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Benjamin Horne
Deputy Director at Union Square Business Improvement District
Professional Background
Benjamin Horne brings over 23 years of extensive financial leadership and accounting expertise to a diverse array of sectors including non-profits, government relations, start-ups, and professional services businesses. His extensive experience has not only honed his skills in finance and accounting but also positioned him as an influential leader capable of driving change and fostering growth across various organizations. Throughout his career, Benjamin has taken on numerous leadership roles, showcasing his adaptability and commitment to excellence in the financial domain.
Throughout his professional journey, Benjamin served as the Deputy Director at the Union Square Business Improvement District, where his financial acumen was pivotal in driving initiatives that enhanced economic activity in the region. Prior to this, he held notable positions including Chief Financial Officer at Loeven Group and Owner at Horne Services & Sales, where he demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit and financial stewardship. His ability to manage financial operations and lead teams has made him a sought-after expert in financial management and administration.
In addition to his experience in the private sector, Benjamin has been actively involved in community-focused organizations, as evidenced by his tenure as Executive Director at the Top Of Broadway Community Benefit District and a Board Member at The Mary Elizabeth Inn. His commitment to community development reflects his belief in using financial expertise for the greater good.
Benjamin's proficiency in finance is further highlighted through his previous roles at various esteemed organizations, including GCA Strategies, where he served as Finance and Administration Manager, and Community Educational Services of San Francisco as Director of Finance and Administration. These positions underscore his strong foundation in accounting principles coupled with strategic oversight and leadership abilities.
Education and Achievements
Benjamin began his educational journey at DeKalb High School, where he laid the groundwork for his future studies and career path. He furthered his education at the University of Iowa, obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. This solid educational foundation equipped him with the knowledge and skills to excel in the complex world of finance and accounting. His formal education is complemented by practical experience, making him a well-rounded finance professional.
As he progressed through his career, Benjamin’s various roles have allowed him to achieve significant milestones, including overseeing multi-million dollar budgets, developing robust financial strategies, and leading teams towards achieving organizational goals. His contributions to financial planning and management have consistently resulted in improved operational efficiencies and enhanced financial performance, positioning organizations for sustainable growth.
Achievements
- Financial Leadership: Demonstrated expertise in establishing strong financial processes that optimize resource allocation and enhance profitability for organizations, particularly non-profits and start-ups.
- Community Engagement: Implemented community-focused initiatives that align financial management with social impact, showcasing his dedication to community service through roles in organizations like the Top Of Broadway Community Benefit District and The Mary Elizabeth Inn.
- Strategic Oversight: Successfully guided organizations through complex financial landscapes while managing risk and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
- Team Development: Known for his ability to cultivate and mentor financial teams, fostering an environment of professional growth and ethical financial practices.
In conclusion, Benjamin Horne is a financial leader with a wealth of experience dedicated to serving diverse communities and organizations through effective financial management and community engagement. His detailed understanding of financial operations, paired with his commitment to organizational excellence, positions him as a vital asset to any financial team. As he continues to navigate the evolving landscape of finance, his proactive approach and strategic vision will undoubtedly lead to impactful contributions in the field.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
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Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.