Cooper Hong Inc.

Jane Cooper, President

Businesswoman, marketing veteran and published author of fiction and nonfiction, Jane has more than 20 years of experience in business-to-business PR and marketing communications. Jane has provided media training and strategic PR counsel for product and marketing managers and top executives alike in such industries as agriculture, construction and off-highway equipment, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and shipping/air cargo among others. She has developed and implemented marketing communications programs for such clients as the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Case Construction Equipment, Case IH, CNH Capital, Guzzler Manufacturing, Jetstream of Houston, Johnson Controls, Metso Minerals, Miller Brewing Co., Norris Cultural Arts Center, Putzmeister, Snap-on and others. Jane’s areas of expertise include corporate communications, dealer/distributor communications and international communications. Jane speaks Mandarin Chinese.

Jane is the proud mother of three daughters, whose college expenses will keep Jane off the retirement roles for many, many years. In another lifetime, Jane co-authored the best-selling sword-and-sorcery fantasy novel Pool of Radiance and wrote the short story “And Wringing of Hands” that appeared in the popular Forgotten Realms anthology Realms of Infamy. Jane still receives royalty checks for her writing, which she uses to buy semi-precious stones for another hobby—jewelry making. In a previous lifetime, Jane lived and worked in Taiwan, where she met her husband and learned enough Taiwanese to know when her mother-in-law is talking about her.

Tim Montgomery, Vice President

Tim’s 20-year career spans advertising, branding, copywriting, crisis communications, employee communications, journalism, media and public relations, strategic marketing communications and technical writing from both the agency and client side of the desk. A CHI team member since May of 2006, Tim has represented category leaders in a number of industries and has provided strategic counsel and account direction to a diverse roster of business-to-business and business-to-consumer clients, including Continental Airlines, Downtown St. Charles Partnership, Echo Incorporated, Elgin Sweeper, Ford Power Products, Illinois Department of Transportation, Kobelco Construction Machinery America, Kraft Foods, NEC Technologies, New Holland Construction, Sumida America Inc., and Vactor Manufacturing. A PR veteran, Tim has developed and implemented strategic public relations campaigns that have garnered national, regional and local media coverage in print and on radio and television.

Tim is one of the lucky few who has turned his life’s passion into his job. Ever since the age of five when he started scribbling short stories in composition books and reading the daily newspaper from cover to cover, Tim was destined for a career in public relations. His love for PR and writing is only overshadowed by his love for his family (including his two dogs), Notre Dame football, music and good food. A regular at his local public library, Tim is an avid reader of everything from science fiction and alternative history to horror and mystery. Ask him what books he’s reading this week. Like many of his counterparts in the agency world, Tim also dreams of someday writing “the next breakout novel.” Hey, what’s one more published author on the CHI roster?

Justin Cate, Graphic Designer/Interactive Media Developer   

With a degree in fine arts and graphic design, as well as in digital arts, Justin delivers rich and compelling graphics for print and electronic applications. He also oversees the creative efforts of CHI’s virtual design team. Before joining CHI in June of 2007, Justin worked as a freelance digital artist and graphic designer for DDB Worldwide Communication Group in Chicago, as well as other agency and business clients.

An artist through and through, Justin’s creativity and skills transcend digital design to include traditional art, including graphite drawing and illustration. The CHI team always looks forward to seeing the sketches Justin makes on his notepad during weekly staff meetings. Fueled by Caribou coffee and VitaminWater, Justin works hard and plays hard. When the workday is done, Justin puts some serious distance between himself and his Mac and gears up for some mountain and road biking. That can be a challenge in an area where the average temperature between December and April is a chilly 32 degrees, and the roads are usually covered in snow, ice or slush. In the warmer months, it’s a safe bet that Justin is getting his ride “dialed in” so he can “scream through the gnarl” every day. It’s a bike thing.

Judi Montgomery, Account Associate

When Judi joined CHI in November of 2006, she had more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience in the hospitality and catering industry, working with such clients as Aon Corporation, Motorola, Penske Automotive Group, Pfizer and Sears Holdings Corporation. With an eye for details that provide panache, Judi provides event-planning services to CHI’s clients. This may range from catering a one-hour presentation to handling food, décor, gifts, transportation and entertainment for a days-long event, such as a distributor meeting or sales conference. More than an event planner, Judi has a knack for creating unique experiences that help bring a client’s brand to life. She also serves as a coordinator for special projects.

When she isn’t balancing projects at work, Judi balances her time between managing the home front, gardening, shoe shopping, hunting down new and unique recipes and chauffeuring kids to cheerleading, gymnastics, lacrosse, play practice and the occasional doctor’s appointment. Judi’s knack for décor isn’t limited to client events – she never turns down a request from family, friends or neighbors to help create a decorative style for their home that reflects their unique personal taste.