Lee Kantz
Digital Pioneer
Lee Kantz is a digital media expert and transformer with strategic and hands-on experience in digital marketing, consumer eCommerce, education marketing, marketing technology, and detailed web analytics. Let Lee help you on your digital journey.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Directed acquisition marketing and co-managed a 12-person marketing team for BloomTech, an online coding boot camp offering programs in Full Stack Web Development, Data Science, Backend Development, and Web3.
Built an educational directory and lead generation division of job board Monster.com from nothing to eight figures in two years, managed a strategic acquisition and integration of 140+ websites, and led traffic acquisition efforts in one of the most competitive search markets at the time.
Scaled the DTC eCommerce business of a popular brand in the new parenting space by 27x in 3 years through a combination of SEO, paid search and social, Shopify site overhaul, conversion rate optimization and more, contributing to the company’s 2021 purchase by private equity.
Served as Chief Marketing Officer for a startup online division of the University of Illinois serving all three campuses, and brought in more than 1,000 students for 9 degree and certificate programs in healthcare, business, education, and technology.
Led marketing and enrollment management for a chain of 15 Chicago-based foreign language immersion centers for kids 1-10, and oversaw marketing of the company’s first expansion into a second market in Washington, D.C.
Led website and digital communications strategy for Cardean University and its parent company UNext, which built one of the first online MBA programs for B2C and B2B in partnership with the University of Chicago, Stanford, Columbia, and other top business schools.
Worked in transformational roles in editorial and product development for the earliest digital reference products, both online and on CD-ROM, managed content transition from print to digital, and served as a cross-company liaison in the creation of all digital products and services.
Lee has also worked or consulted for the following organizations:
SKILLS
A unique mix of experience that combines executive management and P&L responsibility with hands-on creative, technical and analytical skills across the entire range of digital marketing channels, strategies and technologies.
Marketing Leadership
P&L responsibility and management of marketing teams at a wide range of startups, small businesses and entrepreneurial divisions of large organizations for B2C, B2B, and education. Oversight of million-dollar marketing budgets and strategic acquisitions.
Growth Marketing
Strategic & hands-on skills in the full range of performance marketing strategies and channels, including search engine optimization, search engine marketing, paid and organic social media, content development, video and display, and affiliate and influencer marketing.
Creative
Design experience honed from working with leading interaction designers and UX experts, and editorial experience gained from years at Encyclopædia Britannica and in academic environments. Strong copyediting and proofreading skills.
Technology
Leadership of the entire marketing tech stack, including complex website creation, eCommerce platforms, CRM and lifecycle marketing systems, detailed web analytics and attribution, HTML & CSS, and the use of AI in digital marketing.
Platforms
If you don’t see a technology platform below, talk to Lee. He has often been the point-person to evaluate, recommend, implement, and train people on new systems and technologies, and he learns new platforms very quickly.
Website & Store Experience
Shopify, Salesforce, WooCommerce, WordPress, Webflow, Optimizely, VWO.
Advertising Platforms
Google Ads, Meta Ads, Bing Ads, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Native Ad Networks, Affiliate Networks.
Web Analytics
Google Analytics (certified), Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, Looker, Clarity, HotJar, Heap.
Email, SMS, CRM
Klaviyo, Salesforce, Hubspot, Attentive, Mailchimp, Zoho.
TESTIMONIALS
MORE ABOUT LEE
Lee…
…grew up in the near north suburbs of Chicago and now lives in a near west suburb. In between he lived on the north side of Chicago, never more than a mile away from Wrigley Field. (Yes, he’s a Cub fan.)
…has been happily married to his wife Rebekah since 2002. Two years before, their first date was at the Orange Garden, a Chinese restaurant in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Several years later, Billy Corgan, lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins, purchased the sign of the Orange Garden, making himself cooler than he already was.
…and Rebekah have three kids: Jeremy, Eva, and Julia. He’d tell you their ages, but they have already grown older since the start of this sentence. Lee considers fatherhood his greatest accomplishment.
…is the son of a Chicago Public School teacher and a commercial artist (the old term for a graphic designer). Later in life, his father became an award-winning portrait painter. (Yeah, Lee built that website.)
…once tried out for Jeopardy and passed. There was a 50/50 chance that the show would have called, but they never did. It was the same year as Ken Jennings’ big streak, so Jennings reduced the odds, which is why when Lee hears that name, he says it like Jerry says “Newman!” in Seinfeld.
…watches way too much Star Trek. There are some shows he likes more than others, but there is no version of Star Trek that he doesn’t like. Live long and prosper. 🖖
…is always writing a book. It may not be the same book as last week, which is why Lee never finishes writing a book. (Someday, in retirement…)
…enjoys reading science fiction, science non-fiction, and history. He also leads a weekly Great Books group that has focused on great political works.
…doesn’t mind if you call him a geek. It’s a badge he wears with honor. Or maybe a propeller hat he wears with honor.
…and his family have a cat named Ferguson. They rescued Ferguson from a local shelter, and he came with the name. The family did not choose the name as a nod to Cubs hall-of-fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, but Lee sometimes calls him Fergie for short.
…hates it when people refer to themselves in the third person. (Hmmm…)