TESTIMONIALS

I have had the pleasure of knowing of Deb’s work for the last decade, and finally becoming a client of hers during the last 3 years. Ipsum has been instrumental in the positioning of Crown Community Development’s investment in our first East Coast 55+ master-planned community. Her consult has allowed us to gain the sophistication and knowledge in this space that generally would accrue to a much more experienced 55+ developer. Given a budget or $18M in amenities we wanted to be able to use that as effectively as possible over our 2,000 units and Ipsum delivered. Deb also was key in our demographic analysis, brand development and market messaging. We would look for Ipsum to be an essential partner in all future CCD 55+ communities!

Theresa O. Frankiewicz

Senior Vice President, COO, Crown Community Development

We have worked with Deborah for many years and can attest to her knowledge, passion and counsel with the 55+ market. Deb is uniquely qualified to help craft the right product design and amenity composition to appeal to the everchanging active adult market. We have enjoyed our work with Deb and I would highly recommend her firm for assistance in the development of an outstanding 55+ community.

Fred Caldwell

CEO Caldwell Communities

I have worked with Deborah for 19 years, at Del Webb, Pulte and most recently with DMB. Deborah is a treasure trove of information, experience, and data, in the over 55+ / Active Adult space. Through her career in this space she has touched on every facet of market research, marketing, product research and sales. Most recently she was instrumental in a ground up visioning and redefining the business and lifestyle of the 55+ community/club known as Victory at Verrado. Deborah brought her 20+ years of experience and leadership to the table in joining our team in hand crafting a first of its’ kind community/club project for today’s modern and young minded 55+ consumer. Deborah used experience and fresh research to carefully reconsider and reconstruct the notions of what a more evolved, enlightened and fulfilled life could potentially be for people in their 55+ life stage. This extraordinary process redefined everything we knew about peoples changing needs and desires as they move through time. Her guidance allowed us to emerge with new ideas about the home, new techniques in the sales process, and an entirely new notion about the idea of creating exclusivity while simultaneously living an inclusive and meaningful life. Without her our project would have never broken free from old paradigms. I look forward to the next adventure and opportunity to work with Deborah Blake.

Nick Taratsas

Senior Vice President at DMB Associates

Deborah Blake brings a fresh perspective to developing 55+ strategies. She has the pulse on everything from site development to sales and marketing tactics. While she is extremely knowledgeable, Deborah also listens well and gets to know you as the client and the brand you represent. I would highly recommend her services.

Lyndsay Fuller

Director of Sales and Marketing at Pardee Homes

Deborah was an integral part of our team from the beginning as we made the decision to enter into the 55+/Active Adult category. Every step of the way she integrated directly with our leadership team and sought to understand our vision for the land and the voice we strove to bring to the consumer. She introduced us to key consultants that she valued within the space that helped us pay off this vision and create the first large-scale Active Adult master plan at Pardee Homes and within the Tri Pointe Group. She brought exceptional experience to research, brand creation, operations (both lifestyle and sales programming) that has helped us to create an award-winning master plan. She is flexible and unflappable. She is direct when she needs to be yet measured as well. Her time working with us on this community has endeared her to the Pardee family. We look forward to future opportunities to “make community” with Deborah again.

Matt Sauls

Vice President Community Experience (Sales and Marketing) at TRI Pointe Homes

I worked with Deborah on the development of our OakwoodLife Brand. Deborah was a joy to work with and educated me on the Active Adult demographic and marketing best practices given her rich experience in homebuilding and marketing to those 55 and better. Deborah has a strong background in marketing and homebuilding operations and her knowledge gave me a foundation for our approach to the OakwoodLife brand experience. Deborah is well connected and respected in the industry and I appreciated her attention to learn about our company and giving advice on what we hope will be an award-winning brand and experience for our customers.

Jennifer Cooper

Vice President of Marketing & Brand at Oakwood Homes

“There’s no substitute for experience and when it comes to understanding homebuilding and the active adult market, Deborah has the experience. We both learned the business from the best…Del Webb. And over the years, Deborah moved throughout the sales and marketing space learning, leading and ultimately, establishing herself as an industry expert. If you need to learn about the active adult business, Deborah is the person to ask. She’s got a great historical perspective on this group, but more importantly, she’s got great insights about how it’s changing and how you need to market to them to be successful. I’ve enjoyed knowing and working with Deborah. She’s one of the best.”

Ken Plonski

Sales Consultant Sun City Festival Phoenix

“Deborah is an outstanding business professional with an expertise in the active adult housing industry. She has a passion for understanding and serving the active adult consumer as well as a keen insight as to how to effectively communicate with this consumer segment. As a leader she is able to set the strategic vision and establish the business processes necessary to accomplish business objectives. Deborah has a style that makes her very easy to work with and is also someone that is good at challenging conventional wisdom. With more than 20 years of experience in the active adult space, she is a thought leader and someone that knows how to get things done. Working with Deborah has been an exceptional experience and one that I have relished.”

Eric Snider

President at Lifestory Research

“Without a doubt, Deborah knows her stuff. With years of experience in Real Estate marketing, boomer and mature marketing, master plan community marketing and a keen understanding of the operations side of the business, she reinvented the Robson Resort Communities brand. Her work started with extensive research into the mature consumer and Robson’s buyers, and ended with a full-on brand campaign that included all customer touch points, pre-and post-sale. She scrutinized every area of messaging and customer interaction, from lead generation to resident communications; ensuring consistency across the brand. It’s no wonder; with over fifteen years with the Del Webb Corporation and dozens of communities under her belt, Deborah is simply the best in the industry.”

Debra Young

Creative Director; W.L. Gore and Associates, Medical Products Division

“I had the opportunity to work with Deborah for a few years, specifically focusing on the Central and Northern California markets as well as Reno, Nevada, and covering three brands and various consumer segments ranging from first time buyers to active adult. During that period, her ability to bring relevant market and consumer research as well as strategic recommendations to my business was essential to my operations success. Deborah is definitely one of the few that can take the data and help translate it to a community level execution plan. She would always be welcome on my team.”

Christopher B. Cady

Chief Operating Officer at Discovery Builders, LLC

Deborah is without question the industry leader when it comes to marketing and programming of Active Adult housing. She always has her finger on the pulse of the industry and is always looking to be at the forefront of product development. Deb doesn’t skate to where the puck is, she skates to where the puck is going to be, which is why I always enjoy working with her… not to mention the fact that she just makes it fun to do so! I could not recommend anyone more highly than Deborah Blake.

Manny Gonzalez

FAIA, LEED AP

“I had the opportunity to work with Deborah at Pulte/Del Webb for nearly 9 years. From the first time that we met—to discuss the positioning of a new Del Webb Community in Las Vegas—I knew she was a person who was passionate about her work! As time passed I came to respect even more the expertise and creativity she possessed and how she was able to work with a very diverse group of people. She always treated those she worked with as ‘customers’ and her exceptional personal style allowed her to get the best out of those she worked with and for—without compromising the end results. She is very candid and refreshing and when offering a differing idea or course of action she is fact based in her approach. I have little doubt that her new venture, The Ipsum Group, LLC, will be a smash hit. I am also convinced that those who choose to work with her will also reach greater heights of success.”

Steve Petruska

Past COO Pulte Group, President at SCP Group

“Anyone who speaks with Deborah will immediately be impressed by her personal passion and enthusiasm for the marketing discipline. This enthusiasm comes hand-in-hand with her understanding of the broader business picture. She has a keen business acumen and takes a strategic approach to project management. Deborah is focused on accomplishment and understands the benefits of long-term strategic thinking. Known for taking responsibility and initiative, she continuously looks for new and better ways to do things. Keeping a pulse on the latest in the industry is second nature to Deborah. This has helped her anticipate problems and trends, while understanding the strengths and weaknesses of competition. Unlike many seasoned professionals, Deborah still has a tremendous work ethic. She looks at every opportunity as a challenge and an opportunity to have fun at the same time.”

Jacque Petroulakis

Corporate Communications/Public Affairs Professional

Deb is one of the most strategic and collaborative clients that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. While we worked together on Del Webb, Deb was leading all things marketing related for the brand and overseeing a multitude of national initiatives simultaneously. She continually brought smart, out-of-the-box ideas to the table and pushed her internal team and the agency to think beyond the ordinary. She is an extremely driven individual, always thinking about the long-term path that a brand should take. Having that vision, along with strong business insights and knowledge of the industry, ensured that our marketing efforts achieved the desired business results. Not to mention that Deb is extremely positive, upbeat and a great deal of fun to work with

Dave Daily

Marketing Director; Optum Government Solutions at United Health Group

Deborah is an expert in community design and targeted messaging that resonates with consumers to drive sales. She has an excellent understanding of life-stage motivators, new home shopping behavior, and exactly what’s needed in the sales center and in marketing communications to ‘showcase the dream.’ Her mastery of marketing to active adults and lifestyle seekers is a vital asset to any builder or developer planning a new community or seeking to breathe new life into an existing one.”

Ken Johnson

Past Strategic Marketing VP – Pulte Group, Strategic Marketing & Building Systems Specialist

“I worked with Deborah for 5 years and she was a high-energy, motivated individual that always brought great creative ideas to the table. She was very dependable and she took a fiscally responsible approach to marketing, while aligning closely with my finance organization to drive the best results for the company. Deborah always had a great eye for consumer wants and needs and this translated into several great ideas that proved invaluable to our team. She’s a top-notch marketing individual.”

Jim Ossowski

Corporate VP-Finance and Controller at Pulte Group, Inc.

Deborah has an in-depth knowledge of strategic marketing that is extremely difficult to find. She understands the big picture yet has the detail and leadership skills to facilitate the necessary tasks to accomplish the larger goal. She expects the best out of people. Her qualifications earn her the respect she deserves from all those who work with her. Deborah is an asset to any team with her drive and passion for excellence.”

Susan Paul

Residential real estate broker/owner in Chandler and Scottsdale

I highly recommend Deborah. She and I have worked together for many years. Deborah is an energetic and talented professional who has added value to the bottom of every project we’ve worked on together. She is focused and dedicated. I strongly recommend her!”

Larry Meeks

AIA, Director and VP, STG Design

I have worked with Deborah Blake since 1994. In this time I have experienced Deborah’s determination, and willingness to learn and adapt to continue her growth and development. Deborah’s drive for results produced incredible success for her areas of responsibility at Del Webb and Pulte during her time with the company. Deborah is a strategic thinker, fiscally conscious, and knowledgeable of all aspects of real estate development and homebuilding operations. Given Deborah’s high level of performance and exceptional results, Deborah was provided several opportunities to grow and advance within Pulte. In Deborah’s role of Area VP Marketing, she was responsible for creating a business plan, budgets, and an organization that managed multiple brands for multiple geographies. Deborah’s ability to quickly earn the trust and respect of her division Presidents and Vice Presidents of sales provided a forum to work effectively with others. In my opinion, Deborah is one of the most knowledgeable and effective sales and marketing leaders in our industry today.”

Chris Haines

President, Arizona Division at AV Homes, Inc.

It is my pleasure to recommend Deborah Blake for the best in sales, marketing, and the complete package related to development of successful housing, particularly in the active adult arena. In the more than 20 years I have known and worked with Deborah, she has demonstrated an appreciation and a passion for the world of active adult community development, and her exceptional communication skills make her the finest team leader and networker in my experience. She has an open mind and a true commitment to this constantly changing product, and because of this, she is not afraid to change things up, and to listen and learn, no matter how great her own experience. That experience includes working with the icons of the industry and benefitting from quality research and thought leadership. Given the massive changes occurring now in our approach to active adult housing, the history and experience that Deborah brings to the effort is invaluable, and she does so with style and grace. There is simply no one more qualified.”

Mary Jo Peterson

CKD, CBD, President, Mary Jo Peterson, Inc.