Company: MaintenanceNet, Inc.
Company Description: Founded in 2004, MaintenanceNet empowers the world’s leading manufacturers and their channel partners to expand the scope and success of their service sales initiatives. Through its cloud platform along with automation and big data expertise, the company has delivered billions of dollars in service revenues and improved overall customer satisfaction and retention for the businesses it serves.
Nomination Category:Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category:Female Executive of the Year – Business Services –11 to 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Kelly Crothers: Young VP Leads Innovative Tech Company to Next Level with Successful Acquisition Strategy

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

While still under the age of 40, Kelly Crothers has accomplished a lot more in the past 12 months than many of us can achieve in business in a lifetime, having firmly established MaintenanceNet as a global leader in service revenue generation. Making use of her natural leadership skills, in 2014-15 she helped guide the company to attain the ultimate corporate milestone by taking it to the next level with Cisco, a global technology powerhouse and key customer. On July 7, Cisco announced its intent to acquire MaintenanceNet, marking the biggest news in the company’s 10-year history.

Beyond the acquisition announcement, her chief accomplishments in the past year include:

• Serving as a catalyst for MaintenanceNet reaching more than $3 billion in service contracts now under management worldwide.
• Launching the company’s new ServiceExchange Service Revenue Generation Platform, its biggest product introduction in company history.
• Leading and implementing a series of events and marketing campaigns commemorating MaintenanceNet’s 10 years as a successful business.
• Achieving year-over-year revenue growth of 50 percent in 2014 as MaintenanceNet expanded its reach to serve more than 300 distributors and 23,000 resellers globally.
• Driving operational growth with the delivery of nearly 2.5 billion automated service quotes into the market, which fueled millions of dollars in incremental revenue increases for MaintenanceNet clients worldwide.
• Playing an instrumental role in MaintenanceNet securing more than $12 million in funding from investment firm Kayne Capital in 2014.
• Successfully differentiating and elevating the MaintenanceNet brand in a complex and competitive market to fuel record growth, using high-impact marketing strategies directed at solving customers’ most pressing service sales challenges.
• Orchestrating consistent content marketing and lead generation programs; a complete re-design of the company website; and ongoing expansion of marketing, public relations and social media programs across Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, as well as the company’s blog.
• Spearheading the initiatives behind MaintenanceNet – as well as its clients -- earning more than a dozen industry and local/regional awards in 2014 and 2015.
• Taking over product management responsibilities within MaintenanceNet to ensure product development and innovation milestones are met.
• Increasing marketing staff by 50% in 2014.
• Supported/helped drive business customers’ channel-facing marketing programs with ideas, initiatives and promotional tools specifically designed to increase sales.
• An avid writer, Crothers found time to contribute more than 10 “how to”” articles and blog posts on marketing and technology to industry trade journals with a goal of helping other professionals to move their businesses forward.

Beyond all of her accomplishments at such a young age, it is her “do the right thing” work ethic and her ongoing desire to get the job done that has empowered and inspired others – both inside and outside of her organization. Crothers has also cultivated a big picture mentality within MaintenanceNet that inspires employees to contribute to the community, treat vendors and customers right and work with integrity above all things. In addition, she works closely with young staff members to develop their leadership and professional skills to support MaintenanceNet’s “build from within” philosophy. For her far-reaching achievements, we believe Crothers is an excellent choice for female executive of the year.

Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 125 words):

Kelly Crothers’ strategic marketing vision has guided MaintenanceNet since 2004. Starting out her career as marketing manager, she defined and implemented the formal go-to-market plan for MaintenanceNet and then worked her way up to become director of marketing. She was then named vice president of marketing in 2012, and, in 2014, she was appointed VP of global marketing and also placed in charge of global product management and internal communications.

A creative and resourceful professional, Crothers continues to position the company at the forefront of the technology industry through innovative, multi-channel marketing strategies that reflect the company’s competitive spirit. She has successfully established the company as a leader and innovator in its field, and is dedicated to its ongoing success.