yastrow & Company's qualitative research projects. Caroline previously worked as Field Director on the Dan Hynes U.S. Senate Campaign.

Amanda Cullen
Amanda has assisted Yastrow & Company on several projects over the years, including editing Steve’s two books Brand Harmony and We: The Ideal Customer Relationship. Currently, she manages Steve’s newsletter and website, assists with consulting projects and advises Steve on his speaking engagements. Her company, Zoo in a Jungle Marketing, focuses on marketing strategy and planning for small and medium businesses. Previously, she was marketing manager for Lighthouse Carwash Systems, Inc., one of Yastrow & Company’s clients. She also spent an exciting and educational time working for Apple Retail as a trainer. Think Different!
 
Shelby Yastrow
Shelby was executive vice-president and general counsel of McDonald's Corporation, from where he retired in 1997. He has served as a director on the boards of many companies, including Cold Stone Creamery, Great Clips for Hair, Spirit Finance, and Premier Garage. Shelby is considered one of the nation's leading experts on franchising, and advises many franchise executives on their businesses. He is the author of two acclaimed novels, Undue Influence and Under Oath.
 

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