Meet Our Staff

This isn't really our staff photo. It's a 2007 photo of the justices of the United States Supreme Court. But they do resemble us--sort of.

MIMI VANDERHAVEN
Founder and Publisher
mimi@mimivanderhaven.com

After seven trips to the altar, the unforgettable Mimi Vanderhaven suddenly discovered that her true passion is the genuine uniqueness of high quality locally owned businesses. In 2003, with help from lots of friends, she founded the publication Mimi Vanderhaven's Fabulous Buys right here in Northeast Ohio. She wanted to—in her words—"preserve retail diversity" by helping her favorite businesses compete with bland national chains.

In spite of running a highly public media company, Mimi tends to be a very private person, preferring to express her passionate views in print and online rather than in person. You can read her views every two weeks in print or every day right here at MimiVanderhaven.com.

MITCH ALLEN
President & Personal Assistant to Mimi
mitch@mimivanderhaven.com

Mitch spent his first 30 years in and around his hometown of Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to Fort Benning.He holds a bachelor's degree in English and an MBA from Columbus College (now Columbus State University), which he and his classmates affectionately referred to as UCLA—the "University of Columbus 'Longside the Airport." The son of an Alabama land surveyor, Mitch moved to Northeast Ohio about 15 years ago with his wife, Suzanne, and their two young daughters, now aged 20 and 22.

Mitch visits the dentist three times a year instead of every six months because he finally realized that he is not a flosser—and never will be.

MICHAEL MAST
GM & Executive Assistant to Mimi
mlmast@gpubs.com

Raised in a family-owned publishing company, where he began his career as a custodian at age 12, Michael comes by his entrepreneurial spirit honestly. He started his own retail electronics business while still in high school. After one year in the engineering program at Kent State, he left college, realizing that his true calling was to take over the family business. Michael and his wife, Bridgid and kids, Sydney and Connor, ages 12 and 10 live in Berlin, in the heart of Amish Country.

In addition to his desire to help Mimi bring success to local entrepreneurs, Michael is into music, passionate about The Church, highly competitive, and thrives on change.

KATHY PETERSON
Personal Assistant to Mimi
kathy@mimivanderhaven.com

Kathy attended Ohio University, Cleveland State, and Baldwin-Wallace College. A background in advertising copy writing, sales promotion and display sales gave Kathy what Mimi needed in a personal assistant. She is as comfortable designing and writing advertising as she is planning a marketing program for her clients.

Kathy has traveled extensively and lived in Europe and Asia for several years. She has a son and a large extended family.

She is the first one at any party.

Kathy is most proud of her membership in Strongsville Rotary and you'll regularly see her at chamber of commerce events throughout Northeast Ohio. "I love meeting small business owners and bringing them into the Mimi fold," Kathy smiles.

CARLA HOUDEK
Personal Assistant to Mimi
carla@mimivanderhaven.com

A resident of Strongsville, Carla has been in the advertising and marketing business for over 20 years. When not creating fabulous ads for her customers, Carla enjoys watching her sons, ages 9 and 14, play baseball, basketball and football, while her husband, Paul, coaches. Her daughter, age 15, is an avid dancer, performing at many local events, competitions and high school basketball games.

Carla attended Cleveland State University and worked at The Plain Dealer before finding Mimi in her mailbox at home. A Parma girl at heart, Carla still has dinner once per month with her high school friends, a tradition they have continued for almost 25 years.

AMY BULGER
Personal Assistant to Mimi
amy@mimivanderhaven.com

"For as long as I remember, print media has been a part of my life," explains Amy, whose father was a life-long The Plain Dealer ad salesman. She learned production from a master printer, assisted in the newspaper's sales department, newsroom and editorial board. "Then I married the smartest, most handsome ad man at the newspaper," Amy insists. "With whom I'm raising two incredible children." For a short while, Amy sold advertising for a local monthly home magazine. In early 2004, Mimi put out a cry for help and Amy responded.

Her passions are order, creativity and learning new stuff. She cherishes her small dog, and those tall, waving windsock people never fail to make her smile.

KARLI KEENE
Administrator of Loose Ends
karli@mimivanderhaven.com

After graduating from Baldwin-Wallace College with a Sports Management and Business degree, Karli met Mimi and discovered her true passion—marketing and helping local businesses. This Berea native with a flair for multi-tasking, spends her free time working out, cooking healthy meals, dining at her favorite local restaurants, collecting shoes, perfecting her coffee brewing skills and spending time with family, friends and husband, Aaron.

DAVE MIETHKE
Personal Assistant to Mimi
dave@mimivanderhaven.com

David brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in advertising and marketing to his clients, including direct mail, newspaper, magazine, and television. "None of these other media have matched the power of Mimi's in response, results and effectiveness for my clients," Dave insists.

Dave resides in the beautiful hills of Hinckley with his wife and two kids. He enjoys music and golf in his very limited spare time.

MARISA SPARENGA
Assistant Administrator of Loose Ends and
Special Assistant to Ms. Houdek
marisa@mimivanderhaven.com

A native from Broadview Heights, Marisa graduated with a Bachelor's in Art with a Concentration in Graphic Design from Cleveland State University. Her desire for creativity and uniqueness has led her to live a double life as an artist. Whether it is working on the stand up act she hopes to perform one day or a multi-medium piece of fine art, Marisa is constantly expressing her inner art bug. If you're lucky, you might even catch her at a karaoke night, belting out one of her favorite tunes from Journey.

BILL YURGEN
Personal Assistant to Mimi
bill@mimivanderhaven.com

Bill Yurgen joined the Mimi family in March of 2006. He is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. Having successfully founded and operated a number of small Northeast Ohio businesses over the years, Bill has an intimate understanding of the area's economy and the peculiar challenges faced by the small business person in today's local business climate as well as how to position themselves to compete with the larger national chains. Bill's creativity, market savvy expertise and dedication to helping small and mid-size companies succeed—coupled with Mimi's very own unique voice in the community—has helped many clients meet or exceed their "next level" goals.

The diverse list of small businesses Bill has been involved with includes industrial and consumer hardware, retail automotive, financial products, retail consumer convenience and automotive aftermarket electronics.

With years of experience placing media buys, prior to joining Mimi Bill worked for the Akron Beacon Journal where he was a client consultant for newspaper and targeted media products. There he received their prestigious award for Excellence In Marketing for helping his clients create winning strategies.

JUDY PALMER
Personal Assistant to Mimi
judy@mimivanderhaven.com

Judy has been Mimi's personal assistant for an "exciting and rewarding" year now. As a young child she went door to door selling colorful pot holders, which took her countless hours to make. "At the end of the day after walking many miles, my carrier was empty and my wallet was full," Judy smiles. "Little did I know I was developing a future career in sales and customer service."

Judy is blessed with three wonderful children and two grandchildren. She enjoys cooking, gardening and helping customers place ads with Mimi.

LYNN MARGALIT
Creative Director
lynn@mimivanderhaven.com

When she started mixing crayons to create even more colors, Lynn discovered her love of art. Those hours became days and now years spent having fun with colors, shapes, photos and type. Involved since Mimi's very first cover story on June 11, 2003, Lynn, with talented photographer/husband, Benjamin, strives to keep Mimi looking her best. And, that leaves just enough time for tennis, hiking the parks and reading.

BENJAMIN MARGALIT
Photographer
margalitstudio@alltel.net

Ben was born and raised on the Mediterranean where he swam and fished. Inspired by a Life magazine cover, Ben began photographing the many characters in his sea town. The winds changed direction and took Ben to Johannesburg, South Africa where he opened his first commercial photography studio and worked on ad campaigns for companies like Sotheby's, Bayer, Midas and Phillips. Another gust came and brought Ben to America for a photographic award and he serendipitously landed in Cleveland. Today, he calls Peninsula home with his wife, Lynn, whom he calls "darling", their two children and Jackie, the Jack Russell. Ben's favorite part of photographing people for Mimi's is building that trusting relationship so he can draw out a great expression that helps tell a story.

NANCY DUNAWAY
Personal Assistant to Mimi
nancy@mimivanderhaven.com

After teaching high school English and Special Education for several years, Nancy ventured into the culinary world and became a self-proclaimed "foodie." After Mimi hired her to be her Personal Assistant, Nancy accepted the role of resident restaurant critic, regularly touting the area’s fabulous locally owned restaurants. She is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, and although many years removed from university tennis, she refuses to relinquish her dream to one day compete at The U.S. Open. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have one child, Louie, who is delightfully furry and growls when no one pays attention to him.

NIKKI GRECO
Very Handy Office Girl
nikki@mimivanderhaven.com

Nikki grew up in Columbus, Ohio and discovered the Cleveland area when she continued her education at Baldwin-Wallace College. After spending a year away from Ohio in sunny California, she has returned to join Mimi's staff. An avid Ohio State fan, she is glad to be back in the land of the Buckeyes. A former barista, Nikki is a coffee fanatic. All of that caffeine gives her plenty of energy to spoil her husband, Nick, and her miniature Dachshunds, Heidi and Brenner. With her extra time, Nikki loves to cook and bake.

SUE SCHULTZ
Calendar Editor
calendar@mimivanderhaven.com

Organizational skills and versatility were two qualities Mimi was looking for when selecting a Calendar Editor. Tracking the activities of four very busy children, Sue Schultz was adept at both. Sue and her husband, Paul, have a daughter in high school, a son in middle school and two daughters in elementary school. The Schultz family is involved in band, baseball, basketball, dance teams, music lessons and volunteering. The calendar is always full at the Schultz house!

BUNNY LACEY
Personal Assistant to Mimi
bunny@mimivanderhaven.com

Bunny Lacey landed at Mimi’s, literally, following a colorful career including radio, retail, sports and advertising. A native of Akron, some of you may know Bunny by her radio name, Sandy Lang. As "Sandy" she reported traffic from the sky for several years, first with 1590 WAKR in Akron, then with WGAR in Cleveland. She loves telling people how she's one of the few people who actually got paid for telling people where to go. Bunny also spent a year handling public relations for the Cleveland Force. A graduate of Miami University, Bunny moved to Cincinnati where she spent 7 years as special projects manager for a jewelry company, worked as an account executive for a daily newspaper, then co-owned a small business that bought and sold used restaurant equipment.

Family, friends & the local sports teams brought her back to Akron. Her true passion is the Browns, and she's also a big fan of the Indians, Cavs & Aeros. Other hobbies include theatre (on & off stage), & walking her 14 year old beagle, Kosar.

ANN MARIE LAPORTA
Personal Assistant to Mimi
annmarie@mimivanderhaven.com

“If you aren’t making a difference, then please get out of the way” is a philosophy of Ann-Marie’s. And that’s why she likes working with Mimi. “Mimi’s makes a difference in the local market,” Ann-Marie says.

Working with Mimi also fulfills another of Ann-Marie’s philosophies—love what you do and do what you love. She loves meeting new people, making new friends and assisting local businesses to be successful.

Though Ann-Marie is a born and bred “New York City gal,” she and her four children have called Strongsville home for over 12 years now. She has twin sons in college—one is at Kent State and the other attends the University of Toledo. Her daughter is a freshman in Strongsville High School and her son is in Albion Middle School.

Ann Marie is a graduate of SUNY at Albany and her professional experience includes serving as an account executive on New York City’s Madison Avenue; being a business entrepreneur here in Ohio as a special event and marketing planner; and working within the healthcare field. Ann Marie has energy abound, is highly creative, and is clearly an “out of the box thinker.” She is known by many as “That Girl” or “AM.” She enjoys exercising, golf, cooking, watercolor painting, a good cup of coffee and, of course, spending time with her children, family and friends.

BETH NEWCOMB
Midwest Bureau Chief
Beth@mimivanderhaven.com

Beth began her relationship with Mimi as a client, before accepting the challenge of writer and eventually editor. Her successful retail boutique was featured in Mimi’s on a number of occasions and she recognized the “power behind all of that pink” right away.

She was certain owning and running a boutique was meant to be her calling, until she started writing for Mimi. “I love meeting all of the different business owners featured in Mimi’s and hearing about their stories,” Beth says. “But I love the opportunity to help their business grow through my own experiences as an entrepreneur even more.”

Beth lives in Richfield with her husband and likes nothing better than to curl up on the couch with a juice box to watch PBS Kids with her young son, or to look for bugs in the creek in her backyard.

DEBBIE GOODEN
Personal Assitant to Mimi
debbie@mimivanderhaven.com

Debbie’s diverse background has literally taken her from top to bottom. The bottom being a urology nurse for ten years and the top being in facial aesthetics! Her desire to care for and help others eventually led her to Mimi.

Debbie’s proudest accomplishments are her two beautiful and talented daughters. She is married to a wonderful, stable and steadfast guy who compliments her life perfectly. Debbie and her husband enjoy traveling to Bed & Breakfasts and Country Inns. They also enjoy wine tastings and intimate dinners, but also take pleasure in time spent with their myriad of friends and family.

Debbie and her husband have lived in the community of Green for 22 years and can be seen out and about, riding bikes or just hanging out with their constant companions – Lily May, a 94 pound Rottweiler and Suede, a 5 pound Chihuahua. Guess who rules?

Debbie’s love of people and compassionate nature are her driving force. Debbie says “I am unequivocal and absolute in my attention to detail and customer satisfaction. Helping people feel good about themselves and seeing them experience success and prosperity is my greatest reward.”

MELANIE HILLENBRAND
Personal Assistant to Mimi
melanie@mimivanderhaven.com

A resident of Westlake, Melanie is a new personal assistant to Mimi and a seasoned veteran in advertising and marketing. A graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College, Melanie started her career as a corporate professional with Wesfield Group as a claims representative. She also holds a real estate license with Keller Williams in Westlake.

More recently, Melanie also served as an account executive for over eight years with Cleveland Family Magazine and Ohio Sports and Fitness, before joining Mimi.

In her "spare" time, Melanie is the epitome of a sports mom. Coaching cheerleading for many years, she can also be found with her husband at practice and playing fields cheering on her own two boys in football, basketball and baseball. She loves coffee, golf, horseback riding, decorating, helping others—and her two little Beagles.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Ken McEntee - The Write Company
Paula Singleton