Robin Kocina
COO
Robin is co-owner and Chief Operating Officer of Kocina Branding & Marketing Companies. As COO, Robin’s primary focus is on helping people reach their full potential by working within their strengths and by creating incentives for people to surpass their personal best. Robin is a past board member and Chairman of the Board for WomenVenture. She also serves on the Leadership Board for the National Federation of Independent Business, and is an active member of the Women’s Presidents Organization. She was honored in 2008 as one of the 25 Women to Watch by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, in 2006 with Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine’s Standing Ovation Award, and is the recipient of the 2005 Luminary Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners, Minnesota Chapter.

Mike Danielson
Director, Health & Medical Division, Media Relations, Inc.
Mike joined Media Relations, Inc. in 1988 and is the driving force behind the agency’s Health & Medical Division. You simply won't find anyone who has more practical marketing knowledge and industry contacts than Mike Does. He has spent twenty years in the vortex of marketing helping some of the world's best known companies launch and build highly profitable brands. Mike has experience developing and managing multimillion dollar marketing campaigns and handles everything form negotiating spokesperson endorsements to coordination national media tours. He's the go-to expert for anything health and fitness related.  

Heather Champine
Vice President, Media Production,  Media Relations, Inc. 
Heather works with clients to develop marketing strategies, and heads-up our entire staff of publicist's who securing radio, TV, print and online news coverage for our clients. Her expertise lies in marketing consumer products and services so that they are deemed newsworthy by the media. She has particularly vast experience in the technology and medical industries. Heather serves on the Board of Directors for Kids ‘n Kinship, and has donated her services to other nonprofit organizations including WomenVenture and Calvary Baptist Church.

Jason Kocina
President, Checkerboard Strategic Web Development
Jason is an Internet visionary. He has been has been opening our clients eyes to the selling power of the Internet and teaching businesses how to turn their Web sites into profit centers since 1995. Using his extensive experience in design and development as well as marketing, Jason specializes in bridging technology and business by connecting clients’ needs with technological possibilities. He can quickly review any scenario and determine how best to help a client. Soft spoken, caring and responsible, Jason easily connects with everyone. He is especially great at explaining ideas and concepts to non-technical people.

Michelle Roddie
Vice President of Operations, Kocina Branding & Marketing Companies; Vice President of Event Coordination, Mid-America Events & Expos, Inc.
Michelle has managed events involving thousands of participants for such major corporations as Prudential Financial, Cargill, WomenVenture and Malt-O-Meal as well as MERSC and the American Dietetic Association. In addition she produces and manages four company owned consumer expos. Her warm and energetic personality make her a natural team leader and she was recently named national Show Manager of the Year by the Expo Group. 

Jennifer Fligge
Vice President of Production, Checkerboard Strategic Web Development
Jennifer serves as liaison between clients and Checkerboard Strategic Web Development’s talented design and technical team and she's all business. Jennifer ensures that each project is organized and managed efficiently and completed on schedule. In her nearly 12 years with the Kocina Branding & Marketing Companies, Jennifer has worked with a wide variety of clients ranging from major international corporations to sole proprietorships. She is the person who assured that our clients vision becomes a reality--on time and within budget.

Robin Miller
Associate Editor, Kocina Branding & Marketing Companies
Robin writes and edits the content for most of our clients. Her services include writing for press releases, ghost written articles, web pages, newsletters, brochures, speeches and scripts. She also is responsible for  writing and/or editing the marketing materials for the Kocina family of companies which includes Mid-America Events & Expos, Inc., Media Relations, Inc. and Checkerboard Strategic Web Development.

Lonny Kocina

CEO
Lonny is founder and president of Kocina Branding & Marketing Companies. The Kocina family of companies includes Media Relations, Inc., Checkerboard Strategic Web Development, and Mid-America Events & Expos, Inc. Lonny pioneered the concept of our nationally trademarked Pay Per Interview Publicity business model which allows clients to purchase publicity by the story rather than pay hourly with no guarantee of coverage. His business foresight is evident in many ways including quickly reserving portal web addresses such as publicity, media relations, and checkerbroard, and advising clients to do the same. Lonny has written two books; Media Hypnosis: Unleashing the most powerful sales tool on earth, published in 2002 and Reach & Teach Product Promotion: Teaching Consumers to BUY in 2007. In his spare time, Lonny teaches marketing as an adjunct faculty member at Dakota Technical College.