Spare time interests

I love to work out and I’m currently getting certified to teach spin classes.  I also like to travel, read, and hang out with my family and friends.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Busch Stadium.  There is nothing better than a Cardinals baseball game!

First concert

Michael Jackson's "Bad" Tour.  I was young but I remember a lot of it.   I had to hide behind my mom when he did Thriller because I was scared!

Ideal vacation spot

Australia.  I want to hike the outback and see some koala bears!

Favorite TV shows

I have too many to name but a few of my favorites are Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, New Girl, Mad Men and yes even some trashy reality TV :)

Favorite 80s song

Dirty Diana!  A song by Michael Jackson with my name in it is a win, win!

With over 20 years of experience as a marketing professional in the restaurant industry and other consumer segments in several national markets, Heather joined the Twist team in 2005. Prior to that, she was Director of Marketing for Levy Restaurants and was a senior account executive for Weber Shandwick. She earned a B.A. in history from Duke University.

Spare time interests

What spare time?! With 3 kids, I don't have much spare time! I love coaching them and cheering them on from the sidelines of their games. I did just take up tennis, though, at age 40 and love it.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

With kids: hanging out at our fantastic Zoo

Without kids: cheering on the Cards at Busch Stadium with a cold beer or enjoying a fun dinner with my husband at one of our fantastic restaurants

First concert

Sheena Easton at the Fox...you go girl!

Ideal vacation spot

Charlevoix, Michigan...my heaven on earth (although my fav kid-free escape was Croatia)

Favorite TV shows

Law & Order in its various iterations, Parenthood and just about anything on HGTV

Favorite 80s song

So hard to choose just one from this fabulous era... Might have to go with "Come on Eileen" or "Don't Stop Believin'" or "Jessie's Girl" or...

Craig Kaminer started his career as a New York City publicist for the Italian Government and has held senior management positions with Fleishman-Hillard and Weber Shandwick. He started his own firm Influence, in 1998, which specialized in launching & marketing e-businesses for Fortune 1000 companies. Influence quickly grew into a Midwest powerhouse with a 120+ staff.

Twist is Craig's latest venture and is celebrating its 10th year in 2012. Although he is well-known for his marketing and technology expertise, Craig is a highly regarded serial entrepreneur and has won numerous awards for his entrepreneurial leadership from Ernst & Young, Deloitte and the St. Louis Business Journal. In his career, he has worked with notable clients and senior management at Anheuser-Busch, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Catterton, Compaq, Edward Jones, Emerson, Energizer, Levy Restaurants, MasterCard, Microsoft, Nestle Purina, and Simon Malls. Craig earned a B.A. in architecture and art history from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and received business management certificates from Columbia University. He is a regular guest lecturer at Washington University, Webster University and the University of Missouri.

Spare time interests

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Forest Park. I go every day.

First concert

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

Ideal vacation spot

Bareboating in the Pacific Northwest

Favorite TV shows

The Today Show, SNL, Parenthood, Law & Order

Favorite 80s song

"Wizard Island" by Jeff Lorber Fusion

With careers in media, law and public relations/marketing communications, Jon brings a vast experience to his public relations work at Twist. He earned a B.A. in communications from Ohio University and a law degree from St. Louis University.

Spare time interests

Painting in oils, sports all the time, playing guitar, movies, plays, politics

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Busch Stadium

First concert

Sha-Na-Na

Ideal vacation spot

Las Vegas

Favorite TV shows

Star Trek, The West Wing, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire

Favorite 80s song

"Hip To Be Square"

I've been PRACTICING design for a while now since graduating from SIU-E in 1993. Some days you feel like you've got this design thing by the throat, and other days you feel completely clueless. Maybe that's one of the things that makes it interesting. Lately most of my inspiration has been coming from design fields outside of the communications industry. I find Architecture, Interior Design, and Industrial Design great creative fuel; FUNCTIONAL solutions influencing what I do on a daily basis and challenging me to make my solutions equally functional. That's what I mean by PRACTICING and hopefully evolving, so that, at some point, the "by the throat" days outpace the clueless ones.

Spare time interests

Following the advice of Charles Eames, I take my pleasure seriously. Most people who know me well will tell you that I love to eat and … they’re right and I typically have a favorite spot for a specific genre. Outside of eating I’m an avid cyclist; as avid as you can be with a four year old anyway. I play golf well enough not to COMPLETELY embarrass myself and used to play a lot of tennis back when my shoulder allowed me to. My wife, daughter and I love to camp as a family. We also love to travel and shop and … travel to shop. My wife and I are also big fans of modernism and spend a pretty good deal of time obsessing over our mid-century home designed by noted regional modernist Charles King. Our love of mid-century design often influences where we travel so that we can see famous works of architecture in person. I’m also a big car freak, but you can keep the American Muscle.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Loaded question. For food, probably Brunch at Brasserie; for Mountain Biking, Greensfelder; local structure, Pulitzer Foundation by Tadao Ando; coffee, love my friends at Comet for making it approachable; and the list could go on and on.

First concert

INXS at the Kiel Opera house, Listen Like Thieves tour IIRC, I lied to my Dad in order to skip church to go.

Ideal vacation spot

So far my favorite place on the planet has been Banff National Park in Alberta. We recently went to The Cayman Islands and I thought it might cure me of my general distaste for the beach but, nope, GIMMIE THE MOUNTAINS!!

Favorite TV shows

From Monster’s Garage to Project Runway I pretty much watch everything, although Breaking Bad really is ALL THAT.

Favorite 80s song

Just ONE? "A Forest" by The Cure.

Matt worked with Twist as a contracted consultant, starting in 2009, before joining the team as the vice president of digital marketing in April 2012. He founded Sophik Computer Systems in 2003, where he worked as an IT consultant with an emphasis in digital marketing. He earned a B.A. in classics from Truman State University.

Spare time interests

I recently had a third son, so while my spare time used to be hitting golf balls and reading long books, now it's playing catch with tennis balls and reading children's books aloud. Again, and Again. However it's not so bad - some of them are actually quite good.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Busch Stadium. Nothing beats a Cardinals game, especially a tightly-contested pitcher's duel.

First concert 

To be very specific - it would be Peter and the Wolf at the Fox when I was six. Those melodies are classic, especially the bassoon and oboe featured parts. But the first concert I ever bought tickets to myself would have to be Blues Traveler at Riverport. Yes, I called it Riverport.

Ideal vacation spot

A few years back, just three days before the labor day weekend, I looked at my wife and said, "Lets go see a National Park." With no planning or reservations, we packed up the kids and had a whirlwind three-day tour of the Badlands of South Dakota. Ever since, we've been hooked. The next year, we saw Rocky Mountains National Park and this year will be The Grand Tetons.

Favorite TV shows

Currently, it would have to be Modern Family. Phil and Claire Dunphy really take the cake. I'm catching up on all the episodes through Netflix. I can't get enough.

Favorite 80s song

I'm a child of the 80s, so there's a lot... Phil Collins or Aerosmith or Jouney. But for me it would have to be something U2. I'd say "Where the Streets Have No Name."

Sharon joined Twist as the social media manager in June 2012. A Chicago native, she previously managed the social media for a financial services company and also worked in the music industry for over 12 years. She earned her B.S. in advertising and communication from the University of Illinois – Champaign.

Spare time interests

I’m an urban adventurer. I like to go discover cool places in and outside of the city. A perfect Sunday is driving with the windows down, music up and no destination. Add in a nice Fritz’s special custard and some inspirational writing on my blog and I’ve reached nirvana.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

I’m a new kid in town and I have SO much discovering to do, but I do love the penguin house at the zoo. Hang out with 50 penguins for 15 minutes and I dare you not to feel good about life.

First concert

The Jacksons at old Comiskey Park in Chicago. It was the first time I camped out for concert ticket, but certainly not the last.

Ideal vacation spot

Always a city, rarely a beach. See “urban adventurer note above.” I always want to learn and discover new things. My best vacation to date was driving across Ireland. I left a piece of my heart there.

Favorite TV shows

This is my opportunity to show how classy I am. House Hunters, Amish Out of Order, Long Island Medium. I tend to read non-fiction and watch “reality” tv. It goes back to my need to constantly be learning and discovering. I really should learn to turn off my brain sometimes and watch a sitcom every now and then.

Favorite 80s song

My favorite song from the 80s is “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground. Or “No Parking on the Dance Floor” by Midnight Star. Or absolutely anything from The Pet Shop Boys. Seriously, how can I have just one favorite? Not possible.

Chelsea joined the Twist team in the fall of 2012 with experience in communications/PR, events marketing and copywriting. She graduated from St. Louis University in 2011 with a B.A. in business administration with an emphasis in marketing.

Spare time interests

I am an avid reader, an occasional runner, and a severe shopaholic. I also love watching movies, going for walks in Forest Park, and spending time with my obnoxious, yet lovable family.

Favorite spot in St Louis

The Fox Theatre. The architecture and design are absolutely beautiful.

First concert

Since she made her big comeback a few years ago, I am no longer embarrassed to admit that my first concert was Brittney Spears. I was in 5th grade and loved every minute of it.

Ideal vacation spot

I went to Italy and Greece in high school and fell in love. I would go back tomorrow if I could.

Favorite TV shows

Sadly, I am somewhat of a TV junkie, and my list of favorite TV shows is long and diverse. So, to name a few… Modern Family, Homeland, The Office, Glee, and The Newsroom.

Favorite 80s song

Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"

After working as a public relations/marketing intern during the summer of 2011, Rex joined Twist as the social media manager, eventually transitioning into an account management position. He earned his B.A. in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Missouri – Columbia.

Spare time interests

Movies with an emphasis in Oscar buzz, which leads me to see some truly awful films during award season (file under: War Horse and Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire). I also enjoy looking at old houses in historic neighborhoods and mentally deciding the drastic and sweeping changes I would make to the spaces. For about two week periods every three months, I am an avid runner.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Forest Park.

First concert

Gavin Degraw. It was 2003 and I was a freshman in high school, so all bets were off. I don't want to talk about it.

Ideal vacation spot

I love Vail, Colorado during the summer. All the hiking, biking and rafting can make you feel more like a contestant on The Biggest Loser than a tourist, but the time reading by the pool offers the perfect balance.

Favorite TV shows

Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Homeland, Parenthood, The West Wing, and any show about flipping houses.

Favorite 80s song

"Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi.

Alex joined the Twist team in the summer of 2012. She graduated from Missouri State University in May 2011 with a B.F.A. in graphic design.

Spare time interests

Sports, lounging at the pool, weekends at the lake, reading, hanging with my pups and, of course, SHOPPING!

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Busch Stadium

First concert

Supposedly New Kids on the Block when I was like 6, but I do not remember it. So my real first one was Backstreet Boys!

Ideal vacation spot

Bora Bora

Favorite TV shows

Criminal Minds, Parks and Rec, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, New Girl, Arrested Development, Awkward., the list goes on and on...

Favorite 80s song

Any hairband song - I love them all!

With more than 20 years of marketing experience on the client and agency side, Maureen signed with the team at Twist in 2013. Prior to that she was an Account Supervisor at Barkley and Adamson and a Marketing and Product Manager with CKE Restaurants. She holds a B.A. in English with a minor in Business Administration from Viterbo University.

Spare time interests

I love to read and reading my childhood favorites (Nancy Drew and Laura Ingalls Wilder) with my daughter is a delight. My son has introduced me to the adventures penned by J. K. Rowling, Rick Riordon and others. I continue to search out works by P. G. Wodehouse and reread Jane Austen’s classics. But with two kids, my life is not just one of repose. I enjoy recreational cycling and swimming, attending ballgames (both Cardinals and CYC) and gardening.

While I enjoy discovering the treasures St. Louis has to offer, when time allows, nothing is better than journeying to my home state of Wisconsin for heavy doses of family, friends, wild blackberries and craft cheese.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

One of my favorite spots in St. Louis is Creve Coeur Lake Park. It is the perfect hiking, biking, picnicking spot. Art Hill is also terrific for kite flying and just letting the kids run!

First concert

John Denver at the municipal auditorium in La Crosse, WI. Made me want to move to Colorado or West Virginia. St. Louis is about ½-way in-between the two.

Ideal vacation spot

In the winter, I want to go where it is warm, sunny and sandy. In the summer, I prefer the hills and trails of Wisconsin.

Favorite TV shows

Downton Abbey, 30 Rock and The Late Show.

Favorite 80s song

Since I had to pick one, I chose alphabetically. “The Authority Song” by John Mellencamp.

Spare time interests

I love going to sporting events of all kinds, listening to live music, or going to parades.  I like to hang out with friends, usually playing cards.

Favorite spot in St. Louis

Brentwood. It’s where I live, and I love it there!  I take advantage of the many walking trails and parks, walking my dog several times a week. Also, the location is great, because it’s only 20 minutes away from just about anywhere in St. Louis.

First concert

Bruce Springsteen in 1984 at the Checkerdome St. Louis. I got married that year, and it was the first big thing my husband and I did together.

Ideal vacation spot

Anywhere with sun and sand.

Favorite TV shows

NCIS, Today, Parenthood, Modern Family.

Favorite 80s song

There are so many . . Love Bites, Come on Eileen, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Tainted Love, Billie Jean, Sweet Child 'O Mine, Love Shack.  I could go on and on.