About Me

Hi, I’m Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie  -  a native Midwesterner now living in Portland, Oregon, spreading “realistic optimism” through a philosophy I call “Half-Fullism“. I’ve been in the business world for over 30 years in various leadership positions, most recently as the SVP of Operations for Bresnan Communications, a cable TV operator in the Rocky Mountain west.

I’m now out on my own as a business consultant, strategist, coach and angel investor – see my “Hire Us” page.

I’ve also been active in the Social Media world for the past 7 years, as a co-founder (with Liz Strauss) of SOBCon, an annual conference we’ve been hosting in Chicago since 2007, and have recently expanded to Portland, Oregon.

(I cordially invite you to meet me in Chicago this May 3-5 at the next event!)

My leadership philosophy is unabashedly personal – it’s all about positivity, purpose, empathy & compassion, humility – and love.

I started my career way back in 1982 as a CPA for a public accounting firm, and got my first taste of executive life in 1987, getting thrown into the deep end of the management pool at the age of 27.  I learned so much from that experience, and I’ve summarized those lessons on my e-book “Leadership From a Glass Half-Full: The 5 Lessons You Need to Learn Before You Jump Into the Pool“  (click here to download).

Since then, I spent the better part of 23 years in the cable TV business, which has been yet another wonderful training ground, since it is so focused on people  – the people in the business who serve the customers, and the customers themselves.  I found out that “customer care” really should mean what it says, and that the only way to build a great and lasting service business is to make “serving our customers“  the centerpiece of the operations, reflected in our product, our actions, our focus, and our leadership.

Here’s the story behind the “Starbucker” name:

If you want to dig a little deeper,  here’s a quick look at where I’m coming from (otherwise known as my “Crash Davis Belief Statement”):

“I believe in the incredible potential of the human spirit, the vast underappreciated beauty of the earth, my wife’s smile and the love that radiates from it, long hugs and soft kisses, weddings and butterflies, honesty and courage, incurable optimism, the men and women in the arena, movies that make me laugh and cry at the human condition, the Green Bay Packers, downward dogs, a fine hot grande latte, the warmness of friendship, the spirit of SOBCon, vanilla ice cream, Elton & Bernie, the Grand Tetons, common courtesy, melodies I can’t get out of my head, amazing grace, Mom & Dad & my two sisters, servant leadership, government above hypocrisy, the daily grind, deep cleansing breaths, the power of dreams, the incredible wisdom of my grandmother, E=MC², and God and the Golden Rule.”

Thanks for stopping by!