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Jamie Borteck
Board Member and Advisor
Professional Background
Jamie Borteck is an accomplished Board Director and Advisor, renowned for his extensive experience in the food and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries. Over his two-decade career, Jamie has honed his expertise in General Management, Marketing, Sales, and New Product Innovation, establishing a remarkable track record in leading world-class emerging brands to success. His hands-on experience ranges from corporate giants to nimble startups, making him a versatile leader in the sector.
After earning his MBA from the prestigious Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 2001, Jamie embarked on his professional journey with Kraft Foods. Here, he played a pivotal role in the development and management of iconic brands like Ritz and Chips Ahoy!. A significant highlight during his tenure was leading the launch of the 100 Calorie Packs platform, a transformative product line that, from its inception to its first year on the market, generated an impressive $100 million in revenue, earning the esteemed IRI Pacesetter Award in the process.
Following his enriching experience at Kraft Foods, Jamie moved to the startup scene, joining Food Should Taste Good, Inc. as a key management team member. During his time there, he successfully navigated the company’s growth from a modest 8 employees to a robust 55 within just five years, culminating in a successful acquisition by General Mills in 2012. This journey equipped Jamie with crucial insights into high-growth environments and startup dynamics.
Continuing his journey of growth-oriented leadership, Jamie took on the role of Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Justin’s, where he made a significant impact. Under his guidance, the nut butter and chocolate business tripled within two years, a feat made possible through innovative strategies and valuable partnerships, particularly with the private equity group VMG. This collaboration led to Justin’s eventual acquisition by Hormel.
As President of Grillo’s Pickles for five years, Jamie showcased his ability to elevate local brands to national prominence. Through strategic marketing and engagement with major retailers such as Whole Foods, Target, Publix, Ahold, and Costco, he transformed Grillo's Pickles into an emerging category leader. His leadership directly contributed to the brand's acquisition by King’s Hawaiian, representing yet another successful chapter in his career.
Currently, Jamie serves as a board member for a portfolio of emerging “fighter” brands. In this role, he leverages his wealth of experience to guide these startups towards leadership and growth in their respective markets, exemplifying his commitment to nurturing the next generation of successful companies.
Education and Achievements
Jamie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a focus on Business Administration and Management from the University of Michigan, in addition to his MBA from Duke University. These academic achievements laid a strong foundation for his successful career in the CPG and food industries.
Throughout his professional journey, Jamie has received numerous accolades for his innovative thinking and strategic leadership. His role in launching the 100 Calorie Packs led not only to remarkable financial milestones but also to industry recognition through the IRI Pacesetter Award. Jamie’s impact on growth trajectories and brand development has made him a sought-after advisor and director in the world of emerging brands.
Professional Affiliations and Contributions
Beyond his direct roles in various companies, Jamie has also contributed to the industry through numerous affiliations and advisory positions. He served as a member of the Board of Advisors for the TCPG SPAC, providing insights to shape strategic direction and company growth.
He has also offered his mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs and startups, participating as a Mentor at SKU and CommonWealth Kitchen, where he shares his knowledge and experiences to encourage innovation and success in new ventures.
His previous board roles include positions at RIND Snacks, Element Snacks Inc., and Ethel's Baking Company, where he contributed his expertise in brand management and growth strategies. As President and Owner of JCB Growth Ventures, LLC, Jamie continues to shape the future of emerging brands by fostering innovation and strategic development.
Through his work in diverse roles and organizations, Jamie Borteck exemplifies a commitment to excellence, growth, and leadership in the food and CPG sectors. With a rich history of achieving substantial results and fostering innovation, Jamie is poised to continue his impactful contributions to emerging brands and the industry as a whole.
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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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- 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
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of 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. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
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 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.
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