Meet the Outdoor Lighting Perspectives Team

Chris Grandpre Chariman and CEO of Outdoor Living Brands

As the chairman and CEO of Outdoor Living Brands, Mr. Grandpre sets the strategic direction for Outdoor Lighting Perspectives. OLB is a company with several leading franchise brands within the outdoor living market. Some of Mr. Grandpre’s responsibilities include growing franchise operations, new business ventures, and fostering a corporate culture of innovation.

Just a few of his accomplishments include:

• President of Archadeck since 2005
• Worked for a consulting firm, Accenture
• Served in an advisory capacity on more than $500 million of corporate transactions

Mr. Grandpre has a master’s of business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and resides in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, Susan, and three children.

Scott Zide Chief Operating Officer and VP of Outdoor Living Brands

Mr. Zide manages the day-to-day operations of Outdoor Living Brands. He started out as an OLP franchise owner in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2000, and in 2002 was hired by Outdoor Lighting Perspectives as a consultant to help develop and support new franchisees. He became Vice President of the OLP Franchise in 2004.

Mr. Zide currently resides in Richmond, VA with his wife and two kids.

Corey Schroeder Chief Financial Officer and VP of Outdoor Living Brands

Mr. Schroeder’s responsibilities include financial reporting and management of the business, assisting franchisees to evaluate the financial performance of their businesses, working to support the strategic direction of the company, and overseeing compliance matters.

Some additional accomplishments include:

• Vice President and CFO of Archadeck
• Corporate treasury department of CarMax
• Merger and acquisition investment banking
• Master’s degree in accounting from the College of William and Mary
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation

Rich Young Vice President & Brand Leader for Outdoor Lighting Perspectives

Mr. Young joined the company in April 2006 to assist in the support of the company’s franchisees and served as the Director of Franchise Support for Outdoor Lighting Perspectives. His core responsibilities included:

• Execution of new franchisee training
• Development and implementation of field support programs
• Expanding and diversifying the OLP service offerings
• Recruitment and retention of field support personnel
• Franchise development
• Rollout and execution of marketing plans at corporate and franchisee level

Mr. Young also spent 13 years in various upper level management roles at Target and Home Depot. He holds a B.S. in criminal justice from Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan.

Erin Zide Director of Franchise Development

Tom McCombs Field Support Consultant

Tom joined the Outdoor Living Brands Team in 2016. Mr. McCombs serves the Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise community in a variety of fashions. His principle role is to help support the franchisees reach their business goals, from analyzing performances to recommending action plans that drive results to assisting with the development of new tools to enhance their operations.

Jim Schwartz Field Support Consultant

Jim joined the Outdoor Living Brands Team in 2020. Mr. Schwartz serves the Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise community in a variety of fashions. His principle role is to provide our franchise owners with sales and operational support to help them grow and develop their operations.

Michael Glaeser Field Support Consultant

Michael joined the Outdoor Living Brands Team in 2020. Mr. Glaeser serves the Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise community in a variety of fashions. His principle roles are to: 1. Advise franchisees how to evaluate and act on financial analysis tools. 2. Facilitate learning and sharing of best practices in a wide variety of formats. 3. Ensure brand standard compliance with all products, operating systems, processes and initiatives to promote operational excellence and superior customer experiences.

Jane Campbell Digital Marketing Manager

Ms. Campbell joined the Outdoor Living Brands team in January of 2009 and serves as Digital Marketing Manager for Renew Crew, Archadeck Outdoor Living, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, and Conserva Irrigation. With robust knowledge of the online environment, Ms. Campbell spearheads the overall inbound strategy for the company. She evaluates different opportunities and consults with franchisees as they build their online presence for their business. Ms. Campbell assists franchisees in all aspects of inbound marketing, including website and search engine optimization, social media, and pay-per-click advertising. In addition, she monitors the inbound marketing space to regularly identify new tools and tactics as the online marketing arena tends to change frequently.

Ms. Campbell resides in Rochester Hills, MI with her husband and son.

Alex Mercer Brand Marketing Consultant

Alex joined the Archadeck team in 2018 and holds the position of Brand Marketing Consultant for Archadeck and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives. She serves as the franchisees’ main point of contact for their marketing needs and works with the team to put together the marketing strategy for the Archadeck brand.

Previously, Alex worked as an account executive at a full-service marketing agency where she managed a variety of projects including brand refreshes, websites, print, strategy and more. She also serves as VP of Communications on the Board of the American Marketing Association Richmond Chapter.

Alex graduated from the University of Virginia and currently resides in Richmond, VA with her husband, Brian, and dog, Kona.

Annena Ellis Digital Marketing Consultant

Annena Ellis joined the Outdoor Living Brands team in April of 2018 and serves as the Digital Marketing Consultant for Archadeck, Conserva Irrigation, Mosquito Squad, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, and Renew Crew. With a background in inbound marketing, SEO, and marketing strategy, Annena Ellis helps franchises owners across all brands with their digital marketing initiatives and online presence. Utilizing her knowledge and passion for pay-per-click campaigns, search engine optimization, content creation, and email marketing, Annena assists franchisees with analyzing the strength of their online presences’ and provides practical recommendations on how they can improve with a goal of enhancing the success of their business overall.

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina and a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Annena now resides in Richmond, Virginia with her dog/fur baby, Umphrey.

Steve Nguyen Creative Director

Mr. Nguyen is Outdoor Living Brands award-winning graphic designer. Mr. Nguyen has a firm belief that graphic design is much more than how something looks, but just as importantly, what something is trying to communicate. He utilizes a diverse art background to create compelling ways to use concept, color, composition, photography, typography, and other media to create clear, successful projects. Mr. Nguyen holds a Bachelors of Arts in Graphic Design from Fredonia State University of New York.

Lisa Ervin Logistics & Customer Service Manager

As the Logistics & Customer Service Manager, Ms. Ervin supports franchisees ordering and fulfillment activities with OLB Supply Cooperation by answering product related questions, monitoring delivery times, managing product databases, and is also the main day-to-day contact for all of our vendor partners. In addition, Ms. Ervin coordinates all registration and communication for our Outdoor Living Brands annual conventions.

Cristin Smith Accounting Manager

Erich Johnston Franchise Technology Solutions Manager

Zach Xavier Technology Training and Support Consultant