Marketing Alum with Tech and Auto Industry Experience Returns for TRU-Entrepreneur Series
Alumnus Tim Grimes will be the next guest in the TRU-Entrepreneur Series with a presentation at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in the Pickler Memorial Library Villhard Innovation Lab.
Grimes is a business leader, entrepreneur and technology consultant with a career focused on marketing, business process improvement, software development and organizational transformation.
A 2001 graduate of the University, Grimes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business marketing. During his time at Truman, he was actively involved in both the academic and campus communities. He was selected as violist for the President’s String Quartet, served as a student advisor, was elected to Student Senate and worked as advertising manager for The Index, Truman’s student newspaper.
Following graduation, Grimes moved to Austin, Texas, to begin his career with Apple in the company’s Education Sales division. As one of Apple’s top higher education sales representatives, he worked with colleges and universities to explore new ways of integrating technology into the educational experience. One of his most memorable projects was helping launch an innovative initiative at Oklahoma State University in which students in the music program received an Apple iBook and iPod as part of their educational program.
Grimes’ success in higher education sales led to a promotion into field sales, where he worked directly with K-12 school districts throughout Missouri and Illinois. During this period, he helped several schools develop and implement early one-to-one technology programs that provided MacBooks to individual students as an integral part of their curriculum.
After Apple, Grimes joined Cox Automotive, working with automobile dealerships to improve the accuracy, quality and speed of their online vehicle merchandising. By helping dealers get inventory online as much as several days faster than traditional processes, his work contributed to improving vehicle turn – the speed at which dealerships were able to sell their inventory.
Grimes’ success in automotive digital marketing led to an opportunity to consult with Toyota dealerships throughout the Midwest. Working directly with franchised Toyota dealers, he helped modernize their digital presence and improve how they represented their businesses online. His work encompassed dealership websites, vehicle inventory merchandising, online reputation management, Facebook and Google advertising, search engine optimization and optimization of dealership listings on third-party automotive marketplaces.
Through these experiences, Grimes developed a strong interest in the intersection of marketing automation, technology, software development and business process improvement. That interest ultimately led him to launch Insanely Great Enterprises, a consulting and software development company focused on helping organizations simplify operations, automate processes and develop custom technology solutions tailored to the way they do business.
Through Insanely Great Enterprises, Grimes was given the opportunity to assume the role of managing director for Mirage Spa Service and Supply, a portfolio company of one of his clients. In that role, he oversees the day-to-day operation of the company, including marketing, customer experience, technology, and the development of software and business systems supporting the organization.
Working alongside a talented team of professionals, Grimes has helped lead a significant turnaround at Mirage Spa Service and Supply. The company has achieved substantial year-over-year revenue growth, strengthened its reputation throughout the St. Louis market, and is increasingly recognized as a go-to resource for complicated and difficult spa repair and service issues. Grimes credits much of that progress to the expertise, dedication and professionalism of the people with whom he has had the opportunity to work.
Across his career, Grimes has been particularly drawn to situations where technology, marketing and operational improvement can come together to transform an organization. Whether helping schools rethink technology in the classroom, dealerships modernize their digital businesses, or small companies improve the systems behind their operations, he enjoys finding practical ways to make organizations work better.
In addition to presenting as part of the TRU-Entrepreneur Speaker Series, Grimes will be meeting with classes in marketing and strategic management.
Grimes is a business leader, entrepreneur and technology consultant with a career focused on marketing, business process improvement, software development and organizational transformation.
A 2001 graduate of the University, Grimes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business marketing. During his time at Truman, he was actively involved in both the academic and campus communities. He was selected as violist for the President’s String Quartet, served as a student advisor, was elected to Student Senate and worked as advertising manager for The Index, Truman’s student newspaper.
Following graduation, Grimes moved to Austin, Texas, to begin his career with Apple in the company’s Education Sales division. As one of Apple’s top higher education sales representatives, he worked with colleges and universities to explore new ways of integrating technology into the educational experience. One of his most memorable projects was helping launch an innovative initiative at Oklahoma State University in which students in the music program received an Apple iBook and iPod as part of their educational program.
Grimes’ success in higher education sales led to a promotion into field sales, where he worked directly with K-12 school districts throughout Missouri and Illinois. During this period, he helped several schools develop and implement early one-to-one technology programs that provided MacBooks to individual students as an integral part of their curriculum.
After Apple, Grimes joined Cox Automotive, working with automobile dealerships to improve the accuracy, quality and speed of their online vehicle merchandising. By helping dealers get inventory online as much as several days faster than traditional processes, his work contributed to improving vehicle turn – the speed at which dealerships were able to sell their inventory.
Grimes’ success in automotive digital marketing led to an opportunity to consult with Toyota dealerships throughout the Midwest. Working directly with franchised Toyota dealers, he helped modernize their digital presence and improve how they represented their businesses online. His work encompassed dealership websites, vehicle inventory merchandising, online reputation management, Facebook and Google advertising, search engine optimization and optimization of dealership listings on third-party automotive marketplaces.
Through these experiences, Grimes developed a strong interest in the intersection of marketing automation, technology, software development and business process improvement. That interest ultimately led him to launch Insanely Great Enterprises, a consulting and software development company focused on helping organizations simplify operations, automate processes and develop custom technology solutions tailored to the way they do business.
Through Insanely Great Enterprises, Grimes was given the opportunity to assume the role of managing director for Mirage Spa Service and Supply, a portfolio company of one of his clients. In that role, he oversees the day-to-day operation of the company, including marketing, customer experience, technology, and the development of software and business systems supporting the organization.
Working alongside a talented team of professionals, Grimes has helped lead a significant turnaround at Mirage Spa Service and Supply. The company has achieved substantial year-over-year revenue growth, strengthened its reputation throughout the St. Louis market, and is increasingly recognized as a go-to resource for complicated and difficult spa repair and service issues. Grimes credits much of that progress to the expertise, dedication and professionalism of the people with whom he has had the opportunity to work.
Across his career, Grimes has been particularly drawn to situations where technology, marketing and operational improvement can come together to transform an organization. Whether helping schools rethink technology in the classroom, dealerships modernize their digital businesses, or small companies improve the systems behind their operations, he enjoys finding practical ways to make organizations work better.
In addition to presenting as part of the TRU-Entrepreneur Speaker Series, Grimes will be meeting with classes in marketing and strategic management.
