Melinda Salzer

Melinda Salzer is Vice-President and co-owner of Advanced Information Services, Inc. a software and marketing consulting firm in Marlboro, NJ.

Melinda specializes in providing marketing consulting services to small and medium-sized businesses. Areas of expertise include marketing plan development and implementation, market research, annual reports, newsletters, sales letters, Power Point presentations, Press Releases, and brochures. Clients range from multi-million dollar business-to-business companies, to non-profit organizations, to small retail businesses. Melinda also provides marketing support for Advanced Information Services’ software consulting services.

Melinda also conducts a series of marketing workshops called Speaking of Marketing. These on-site, interactive sessions provide valuable marketing tools to enable companies and organizations to make better business decisions and reach their corporate goals. Additionally, Melinda has conducted marketing seminars for several entrepreneurial training programs, including New York University Stern School of Business’ Urban Business Assistance Corporation, La Guardia Community College’s Center for Economic Development, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Prior to owning her own business, Melinda was a Licensing Account Executive at Marvel Comics. Responsibilities for licensing Marvel characters and toys included obtaining new clients, negotiating contracts, and follow-through on product development and sales results.

Additional corporate experience includes Assistant Account Executive positions at BBDO Advertising. Accounts included Pepsi Cola, Co., Pepsi International, General Electric Corp. and Quaker Oats, Co.

Melinda has also been an adjunct professor in the Business Schools of Georgian Court College, Lakewood, NJ and Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY.

After beginning her career in advertising with BBDO New York and product licensing with Marvel Comics, Melinda entered the entrepreneurial world in 1987, with her husband Tom, forming Advanced Information Services, Inc. a software consulting firm. Melinda provided marketing, customer research and telemarketing support. During this time, Melinda and Tom started a family. She also returned to school at St. John’s University in Jamaica NY, studying for her MBA in Marketing.

When Melinda received her MBA in June 1993, the family had grown to two school-age children. She then began providing marketing consulting services to other small businesses, and gradually increased her clientele. She began by cold-calling businesses in her area, offering her services for free to gain experience. The first company she called on hired her. Even though she offered to write a marketing plan for free, the client paid her anyway. Melinda continues to use this story and the resulting marketing plan as an example of marketing practices.

Melinda was on the steering committee for, and was the founding President of, the Central Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). As a member of the steering committee, Melinda helped shape the goals of the new chapter and to create opportunities for growth and success for women business owners in Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Mercer Counties. She is also a past-President of the Monmouth/Ocean Chapter of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO), and is a member of the New Jersey Technology Council. She is also a member of the New York Road Runners Club.

Prior to becoming President of the Monmouth-Ocean Chapter of NJAWBO, Melinda was Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of Administration. Melinda is a Teal Heart recipient, a service award presented by the Chapter. As a member of the Entrepreneur Expo’98 committee, Melinda provided marketing support and conducted a marketing workshop at the event. Melinda also has conducted pre-meeting workshops on marketing plan development, branding and relationship marketing, and participated in the High School Outreach Program speaking at Monmouth Regional High School. Additionally, Melinda developed a comprehensive Marketing Plan for the chapter, and implemented a chapter-wide membership survey, which provided important information used to plan programs and events for the members.

Melinda also co-facilitates a series of Marketing Roundtables, which provide FREE marketing information and advice for women business owners.

As President of NAWBO and NJAWBO Chapters, Melinda has encouraged individual Board members to take the initiative with their committees. She welcomes new ideas and allows each member to explore her own style of creativity to accomplish organizational goals. Board retreats play an important role, and Melinda has conducted two of these events. These day-long sessions not only enable the Board to plan for the coming year, but they play an important role in enabling the board members to get to know one another, leading to better cooperation and joint efforts.

Melinda has written and contributed to numerous newspaper articles about her business and the organization, and continues to be quoted on a variety of business subjects. Melinda has also appeared on News 12 New Jersey to discuss NAWBO events.

Melinda has dedicated a considerable amount of time to community work. While living in Whitestone, NY, Melinda launched and conducted “Torah for Tots” at the Whitestone Hebrew Centre in 1994. The program was designed to teach children ages 2-5 about the rituals and history of Jewish tradition. The program continues to be successful today and has been a tremendous source of new members to the congregation.

Melinda also helped launch a similar program at the Marlboro Jewish Center in Marlboro, NJ. As a member of the steering committee, she helped develop, implement and analyze a nursery school-wide survey to determine the spiritual needs of families with young children. As a result, Shalom Shabbat was launched and has become extremely successful within the congregation. Melinda and her own children also participate in the synagogue’s Passover Holiday Baskets program, delivering food to home-bound elderly people each year. Additionally, Melinda has used her marketing skills to help the synagogue announce the arrival of several new clergy, and to promote the synagogue’s special events and programs.

Melinda also participates in several fundraising activities. The New York City Marathon, (which Tom has run eight times) has been a major source of funds for Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In support of this event, Melinda has raised thousands of dollars.

This type of fundraising took a more personal turn when Melinda was diagnosed with breast cancer in June, 1997. At the completion of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Melinda was committed to rebuilding her strength. With the help of a personal trainer, Melinda was determined to be physically fit. In September 1998, just 15 months after being diagnosed, Melinda ran in The Komen New York Race for the Cure in Central Park, a fundraiser for breast cancer research, successfully completing the 3.1-mile course and raising $1,500 for the cause. Melinda has continued to participate in Race for the Cure events, and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for this cause. Melinda also counsels other breast cancer patients during and after treatment.

In 2003 and 2004, Melinda participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. This event takes place over 2 days and covers 40 miles throughout New York City. Melinda has raised almost $10,000 for this event. She also recently participated in her first triathlon, successfully completing the course of a 1/3 mile swim, 12.5 mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run.

Most recently, Melinda launched her newest business endeavor, Renewing Moments—Gifts for Women in Cancer Treatment. The Renewing Moments concept was formed when Ms. Salzer was unable to find the right gift for a friend in treatment. Since she had gone through treatment herself, she was intimately familiar with what women experience and the special needs that come up. Some of the challenges that women in treatment may face include dry mouth, throat sores, dry skin and lips, difficulty chewing and swallowing, lack of concentration, and poor appetite. Conscious of the impact that treatment can have on the body, Renewing Moments gifts include hand-made, organic, and natural products.

Additionally, as part of her continuing commitment to helping women in treatment, Renewing Moments donates $1.00 from every sale toward cancer care and research.

Melinda is the recipient of Greater Media Newspaper’s 2005 Greater Women of Central Jersey Award in the Business Category.

Melinda received a BA in Television and Radio Production from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY in 1978, and an MBA in Marketing from St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY in 1993.

Melinda's Contact Information
Advanced Information Services, Inc..
Phone: 732-617-1499
Email: msalzer@advinfoserv.com