Kates will manage Underground Elephant’s corporate finances, develop initiatives to streamline the company’s internal operations, and assist with an aggressive acquisition plan for 2012. He brings over 20 years of financial leadership experience to his role at Underground Elephant.

“I am excited to welcome Brad to the Underground Elephant team. His hardworking, team-oriented demeanor and experience with some of the nation’s most renowned brands make him a perfect fit for San Diego’s Best Place to Work 2011,” said Jason Kulpa, CEO of Underground Elephant.

“While the scalability of Underground Elephant’s global business model within the digital performance marketplace first attracted to me to Underground Elephant, it is the team’s unique and exceptional combination of knowledge, hunger, and creativity coupled with Jason’s people-first mentality that ultimately made this a place I wanted to be,” said Kates. “I look forward to helping the company make a valuable, immediate impact and build upon the tremendous success achieved to date.” he said.

Kates holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Emory University.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

This year we have rented out King Ink, Las Vegas’ premier tattoo studio and bar room, to hold meetings with clients and industry partners. This fun, unique setting will give us a chance to get valuable face-time with our partners, covering a breath of topics within the customer acquisition landscape. In addition to holding meetings at King Ink, we will also be hosting a cocktail party February 28 from 4-6pm, providing a more informal setting while bringing together a wide variety of lead generation experts.

As the pioneering convention and expo in the online lead generation industry, LeadsCon remains a coveted event for businesses within the customer acquisition space. It gives industry professionals the opportunity to network and gain valuable tips for remaining ahead of the curve in this evolving industry.

Come meet us at Booth # 225 to see why we are taking the lead generation industry by storm. Learn how our innovative and proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0TM ensures real-time, data-driven results. We’ll also discuss innovative ways we work with clients to build scalable campaigns and long-lasting relationships. Visit us to learn how we can help you grow your business.

Can’t wait until LeadsCon to meet us? Schedule an appointment today – salesinquiry@undergroundelephant.com

See you in Vegas!

Underground Elephant, the premier global performance-based marketing technology company, announced today that CEO Jason Kulpa has been named by the San Diego Business Journal as a finalist in their Most Admired CEO Awards. This is Jason’s third consecutive year being recognized for this award.

The San Diego Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Awards recognizes San Diego’s most dynamic business leaders and entrepreneurs for their achievements and contributions to the local business community. Winners are determined by an independent panel of judges based on an array of factors, including leadership, values, vision, company’s financial performance, commitment to quality and diversity, work environment, community contributions, innovation and overcoming adversity. Kulpa was honored along with other outstanding CEOs at the event on December 8, 2011 at the Paradise Point Resort and Spa in San Diego.

Accepting this recognition, Kulpa acknowledged his team’s continued dedication as paramount to the company’s success and stated, “Winning this award is a testament to our exemplary senior management team and is a direct reflection of each and every person who has been a stakeholder and believer in the company’s continued success. The Underground Elephant team has been a driver and motivator for me and I am extremely proud of the milestones we have reached over the last three years.”

The marketing technology company has seen impressive growth under Jason’s lead, going from 20 full-time employees in 2009 to over 60 employees today. Furthermore, the company has grown revenues over 3,000% since its 2008 inception, with over 300% growth over the last two years, deeming it the Fastest Growing Private Company in San Diego.

“Jason is truly a CEO of all trades; he’s the driving force behind sales, accounting, technology, branding, marketing and more. What has really made him unstoppable is his talent for creating desire and inspiring action in his employees,” said Lauren Alexander, Underground Elephant’s Director of Marketing.

In this depressed economic climate, Kulpa’s dedication to maintaining a unique and extraordinary workplace environment is unmatched. His investment into employee benefits, perks and company culture has earned Underground Elephant recognition as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal, praise in numerous media spotlights and a feature on Fox 5 News. His relentless work-ethic, his tenacity to tackle any problem and his tireless devotion to quantify each employee’s impact on the company has fostered a workplace environment unlike any other.

Jason Kulpa is an active supporter of his local community and has a passion for philanthropy. Kulpa’s charitable contributions include The Big Brothers and Big Sister’s organization, The American Red Cross, the Born Free Save an Elephant Foundation and the San Diego State Athletic Department.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

San Diego, CA- November 30, 2011

Underground Elephant, San Diego’s premier performance-based marketing agency, today announced that Mike Miller has joined the company as director of strategic accounts, auto.  Formerly the director of automotive markets at LeadClick Media, Inc., Miller brings significant business development expertise to his new role. Prior to joining Underground Elephant, Miller oversaw highly successful sales and account management teams in the online advertising and lead generation space and has a consistently demonstrated ability for growing revenues.

Miller’s addition further establishes Underground Elephant’s executive management team as one of most experienced and innovative in the industry, and is a testament to the company’s rapid growth since its 2008 inception. Underground Elephant, recently named San Diego’s fastest-growing private company, has increased revenues over 3,000 percent since 2008 and plans to further diversify its reach on both the national and global scale.

“Mike’s invaluable marketing expertise coupled with a strong foundation in relationship building, management and efficiency make him the ideal candidate to develop and scale new verticals,” said Jason Kulpa, CEO of Underground Elephant.

Miller joins Underground Elephant after having served as director of automotive markets at LeadClick Media, an online lead generation and marketing company specializing in the automotive, real estate and financial services markets.  Through strategic execution of high-level client acquisition, relationship building and business development, he directly grew the company’s revenue by $100 million. At Underground Elephant, Mike will be responsible for expanding the company’s presence in the automotive space and will develop key relationships with major industry partners.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

Finalists were chosen by more than 200 worldwide business professionals during preliminary judging. Out of a record 1,300 entries in 75 categories, Lomas was announced as a finalist for the Best Executive – Service Business (up to 100 employees) and Alexander as a finalist in the Employee of the Year.

Utilizing her comprehensive experience in sales, marketing and business development, Lomas has strategically secured and maintained Underground Elephant’s top clients. During her tenure, she has consistently contributed to Underground Elephant’s growth and efficiency since its inception in 2008. Lauren Alexander is seasoned in multiple facets of the online marketing space and leads Underground Elephant’s social marketing department. Her expertise in content writing and optimization has allowed her to scale campaigns and revenues quickly and efficiently.

“Taryn and Lauren’s international recognition by the Stevie Awards is well-deserved,” said Jason Kulpa, CEO of Underground Elephant. “Through their dedication and passion for the industry, they have consistently raised the bar for excellence and have become invaluable assets to the company.”

Both women were recognized as finalists for last year’s Stevies Awards for Women in Business as well as finalists in San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Awards. Lomas was also recently recognized as a finalist in San Diego Magazine’s Woman of the Year Awards.

Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of honorees are available at stevieawards.com/women.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: the American Business Awards, the International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at stevieawards.com.

Aside from teaching art and working on his own collections, Neil dedicates his time to many charitable organizations in the San Diego area. Not only does Neil donate his time, he also donates some of the proceeds from his artwork sales to these organizations. His most recent collection titled Invisible People, captures pictures of the homeless faces in San Diego County, and uses some of the artwork currently hanging in the Underground Elephant office.

“What’s great for an artist is to have people like Jason that are receptive to art and just let artists do what they do. I think that’s why his business is so successful, he just let’s people do what they do and supports them”, says Neil.

Having a mutual appreciation for art and community involvement has been an important factor in maintaining the close relationship both Jason and Underground Elephant have with Neil. Underground Elephant continues to support artists like Neil Shigley and his cause in order to promote positive community involvement.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

Higher education expert joins the company as vice president of business development.

San Diego, CA – November 03, 2011

Underground Elephant, San Diego’s fastest growing performance-based marketing provider, today announced that Chris Cimino has joined its team as Vice President of Business Development. A higher education industry veteran, Cimino was most recently Senior Vice President of Neutron Interactive and brings with him over 19 years of industry experience in sales, marketing, educational finance, and internet-based technology.

The addition of Cimino to the executive team builds upon the rapid growth that Underground Elephant has experienced since its 2008 inception and is a testament to its plans for both national and global expansion. Recently named San Diego’s fastest-growing private company by the San Diego Business Journal, Underground Elephant has continued to grow revenues and expand its number of employees.

“Chris adds a lifetime of expert marketing experience to our team and is further validation of Underground Elephant’s hyper-growing position in the for-profit education marketing space,” said Jason Kulpa, CEO of Underground Elephant.

By strategically executing high-level business and channel development, Cimino will be responsible for propelling the company forward in the educational space. Cimino has a comprehensive background in executive leadership and has facilitated the growth and development of leading companies such as Neutron Interactive, CUnet, Nelnet Inc., Pearson, and Forbes Inc.

As an active member of the educational community, Cimino serves on The Imagine America Foundation (IAF) board of directors. IAF is a non-profit organization specialized in providing scholarships, advocacy, and market research to private-sector colleges and universities in America. Underground Elephant supports its clients in the higher educational space and is dedicated to improving the futures of students through increased enrollments and retention rates. Last month, Underground Elephant announced its Gold Level pledge to IAF with a $25,000 contribution 21st Century Workforce Fund.

Cimino holds a BS in Economics from Bentley University, a MBA from Bentley University’s McCallum Graduate School, and a MPA from Suffolk University’s Sawyer School of Management.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

Underground Elephant extends its commitment to improving the longevity and success of academic enrollments in the educational sector by pledging Gold Level support to the Imagine America Foundation.

San Diego, CA, October 17, 2011

Underground Elephant, a provider of end-to-end customer acquisition solutions, announced today its Gold Level pledge to the Imagine America Foundation (IAF). The company will donate $25,000 to the foundation’s 21st Century Workforce Fund to further enhance IAF’s research agenda and growing scholarship programs, helping colleges and universities enroll, educate and graduate more students annually.

“Every donation to the Imagine America Foundation takes us closer to accomplishing our goals. Some contributions, though, move us forward in huge steps,” said Robert Martin, President of IAF, in response to Underground Elephant’s donation to the fund. “This contribution will be used to grant an increased number of scholarships and will enable us to extend our research capabilities.”

The 21st Century Workforce Fund is a multi-year fundraising campaign aimed at raising $5 million. With Underground Elephant’s contribution, the IAF will have raised $3.8 million toward this goal.

Underground Elephant is a supporter and advocate for its clients in the educational space and is dedicated to improving the futures of students through increased enrollments and retention rates. In the last month, the company has partnered with organizations such as the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) and the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA) in order to further support their existing and prospective clients’ best interests.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to support Imagine America’s goal of providing valuable educational and career outcomes for students,” said Jason Kulpa, CEO of Underground Elephant.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

About Imagine America Foundation
The Imagine America Foundation (IAF), formerly the Career College Foundation, was established in 1982 as the research, scholarship and training provider for the nation’s career colleges. More than $50 million in scholarships and awards have been provided for career college and university students. In addition to the Imagine America scholarship and award programs, IAF also coordinates special award programs like the Gail Benjamin Fellowship, which offers grants for women and minorities to attend APSCU’s annual Leadership Institute, and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors achievements of career educators in the postsecondary sector.

Even though the rate of unemployment continues to hover in the double digits, there are actually thousands of high-paid job openings in San Diego County just waiting for the applicants with the right skills to fill them, according to the leaders of the local high-tech community.
According to a recent article posted by Sign on San Diego, “There are around 6,000 information-technology job openings in the county. In addition, there are about 2,000 job openings in mechanical and electrical engineering, says Connect, a group formed to support the local high-tech community”.

There is a second wave in the technology boom and increasingly, start ups are following the trend of the “perk bubble”, where company culture and employee morale takes a front seat and old, traditional corporate structures and practices are left behind. Although San Diego may have the misperception of its “laid-back” culture, the “go-getter” mentality that is being adopted by many young, bright, and motivated tech and marketing professionals is at the forefront of this trend, with Underground Elephant being a leader in technology start-ups that is bringing this to downtown San Diego.

With great neighboring Universities that have excellent programs in engineering and biotechnology and a growing number of start-ups specializing in biotechnology, wireless, and clean technology, it is no surprise that San Diego is seen to have the potential to become the “21st century Silicon Valley”.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

By partnering with PAPSA and CAPPS, Underground Elephant intends to provide further support for its clients and receptive students in the educational sector.

San Diego, CA – October 05, 2011 Performance-based marketing agency Underground Elephant today announced the company has partnered with The Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA) and The California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS), doing its part to improve the futures of students who attend the company’s current and prospective university clients.

Underground Elephant provides compliant marketing solutions for colleges and universities in both the private and postsecondary educational sector. By partnering with PAPSA and CAPPS, the company plays a role in improving student enrollments and increasing retention rates. Both associations are highly regarded in the educational landscape for their advocacy and professional development services for hundreds of accredited schools and institutions in their areas.

“By partnering with both PAPSA and CAPPS, we strengthen our dedication to educational institutions, supporting our existing and prospective university clients’ best interests,“ said Taryn Lomas, Vice President of Strategic Accounts at Underground Elephant. “Our new memberships with PAPSA and CAPPS help us meet our goal of improving student outcomes and enrollments.” Both Lomas and Kim Chebegia, Director of Strategic Accounts, will be attending CAPPS 27th Annual Conference October 12-14 in San Diego.

In alignment with both PAPSA and CAPPS’ ethical standards and philosophy, Underground Elephant has hired an in-house compliance officer and legal counsel. Additionally, the company has implemented a mandatory compliance training program, which promotes and standardizes marketing best practices.

Utilizing Underground Elephant’s robust technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0, the company drives future students to targeted ad campaigns based on unique programs and parameters, allowing for increased conversions and enrollee satisfaction. Since the company’s inception, its team has worked closely with clients to optimize their campaigns, resulting in continually exceeded performance benchmarks and increased allocations.

About Underground Elephant
Underground Elephant is a global performance-based marketing technology company that specializes in customer acquisition solutions in a wide range of vertical markets. Our proprietary technology platform, NeoKeo 2.0™, funnels qualified inquires through data-driven algorithms to maximize client ROI and increases conversion propensity.

About PAPSA
The Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA) represents the more than 320 private career colleges and schools in the Commonwealth before the legislature, state agencies and professional associations. PAPSA is the only association representing all for-profit colleges and schools in Pennsylvania. With over 150 school members, PAPSA is the unified voice of quality career school education.

About CAPPS

The California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) is the only California State Association representing the many diverse kinds of Private Postsecondary Schools in California. CAPPS has a membership of over three hundred institutions including for-profit, non-profit, religious exempt and approved only Institutions. These schools and colleges are Nationally or Regionally accredited or approved by the State of California’s Regulatory Agency, the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) to offer educational services.