About:
a smidge about us
Team
Liz Dwenger, Office Manager
Liz is a 2006 graduate of Bluffton University, with a degree in Fine Art and a minor in Business Administration. Prior to joining the FORGE team, Liz was Accounts Manager on the marketing staff of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra for two years. While at the DPO, Liz frequently worked with Jän on the orchestra’s marketing initiatives and managed the department’s budget. As our Office Manager, Liz’s organizational skills help keep FORGE running as a well-oiled machine.
Born and raised an Indiana Hoosier, Liz has lived in the Dayton area since 2007. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband Jim and dog Beanie. She diagnoses herself as having “chronic bad luck,” and loves Christmas, dark chocolate, and The Giving Tree by author Shel Silverstein. Liz is also an avid photographer and dedicated Packer fan.
Jän Paul Ostendorf, Growth Strategist
Jän graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelors degree in Industrial Design in 1989. He began his career as a designer, transitioned into the position of art director, and then became partner at Catalyst Creative Partnership. In 1993, he was part-owner and marketed a new startup, FlexSign Inc., created to bring to market a product he invented - a lightweight, flexible, real estate sign. Now, with 20 years of experience in the creative, design, and marketing field, Jän is a Partner and Growth Strategist at FORGE, and his visionary prowess is a valuable asset to our team. Keeping the focus on the client’s customer, his passion is understanding the client’s business and creating marketing opportunities and ideas to help the company succeed in the marketplace. His focus is to push the company’s branding effort to be different from its competitors. Once FORGE has established a relationship and has finished the projects, Jän keeps his mind generating ideas and presents marketing opportunities to the client any time they arise.
Jän is a Fairborn native and resident and considers himself a frustrated product designer, inventing and designing new products from time to time. He spends most of his time with his wife, Sonja, daughter Viktoria, and son Ehron. Restoring his 100+-year-old house is constantly on Jän’s personal to-do list, and he tries to stay physically active with basketball, golf, backpacking, white-water rafting, and playing with his kids.
Ben Callahan, Web Strategist
Ben graduated from Taylor University in 1998 with a degree in Computer Science/Artificial Intelligence and started his own web development company, Design District, in 2004. The business community has recognized him as a local expert in web standards and flash animation and programming. Ben’s background in software development and website design give him a great balance of technical skill and creativity. Ben is a Partner and Web Strategist at FORGE. His expertise allows him to craft fully standards-compliant websites that are accessible and findable, a critical step in FORGE’s ability to create business solutions. His passion is doing things right. He believes a problem isn’t really solved, until it’s solved in the best possible way.
Ben is a Kettering resident, who enjoys spending time with his gorgeous, blogaholic wife Tricia and his fort-building son Isaac. He loves the web, especially when it’s beautiful and accessible, and plays in one of four bands at his church. Ben secretly aspires to play beach volleyball in the AVP for a living but at the end of the day gets his kicks from grilling out (charcoal, please).
Jeremy Loyd, Brand Strategist
Jeremy is a 2001 graduate of the University of Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication. He has over nine years of experience in the design field, with expertise in print and branding. During his employment at Real Art Design Group, Jeremy worked his way from Intern to Designer to Print Art Director and worked as such for three years, before deciding to form his own company. Throughout his career, Jeremy has worked with clients, such as General Motors, VTech Electronics, NCR, and the 2008 Huckabee for President Campaign, to create innovative, high-end design solutions. His work has won several awards, and has appeared in numerous design publications and annuals, including HOW and Print. As Partner at FORGE, Jeremy contributes his exceptional design skills to our creative process. His passion is to solve how visually to represent the core message and activities of a company into a single brandmark. His expertise is crafting and directing other creatives to develop an over-arching tone, voice, and look to a brand, not to mention detailed brand standards, manuals, and websites.
Born in Washington D.C., Jeremy admits he cannot function without his iPhone. He loves the smell of freshly printed paper as much as playing basketball and golf and hanging out with his wife Cortney and two sons Evan and Carter. Jeremy hopes to one day obtain his pilot’s license but, ironically, is deathly afraid of roller coasters.
Chad Mullins, Managing Director
Chad is a graduate of Liberty University, with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He has experience in PHP, ASP, JavaScript, ColdFusion, website development, and web application development. Chad has completed both large and small projects for the following companies: VTech Electronics, LJB Engineering, General Motors, Children’s Medical Center, and Greene Memorial Hospital. Chad is a Partner and Managing Director at FORGE, and his abilities in business management and development are vital to our success as a leading, local creative firm. His passion is directing a team to create business vehicles that result in increased business for FORGE’s clients.
Chad grew up in West Virginia, a descendent of three generations of coal miners. He and his wife, whom he met in high school, have two children and are Englewood residents. Chad considers himself an aspiring furniture maker, and he loves cooking, soccer, and vacationing in the mountains.
Rob Harr, Solutions Architect
Rob is a graduate of Wright State University with a degree in Management Information Systems. Rob started his career at Lexis-Nexis, working on several enterprise online research products. He also held the position of Senior Performance Architect at Fidelity National Information Systems, serving as a consultant for banking and financial products. Rob has experience in java, J2EE, software performance, ruby, ColdFusion, JavaScript, source control, software build solutions, and WebSphere. Rob’s drive to use the best software to help people create solutions to their business problems makes him a valuable member of the FORGE lineup.
A Bellbrook native, Rob enjoys spending time at home with his wife Laura and son Christopher. He loves to play golf, snowboard, and watch his favorite football teams, the OSU Buckeyes and the Detroit Lions. Rob also likes to frequent his favorite restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings, for wings and beer.
Ryan Buttrey, Web Developer
Ryan graduated from Purdue University in 2008, with a bachelor’s in Computer Graphics Technology. He has been working with FORGE as a contractor since 2008 and came on board full-time in May of 2009. He is an expert in xhtml and css. Now a Web Developer at FORGE, Ryan is able to contribute his passion for developing standards-compliant websites to assist search engines in locating our clients’ websites.
Ryan grew up, and lives, in Beavercreek. He enjoys cooking with fire, baking, drinking French press coffee, and eating at his favorite restaurant, Thai 9. Ryan spends his free time with his wife Kory, when she’s not working in the ER as a Registered Nurse.
Andy Rossi, UI/UX Designer
Andy is a 2006 graduate of the University of Dayton, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design. As part of the web team at FORGE, Andy focuses on designing and developing a unique web user experience by fusing visual presentation with the workflow of projects. His expertise in HTML, Flash, video, and animation, combined with his ability to bear in mind long-term goals, have allowed him to develop a unique and successful portfolio of work. Andy has completed projects for clients such as The Cleveland Institute of Art, Dayton Development Coalition, Ford, General Motors, LexisNexis, and the U.S. Air Force, while working for another design firm. Andy's passion and understanding for the fundamental mix of technology and art in web projects allows him to offer unique solutions to FORGE clientele.
Andy, whose middle name is Rocco, was born in Michigan. He loves to travel to new places, and once piloted a hot air balloon. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, mountain climbing, and playing video games. Andy also enjoys working on his house and car. In addition to working at FORGE, Andy serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Dayton in the Visual Arts Department teaching "Design for the Internet."
Ryan Clark, Designer
Ryan started as a graphic designer at FORGE in December of 2009. He has seven years of design experience in both print and web applications, with clients ranging from GM to non-profits. Ryan is passionate about user interface and user experience design as well as traditional print projects, such as identity work and corporate collateral. He supports these focuses with his background in traditional and digital illustration. Ryan excels in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. He views design as the process of solving problems for a client; be it engaging customers, improving visibility, or communicating effectively.
Ryan grew up in Beavercreek and now lives in Xenia. He loves Art Nouveau and Mid-century Modernism, and was raised on a steady stream of X-Men comics and Jim Henson cartoons. When not in front of a desk, he can be found in line at the local Starbucks, playing Beatles Rock Band, organizing his collection of Kidrobot toys, or watching 80's movies with his wife Sarah.
Maria Norman, Content Strategist
Maria is the Content Strategist at FORGE. With an arsenal of reference books and a vast lexicon, she is our writing expert. Maria is responsible for researching, copywriting, and editing. She contributes her creative mindset and writing skills from her previous journalism and teaching experience to FORGE. Her goal is to capture and convey the essence of the brand in written word across all touchpoints. She strives to cultivate a clear and cohesive message through appropriate use of voice and precise word choice.
Maria lives with her graphic designer husband in the 1940s house they renovated. Having been an English major, she is a voracious reader and adores the writing of Vonnegut, Sedaris, and Hornby. Maria also enjoys gardening, or tending houseplants in the off-season. On a Saturday, you might find her bicycling or wandering around an antique store looking for interesting tchotchkes.