Frank Kenna III is CEO and president of The Marlin Company, which helps companies improve employee morale, productivity and performance through its visual communications program. He is responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction and developing new ideas to help customers communicate more effectively and improve their employees’ lives.

Mr. Kenna joined The Marlin Company in 1988 as a regional manager. He subsequently held positions of assistant general manager and vice president before being appointed president and CEO in 1999. The company has been in his family since 1913 when it was founded by his grandfather, Frank Kenna Sr., as Illustrated Current News©. Under Frank Kenna III’s leadership, the company has grown to serve thousands of locations across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In 1995, Mr. Kenna launched The Marlin Company’s “Attitudes in the American Workplace,” an annual poll of workplace attitudes currently conducted by Harris Interactive. Its findings have been reported by media worldwide including The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, USA Today, Forbes, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, Boston Globe, Associated Press, Money Magazine, Detroit Free Press and numerous others. The poll gives The Marlin Company fresh insights into workplace issues that it uses to improve its content.

The company’s research has led to its focus on The Whole Person Concept™, an innovative concept that recognizes that employees don’t leave their problems at home when they enter the workplace. For that reason, The Marlin Company’s content not only covers workplace issues like safety, but also family issues like eldercare, health and wellness issues and teenage drug abuse.

Mr. Kenna is a past chairman of the board of The Easter Seals Goodwill Industries Rehabilitation Center of New Haven, Conn. and chairman of a group of Goodwill Stores in Southeastern Connecticut. He also serves as chairman of the Connecticut Odyssey of the Mind, the state chapter of an international organization that helps develop children’s creativity.

Mr. Kenna was born and raised in southern Connecticut. He has a BS degree in Business Management from Boston University. He lives with his wife, Kimberly, in Branford, Conn. They have two sons in college.

Edward LaFreniere
Vice President, Editorial
Edward N. LaFreniere brings significant experience as an editor and published author to The Marlin Company. He joined the company in 1994 as managing editor and in 2001 was promoted to vice president, editorial. In that capacity, he oversees the creation of all the company’s content including its print and electronic editions, each month creating more than 165 pieces in English and Spanish. He also oversees the Custom Feature Center, which designs and produces custom content for subscribers and the Communications Distribution Center, which handles program fulfillment. Since 1995, he has designed and coordinated The Marlin Company’s “Attitudes in the American Workplace”, an annual poll of workplace attitudes currently conducted by Harris Interactive. Its findings have been reported by media worldwide including The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, USA Today, Forbes, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, Boston Globe, Associated Press, Money Magazine, Detroit Free Press and numerous others. The poll gives The Marlin Company fresh insights into workplace issues that it uses to improve its content.

Before joining The Marlin Company, he held the position of assistant managing editor of The Hartford Courant, Connecticut’s largest newspaper, and before that was the newspaper’s front-page editor. He has won numerous awards from the Society for Newspaper Design and design and editing awards from New England newspaper organizations. He and his wife, Barbara, co-authored The Complete Guide to Life in Florida, which went through five printings between 1989 and 1995.

He is the past chairman of the annual fund drive at Our Lady of Mercy School in Madison, Conn., and currently is a volunteer fund-raiser at the Williams School in New London, Conn.

He holds a BA in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono, Maine. He and Barbara live in Clinton, Conn., with their son.

David Thibault
Vice President of Finance
With over 20 years of financial experience, David Thibault is responsible for The Marlin Company’s finance, operations, human resources and warehouse management. Thibault joined The Marlin Company as controller in 1995 and established the company’s first accounting department. Before joining The Marlin Company, he worked as a cost accountant and assistant controller for The Marlin Firearms Company, of North Haven, Conn., and for C. Cowles & Company.

He holds a BS in Accounting from Quinnipiac University, of New Haven, Conn. He lives in Guilford, Conn., with his wife, Trish, and their four children.

Jude Carter
Director of Marketing
Jude Carter has 25 years of experience in B2B sales and marketing positions of increasing responsibility. Her areas of expertise include all aspects of marketing, new business development, sales management and strategic planning.

She joined The Marlin Company in June of 2005 to develop a strategic marketing function to build brand awareness, drive revenue and explore additional revenue streams. In that capacity, she has launched an integrated marketing effort that includes PR, direct marketing, events and enhanced sales tools. Previously, she served as VP, strategic services, at Pappas MacDonnell, a Southport, Conn., branding and marketing company. Before that she worked as director of business integration for the Wilton, Connecticut-based Right Source, a division of Caribiner International. She also served as director of marketing for the global payment company Automatic Data Processing Corporation, of Roseland, NJ, and Gestetner Corporation of Greenwich, Conn.

She holds a BA in Sociology from Beaver College in Glenside, Penn., and attended the City of London Polytechnic in London, England. She is a former US Peace Corps and VISTA Volunteer. She is now a resident of New Haven, Conn.

Dale Ilko
National Sales Manager
Dale Ilko has spent more than 12 years in sales positions of increasing responsibility at The Marlin Company. In 2005, he was promoted to national sales manager. He is responsible for the management, training and development of over 50 regional managers and three division sales managers to ensure that the sales force meets company revenue and profit goals.

In his previous position as regional manager, he doubled new regional manager sales production over previous standards within the first year and significantly improved retention among new employees.

He holds a BFA from Edinboro University, Edinboro, Penn. He and his wife, Pam, live in Akron, Ohio, with their three children.