Meet the CDMS Team
Tom Shipley
Founder & Principal
Tom is a native St. Louisan who grew up in the suburb of Warson Woods. A Chaminade graduate, he attended The University of Dayton in Ohio, earning a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. After graduation, Tom worked as a contractor for Anheuser-Busch (AB), driving the Bobby Rahal Budweiser promotional bus along the Indy Car Circuit. He joined AB as a full-time employee in 1989 and steadily climbed through the ranks of sales and marketing, eventually rising to the position of Senior Director of Digital Media for the entire 144+ brand portfolio.
Following the sale of AB to InBev in 2010, Tom decided to take the skills and experience he had gained to start his own marketing consultancy. After early success, Tom connected with John Jantsch and Duct Tape Marketing in 2014. Since becoming a certified DTM consultant, Tom has grown CDMS into an agency with a dedicated, full-time staff and a 25+ client portfolio.
In addition to being a Master Certified Duct Tape Marketing Consultant and Mentor, Tom is also a Remote Drone Pilot with a Certificate under the FAA's Small UAS Rule (Part 107). This designation allows him to capture unique photographs and footage that add incredible value to our clients’ content marketing efforts.
Tom is an automotive enthusiast who loves BBQing on his Big Green Egg grill. He also enjoys traveling with his wife, Rachelle, to visit his adult children in Los Angeles, California and Dayton, Ohio.
Robbie Alexander
Content Director
Robbie is originally from Lake Fenton, Michigan. He attended Adrian College, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts and an associate’s degree in marketing. While there, he developed a love for multimedia, immersing himself in all aspects of it. After graduation, Robbie spent a year serving with AmeriCorps NCCC in the Southwest United States.
Robbie moved to St. Louis in early 2020 and took a series of contracted multimedia positions before joining Cole-Dalton as a Project Manager at the beginning of 2021. He immediately saw the value in content marketing and its core theme of trust building and education over self-promotion. While he has a hand in all aspects of the organization, he specializes in content development, most notably video production, graphic design, and website development. He was promoted to Content Director in July of 2022.
Robbie finds great joy in learning about the world around him. He loves reading obscure non-fiction books, completing DIY projects on his south city bungalow, forever striving to become a better runner, and exploring STL with his Lindy-hop friends.
Maria Heuring
Project Manager
Originally from New Brighton, Minnesota, Maria first got to know the St. Louis area while attending Saint Louis University (SLU), where she studied integrated strategic communication. After spending time in a variety of roles ranging from graphic design for a nonprofit to leasing and sales for an apartment building, Maria discovered her passion for crafting the story of a brand or business through digital marketing. Thus, she was thrilled to try her hand at small business marketing and joined the Cole-Dalton team in 2022.
Maria's main responsibilities include writing content for all of our clients, particularly monthly blog posts and email blasts, weekly social media posts, and any special projects. She is committed to creating content that is both educational and engaging, no matter which industry the client serves.
When she’s not writing or designing, Maria can be found trying new restaurants with her friends, spending time outdoors, playing percussion, or starting new shows on Netflix without finishing them.
