Movers & Shakers: Jim Specht, chief experience officer, Bold Orange Company

Jim Specht is focusing on creating business and societal progress while leading the creative and customer experience capabilities as chief experience officer at Bold Orange, a Minneapolis-based marketing company.

Specht's role with Bold Orange involves developing strategies to help brands build more personal and relevant relationships with customers through loyalty and customer relationship management programs and digital experiences.

Specht also is leading the brand and modernization of the mission-based arm of Bold Orange, Michigan-based Great Lakes Scrip Center (GLSC) and its ShopWithScrip.com community fundraising platform. GLSC is the country's largest gift card fundraising company. Organizations and nonprofits such as school or church groups receive a rebate when contributors buy a gift card through GLSC.

"The notion of being part of something that impacts societal progress was very intriguing," Specht said. "I love working with it because I can feel good about what I'm doing."

Specht worked the past 10 years at ICF Olson, Olson 1to1 and Denali Marketing and most recently was executive creative director at Olson 1to1. He previously was in senior creative director positions at Carlson Marketing Group and Marx McClellan Thrun.

Specht worked with Bold Orange and GLSC CEO Margaret Murphy for several years while both were at ICF Olson. Murphy was president and chief operating officer at ICF Olson from 2011 to 2016 before founding Bold Orange in January.

"When you work with someone like Margaret, you're going to do great things," Specht said of joining Bold Orange.

A: It's helping our clients understand what are the important connection points with their customers and helping them devise strategies, whether creative or digital experience, that create the most meaningful connections and that are most tailored around that individual. It's about the experience with the brand, not just the action they're taking because they happen to be on a website or a mobile app. It's thinking about and structuring the overall experience.

Q: What are your goals or priorities at Bold Orange?

A: My priorities are to be bold and to be courageous. I have entered a culture here that is really inspiring and motivating with truly very experienced and talented people, and that's motivating for me. My expectations are to do what I do but be bold and be courageous and do good things for our clients.

Q: Why should a brand bring its business to Bold Orange?

A: Because we are not bound by limitations. We are a collection of people with a great deal of experience and talents. What you're going to get is bold thinking, real thoughtful ideas and solutions vs. "here's a set of capabilities that we sell." We'll pursue the right and best solution.