Diane Carnevale Jones President

2059 Edgewood SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

P: 616.949.5335
C: 616.446.6833

email: diane@cjonesgroup.com
cjonesgroup.com

Diane Carnevale Jones

Diane Carnevale Jones is the owner of Carnevale Jones Group LLC, an entrepreneurial consulting firm, which identifies unmet business needs and then creates consortiums to fill in the gaps.

Diane is the former owner of Professional Marketing, an award-winning custom boutique PR and marketing firm, which she ran for nearly 30 years. She represented many clients, including eBay, Marie Osmond (dolls), Hospice of Michigan, Mel Trotter Ministries, Swarovski, Peking Handicraft, American Greetings, Mud Pie, Royal Doulton, GoCollect.com, Christopher Radko, Brandwise and Thomas Kinkade. Among the services offered were trade and national PR, eventing, strategic planning, trade show planning, loyalty marketing, product placement in movies and television, and new product launches. Diane also spearheaded a team to bring Webkinz into the national media spotlight, and served as co-host for a collectibles television program for The Lifetime Channel that aired for an entire season.

Over the years, Diane served as executive director of two trade organizations: Collectors’ Information Bureau (CIB) and the Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA). Using her financial acumen and innovative leadership style, Diane worked with each of her Board of Directors to introduce many new marketing programs and membership benefits, while generating income to ensure the health and viability of these organizations. She has also consulted with several non-profits, providing strategic counsel, as well as making recommendations for creating new revenue streams.

Just prior to going public, eBay’s Corporate Communications contacted Diane to play a role in its Antique, Collectibles and Home category. She recommended and organized the first-ever eBay Media Summit, which continued for five years, in addition to hosting industry influencers for several summits. She also created and operated several innovative programs in this category to provide the media with quality information that was ready-to-publish: “eBay Barometer,” “Ask eBay” and “News Bureau Library.”

Diane has worked with both Wall Street, playing a marketing role in start-up companies, and with individual companies, to help publicize their acquisitions. Currently, she works as a Senior Consultant and in Business Development for ROCG, an international financial consulting firm specializing in business transition. Diane is passionate about helping companies improve their processes and profitability to ensure a successful transition of the business, when owners are ready to sell or retire.

Today, Diane provides counsel to companies that are seeking to enter new vertical markets or category niches. She also provides counsel to companies by assessing their PR department, reviewing their annual strategy and identifying free lance or agency assistance to execute their plans. In the financial sector, Diane provides her marketing expertise to many entities including financial consultants and Merger and Acquisition companies.

Throughout the years, Diane and her team have garnered numerous awards for innovative PR and eventing programs. She was the recipient of the 2009 Hospice of Michigan Crystal Rose Award for Outstanding Community Partner. Diane’s company has been recognized as one of Grand Rapids Business Journal’s Top Women-Owned Businesses in West Michigan, in 2007 and 2011.

Diane has spent over 35 years coaching adults and college students, enhancing their resumes and providing them with counsel on career exploration and effective interviewing techniques. She serves as a guest lecturer at colleges, as well as an entrepreneurial coach and a student mentor.

Diane is a University of Michigan graduate, as is her husband Paul. They are the sponsors of the POS Speakers Series at Michigan’s Ross School of Business (www.centerforpos.org).