Steven Wagner, Founder and President

Prior to founding Kudzu, Steven spent fifteen years assisting brands and dealers to market their business in a profitable way. He held sales and marketing positions with The Cliffs Communities, Ford Motor Company and The Cotter Group. 

Steven’s expertise has assisted large multi-national firms in developing new branding techniques to drive dealer sales. He assisted Fortune 500 executives to measure and improve their return on marketing investments.

Private equity firms have sought his expertise on dealer development and marketing strategies for merger and acquisitions. He recently developed an environmental marketing program focused on corporate and dealer practices.  

Steven's management of the The Cliff Communities sponsorship of The United States Professional Cycling Championships was the company’s most successful sports sponsorship to date. Steven was an integral member for the launch of the co-branded The Cliffs and Gary Player Mountain Park Real Estate Development.

Steven developed the first co-op advertising program for Ford Motor Company’s Certified Wholesale Program. As Ford Motor Company’s Retail Marketing Manager, Steven led the marketing shift of Northwest Ford Dealers to new media to reach customers earned  the region first place for all Ford Motor Company dealer regions.  

Toyota has employed Steven’s expertise in the launch of the Hybrid Camry, FJ Cruiser and Tundra Crew Max. He guided Ingersoll-Rand in developing significant income from its NASCAR sponsorship.

Some of the firms Steven has worked with are Mohawk Industries, Toyota Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz, John Deere, Ingersoll-Rand and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse.  

Steven is certified Six-Sigma Marketing Green Belt and Multi-Cultural Marketing Expert. He has been published by The Wall Street Journal, VeloNews, The Charlotte Observer and National Speed Sport News. He is a graduate of Ball State University.

Steven lives in Greenville, SC with his wife and children. He is an avid cyclist, a snowboarder, and auto racing fan. He was a crew member in the 1996 Indianapolis 500.

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