Mike Robinson is a targeted marketing and public relations expert with an in-depth understanding of the multicultural consumer and marketplace that spans 30 years. He is well known for his innovation and strategic results as a global manager with Procter & Gamble, General Research Corporation and Global Strategic Solutions.
Mr. Robinson is a Mexican-American and has lived and worked throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia for several decades. His significant global experience helps leading consumer products and Fortune 500 companies win in the global marketplace. He is the founding President of LaVERDAD Marketing & Media headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He’s served clients such as Toyota North America, State Farm, Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Walmart, National Institutes of Health, Cintas, Old Spice, Tide, Olay, Pantene, Dawn Detergent, University of Pittsburgh, Downtown Detroit Partnership, Downtown Cincinnati Inc., Ohio Department of Health, and Department of Defense.
Mr. Robinson and LaVERDAD Marketing & Media have received numerous recognitions, including the 2007 US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the Year, 2007 National Minority Supplier Development Council’s MBE of the Year, the 2011 and 2006 South Central Ohio Minority Business Council’s Minority Business of the Year, and the 2006 Diversity Circle of Excellence from the Cincinnati USA Chamber of Commerce. In 2010 he was recognized by the Governor of Ohio as both the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan and the Distinguished Ohio Veteran.
Not only an exceptional business leader, Mr. Robinson is a disabled veteran and former Army officer who served in occupied Berlin and on the East German Front during the Cold War, and went on to lead elite Special Forces units on operations throughout Central and South America after earning the coveted Green Beret. He led strategic units conducting highly classified operations in Panama, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Venezuela, and across Latin America. Prior to earning the Green Beret, Robinson served as a tactical nuclear firing officer in the Field Artillery.
After the Anthrax attacks in 2002, Mr. Robinson was asked to take a leave of absence from Industry to serve as a Program Manager to rapidly build a national infectious disease detection system to help protect the Nation against a pandemic or outbreak due to bioterrorism.
His leadership helped develop the National Retail Data Monitor that analyzed over the counter medicine sales for signs of infectious disease, so that public health officials could rapidly respond. His efforts helped rally the trillion dollar Food & Drug industry to come to the support of the nation after the attacks of9/11/01. President Bush called the initiative the modern day Manhattan project.
In 2003, Mr. Robinson was asked to serve on the Expert Advisory Board for Middle Eastern Affairs, where he helped create strategic communications recommendations for U.S. Central Command in the war effort. The group was instrumental in providing strategic communications advice that helped quell anti-American sentiment in foreign media.
Mr. Robinson is a first generation college graduate and holds a Bachelor’s in Geography and Planning from Arizona State University, a Master’s in Business and Analytics from Webster University and post graduate studies from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
His leadership portfolio includes current or past service on Fifth Third Bank’s Community Advisory Forum, the committee of management for YMCA Teen Services, the Board of Directors for America’s Team youth development initiative, the Board of Directors for the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s, the Board of Directors for LULAC, the Board of Directors for the Army Special Forces Association, and currently serves on the advisory committee for the Institute for Social Media and the Board of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. He resides in Loveland, Ohio with his wife of 27 years and is a proud father of three.
His vision for the future is to create an inner city workforce development program that partners with academic institutions to provide hands on opportunities for youth to learn technology and social media skills to help companies and organizations promote “green” and diversity initiatives, as well as programs that help close the education and health gap for multicultural communities.