Jane Innes

Director of Marketing Communications

Jane Innes IMS

Greatest Professional Accomplishment: 
Using the power of communications to solve problems, to enhance relationships and to build brands from concept to industry leadership.

Passionate About: 
Working to infuse positive attitude and kindness into the world.

Dream Job: 
I am professionally happy when I can use my talent and experience to build new success stories in an environment of creative energy, integrity and genuine caring for clients and the team.

Personal Philosophy: 
It is not what you have… but what you leave behind… that really matters.

Best Attributes: 
As a former journalist, I am highly organized, deadline sensitive and naturally inquisitive. As an experienced corporate leader, I understand how business works, and the need for integrated marketing communications for true brand “horsepower.”  

Key Strengths: 

  • Developing hands-on marketing communications strategy and implementation that achieves business plan results and enhances the brand’s market position.
  • Communications and marketing for startups and brand reintroductions.
  • Managing new product roll outs.
  • Media relations, media coaching and crisis management.
  • Counseling, planning and implementing executive communications.
  • Speechwriting and AV support.
  • Creating and managing dynamic meetings and events.
  • Fostering sound community outreach.
  • Enhancing franchisee/member relations.

Biography:
My grandfather left Poland, alone, at 13 years old and worked in the coal mines of western Pennsylvania, eventually earning enough to bring his family to a better life in America. With his accomplishment as my anchor, and those fearless genes, I set out to follow my dreams early in life.

I’ve always been a good writer with a flair for fun.  In school, my teachers said, “Jane has a grammar ear.”  I thought it was an infection! Fortunately, I realized that people important to me recognized my creativity and talent. Their encouragement spurred me on to professional success.

School years for me included, gathering my friends and putting on shows for the neighborhood in my parents’ garage—maybe I didn’t sing great but I loved the stage time; pageants and sports competitions at the local parks. I wasn’t the beauty queen but I won “Miss Personality;” and earned good grades—it was the competitive thing…I love to win!

As the first in my family to graduate from college (Penn State Journalism M.A., B.A.), I never took for granted the privilege of a college education.  Somehow I knew that my degree plus hard work, courage and life experience would equal success.

Success to me is becoming a trusted partner in another’s success.  My formula for success is listening carefully, providing honest counsel, applying my “grammar ear” in a multitude of creative ways, and continuing to learn more about building business relationships every day.

My professional experience came through caring mentors at great companies who trusted me to contribute to their success. From them I learned how business worked and how results were the currency of growth.  They gave me opportunities to do things I never dreamed I could do. They were there when I needed course corrections and, together, we celebrated accomplishments.

Every position I held brought with it challenges and learning opportunities.  Early in my career, I supervised communications for a large urban school district and managed a daily newspaper from the editorial side to the business office to the print shop. There, I learned a lot about crisis communications, deadlines and production.

As a corporate communications and marketing executive for 20 years, I was the trusted confidant of boards, CEOs and presidents; an active member of leadership teams; and led communications and marketing functions for several national and international brands.  My past career partners include Holiday Inns, Inc., Hampton Inns, Inc., Embassy Suites, Calmark Hospitality Systems, Perkins Family Restaurants, Inc. and Best Western International. I have built communication, marketing, advertising, sales and customer service departments; established a call center; and built community outreach programs from the ground up and came away with a thorough understanding of how businesses are built, maintained and in some cases, re-built.  

That was then.  Now, I am privileged to work with entrepreneurial clients who aren’t afraid to dream big and work hard.  What I love about IMS is that we aren’t afraid to do exactly the same thing—dream big and work hard—for our clients and for ourselves.