Workspace Member Jonathan Day Named 10 to Watch winner

Congratulations to Workspace member Jonathan Day for being among the 10 to Watch in the Seacoast region.

Jonathan is a member at the Cooperative Venture Workspace along with his business partner Robert Rustici. Together they run Shaper Selling, an internet marketing company that focuses on paid search advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media.

10 to Watch is an annual event meant to recognize the up and coming young movers and shakers in the region.

Jonathan was nominated in the fourth annual contest, which is sponsored by Catapult Seacoast in partnership with Seacoast Media Group as a way to highlight the work the region’s young professionals age 40 and under do in their professional lives as well as their contributions to the community at large.

Jonathan was among more than 100 entrants and was recognized at an event May 24 at 3S Artspace attended by Gov. Christopher Sununu.

“… when I look at this crowd, I think of young folks like myself, we really need to get young folks to be a part of these community-driven solutions,” said Gov. Sununu. “We have to rebrand our state as a place to land. If you are standing in this room, you are a big part of that messaging. It isn’t a message for you just to hear, but it’s a message you need to help us design.” See Seacoast Online’s coverage of the event here.

“I was so impressed listening to the accomplishments of the runners up leading up to the announcement of the winners,” said Jonathan. “To be considered on par with the young professionals in that room was a very humbling experience and re-motivates me to continue to be engaged in our community.”

Jonathan is using his marketing expertise in a non-profit effort in cooperation with Great Bay Community College and the New England Innovation Center.

Called the Digital Marketing Center-Seacoast, the non-profit offers three experiential learning certification programs with Great Bay Community College. Local businesses can partner with students to run digital marketing campaigns.

Jonathan appreciated what the governor had to say.  “The governor mentioned workforce development and that’s really what we do, so hopefully this award will allow us to spread our wings and grow a little bit and get the word out about our programs,” Jonathan is quoted as saying in the Seacoast Online story.

He is grateful also to the Workspace at 36 Maplewood Avenue in downtown Portsmouth.

“The Digital Marketing Center is still in its infancy, and I’m afraid the nonprofit may not have gotten off the ground without the flexibility the Cooperative Venture Workspace provided,” said Jonathan. “We were able to schedule high-tech classroom space to teach our courses on a smaller scale which was invaluable to testing and proving the value of our programs.”