American Marketing Group, Inc.
Consulting - Coaching - Mentoring…since 1978!
Our Principals
"Coaching Winners...Mentoring Success!"
Chairman
Since 2002 Cicardi has been the Chairman of American Marketing Group, Inc., also known as AMG.
He is a native of St. Louis, MO and attended John Burroughs High School and the University of Arizona where he concentrated his studies on both business and finance.
Upon leaving college he took over his family's printing business growing it from $500K in gross sales with thirty employees to over $6M in annualized revenues and more than two hundred and fifty employees that were members of six different unions. This is where he learned how to both negotiate and compromise with business leaders.
After selling the business to a large volume local printing company he formed a partnership with his Sales Manager and became a printing broker for and additional 18 years before retiring at age fifty from the industry to manage his own stock, bond, mutual fund and real estate portfolio as an 'educated investor.'
As of 2002 Cicardi has been the Chairman and CEO of American Marketing Group, Inc. and has teamed up with his business colleague, Rich Pisani, to offer the firms 'Business Advisory Board' service. This program will allow them both to share their wealth of entrepreneurial experience, corporate knowledge and business acumen. They can share over seven decades of a combined track record by acting as your Group Facilitator during the monthly four hour 'peer group advisory board' meetings, as well as the monthly two hour private coaching session. They are here to help the owner of a company and upper level manager in small and medium size businesses improve their management and leadership skills, which will have a positive impact on their firms bottom line profits.
Cicardi shared his knowledge, experience and business acumen as a mentor while working as a St. Louis University 'Business Plan Advisory to students in the MBA program at the SLU ''Center for Entrepreneurial Studies" from 1990 to 1994. Also, he was a guest lecturer during this four year period as he worked with and supported the St. Louis University 'John Cook School of Business' programs. He and Rich Pisani are both currently Team Teaching Members for Dr. Jerome Katz, who is the Chair for the SLU MBA Entrepreneurship program.
Cicardi Bruce believes in giving back to his local community and is very well connected in the St. Louis Region. Since 1963 he has been involved as an volunteer founder, officer or board member in over forty non-profit organizations and has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars during this journey. Currently, he is the co-founder and Chairman of the 1904 World's Fair Charitable Foundation and helps raise funds for the Forest Park 'beautification program', the St. Louis Zoo and other local charities. In this continuing experience of volunteerism he sees the value and the power of a group effort and like-minded peers working together with a specific goal in mind. Because of this untiring involvement he has first hand knowledge of what it takes to put peer groups into action and form an advisory board to help a specific cause in our local community.
Because Cicardi has worked as an advisory board member to a variety of civic groups and charity organizations he is acutely aware of the need for a 'team effort'. This is accomplished by forming volunteer peer group advisory boards made up of like-minded individuals that help host fundraising events and promote the specific cause of the charity they are supporting. He often refers to the teams of peers that he's worked with over the years in both the business, civic, charity and political arenas as a 'Band of Backers' who watch each others back. They do this to protect their respective teammates and give the extra help and support when it's needed. Also, they all act as consultant's, coaches and mentors to the other volunteers and staff in order to accomplish a specific goal. Quite often a person can get caught up in believing that s/he can do it better themselves rather than calling upon their teammates and a group effort for help to do it quicker and better. He and Rich Pisani have a goal and that's to make sure that every client they work with utilize their decades of business experience to the clients benefit.
When necessary and on an as-needed basis AMG will engage our own business peer group advisory board of consultant's, coaches and mentors that we have used over the years so that they can help AMG help their clients. These individuals have withstood the 'test of time', plus we trust them because we know them and have used their services for years.
President
Since 1978 Rich has been the President of American Marketing Group, Inc., also known as AMG.
He is a native of St. Louis, MO and attended Bishop Du Bourg High School. He graduated in 1971 with his BS/BA in Marketing Management from Southeast Missouri State University. Also, Rich had the opportunity to attend the Price-Babson Fellowship program in Boston through the St. Louis University 'Center for Entrepreneurial Studies' where he taught as an adjunct at nights from 1987 to 1994.
After graduating from college in 1971 he immediately joined Xerox Corporation in St. Louis where he started honing his sales, marketing and management skills. He spent over seven successful years as an Area Sales Representative, Major Account Marketing Specialist, Branch Sales Training Manager and Area Sales Manager before he departed to start his own firm. As a Sales Manager he had twelve sales representatives and had the responsibility for over 1,000 clients that billed over $6M annually with Xerox in 1977.
In 1978 he entered the entrepreneurial arena, raised the required start-up investment capital and launched American Business Brokers, Inc. (ABB). The business model and plan was to become the first business brokerage firm in St. Louis to specialize in the appraisal and marketing of privately held businesses, plus open more brokerage offices by franchising. With help from his partner and staff, Rich expanded the company's concept and sold, trained and opened twenty three franchise offices in the Midwest. He and his franchisees recruited, hired and trained over 200 employees and independent contractors that sold hundreds of small businesses annually, which brought in over hundreds of thousands in yearly commissions for the franchise network. After building the system, Rich sold out to a local privately held firm. As part of the purchase and sales agreement he executed a one year contract to continue marketing ABB franchises and training their new staff and business brokers.
At the beginning of 1981 he formed his current company, American Marketing Group, Inc., also known as AMG, which specializes in consulting, coaching and mentoring because of the experience in business brokerage, franchise consulting and business training. AMG became locally well known in 1982 for launching the franchise expansion efforts of the The Pasta House Co. Italian restaurant system in St. Louis and the Midwest. Nationally AMG is best known for the franchise expansion of VR Business Brokers from 75 offices in the New England area to over 650 franchises in North America and helped them with their Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 1985. Starting in 2005 his firm helped Information Protection Solutions of America (IPSA) launch a national campaign effort. They expanded the company from one shredding location headquartered in downtown Chicago to over 140 IPSA licensed shredding plants in the U.S. The shareholders sold their stock to a publicly traded company in 2011.
Rich believes in giving back to his community and has been a volunteer founder, officer or board member to over twenty five civic and charity organizations. Currently, he is the Co-Founder and President of the 1904 World's Fair Charitable Foundation and helps raise funds for the Forest Park 'beautification program', the St. Louis Zoo and other local charities.
Because of his countless hours of community involvement in business, civic, charity and politics since 1981 he totally understands the value of a 'team effort' and getting support from his own peer group advisory board who are like-minded individuals that are working towards a common goal. It's all about 'peers helping peers' that makes the almighty difference in the world of business and charity. He's seen it work in a multitude of environments, such as business, civic, charity and the political arena. He often engages his own personal and business mentors that continue to help him in reaching his lifetime goals.
It's often said that ''there's no 'I' in the word TEAM." That's true, but Rich also knows that "there's a 'M and an E' in TEAM, which can convert to ME. So, don't rely on just yourself to get through this crazy business world we work in because it's about the TEAM.
By the way, if you develop a good, solid and creative public relations campaign with a 'hook' for your firm and finally get some free press for you or your company here's some advice...don't believe your own 'press clippings' and let your ego take over...be thankful for the press.
"There is a light at the end of the tunnel and
we can help you get through it successfully"
Cicardi A. Bruce & Richard T. Pisani
