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I-T expands marketing team

 

The Sonoma Index-Tribune recently expanded its sales and marketing team with the edition of Marina Viter and Ryan Neilan.

"Marina and Ryan will help us meet the needs of our customers, primarily local businesses, who want to reach our growing audience of local readers, including subscribers to the Index-Tribune, our daily Sonoma eNews blast, SONOMA the website and SONOMA Magazine," said Bill Lynch, editor-in-chief and publisher, for the 132-year-old locally owned and operated media company.

Viter, an experienced project coordinator and sales consultant, formerly worked at the Marin Independent Journal as an ad sales consultant and team coordinator.

Born in Krasnoyarsk (Siberia), Russia, she earned a degree in foreign language education (German and French) at Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University before moving to St. Petersburg, Russia, where she worked first as a motion picture promoter and later as a translator for a leading research institute.

Immigrating to the United States in 1992, she earned her master's degree in international relations, with an emphasis on business from San Francisco State University in 1998. 

She has extensive business experience, and is a steering committee member of the World Affairs Council in Marin and a member of Toastmasters International in Marin.

Neilan was born and raised in Sonoma Valley and earned his bachelor's degree in U.S. history at the University of California, San Diego in 2008. Most recently he worked as a web customer data coordinator for Rodolph Inc. of Sonoma and before that as a customer service representative for Umevoice Inc. of Novato.

While attending UC San Diego, he worked as a sales associate for Geppetto's Toy Store in La Jolla for two years, eventually working his way up to assistant store manager. He is active in Sonoma County theater groups.

"Although they come from backgrounds literally world's apart, the most important thing that Marina and Ryan have in common is their customer service skills. They like and are good at building relationships," Lynch said. "We believe in hiring marketing professionals who understand business; people who know how to listen to customers and work with them to make them more successful, Marina and Ryan have those abilities."

Viter can be reached at 933-2703 or via email at marina@sonomanews.com. Neilan can be contacted at 933-2720 or via email at ryan@sonomanews.com.