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QC PastPort is a success because of the enthusiastic folks who stepped up and made this initiative possible. Helen Keller said it best: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” We genuinely appreciate the continued dedication and efforts of everyone on our team!
Natalie Linville-Mass, President of QC PastPort, has been in the media field for more than 30 years and is the founder of Media Link and the inventor behind Media Link Software®. Natalie’s second passion is history. In Junior High, she compiled a 500-page family tree with her Dad, and part of what compelled her to move to the Quad Cities is the historic landscape of this area. Natalie graduated from Drake University with a degree in Broadcast Sales and Management. Before opening her business, she worked throughout the Midwest in radio and television, holding positions including commercial producer, DJ, reporter, editor, producer, and account executive. Nationally, Natalie worked with The Water Foundation and helped to launch a PR campaign for Earth 911 out of Phoenix, AZ. She has the unique ability to envision the overall picture of a project and pull together each element to make each project flow seamlessly. “With my experience in marketing and the need I recognize for a better understanding of who we are as a community and how we got here, I recognized a path on how to share this incredible history in a fun and relatable way,” expressed Linville-Mass.
On top of running her business, Natalie serves on the board of The Moline Foundation; founded and still manages a Women’s Executive Group dedicated to supporting the advancement of our Quad Cities female executives; is a past board member of the ARC of the Quad Cities, Workforce Investment for Rock Island, Henry and Mercer County, Living Lands & Waters and the Quad Cities Advertising Federation. She was awarded the 2012 Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award for her long-standing service to Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the 2005 Davenport One Women in Business Advocate of the Year, and named a 2003 Quad-City Business Journal Top 40 under 40. Natalie volunteers as a guest speaker for Marketing and Small Business classes at Ashford University, Augustana College, Blackhawk College, Drake University, The Quad Cities Chamber, Scott Community College, St. Ambrose University, University of Iowa, and Western Illinois University.
Adrian Vander Wille, MBA, Marketing Manager, provides an interdisciplinary and international perspective to our operations. His position’s responsibilities range from market research, proposal development, content creation, to implementing digital campaigns in cooperation with our partners. He has successfully developed, managed, and evaluated thousands of digital and traditional marketing campaigns during the pasts six years.
Adrian received his MBA in Sustainable Business Practices and Advanced Strategy and Leadership from the University of Oregon and his MA in Development Economics and BA in Business, Economics, and Cultural Studies from the University of Erlangen.
“The Quad Cities German heritage motivates me to learn more about the region’s past, so contributing to QC PastPort and its community stakeholders is a natural fit,” Adrian says.
Linda Anderson, Researcher and Writer, is a Rock Islander with an active interest in historic preservation and local history. She has researched and written local landmark nominations, architectural and historic tours, contributed to newsletters and digital postings, and serves as a tour guide. She is active in a variety of organizations, including:
Josh Boelter, Content Specialist, is a writer, researcher, and producer with experience in a variety of industries. Josh’s career has taken him from marketing communications at a Silicon Valley startup, to writing a weekly newspaper column, to writing and producing PBS documentaries. Josh moved to the Quad Cities when his partner accepted a position at Augustana College in Rock Island.
“When Natalie told me about the projects we’d be working on, I got really excited,” he says. “These projects are a combination of many of the things I love, from writing to researching to learning about history and presenting it in a meaningful way to the public. It takes advantage of my skills and experience in a similar way to producing documentaries.” Josh is thrilled to be learning about the history of the Quad Cities from local historian Linda Anderson and Media Link President Natalie Linville-Mass, as well as the many wonderful people he’s met since starting this job.
Josh lives in Rock Island with his partner and their two cats. When he isn’t researching and writing for QC PastPort, he follows the ups and downs of his favorite football (soccer) teams, FC Barcelona in Spain and Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
Melissa Garcia, Graphic Designer, has over 25 years of experience in graphic design and marketing communications. Since 2004, she has run her own freelance graphic design company, Garcia Graphics Inc., which has provided creative services to our team and our clients since 2005. Melissa graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design with High Honors. Prior to her career as a freelancer, she worked in university sports information, private sector marketing, and a full-service advertising agency. She enjoys her freelance career because it keeps her creativity fresh by working with various clients and projects while giving her the flexibility to work from home with her family.
Jim O-Hara, Broadcast Producer, is synonymous with radio in this area, because since the late 1970’s he’s guided some of the Quad Cities’ favorite radio stations. Ten years later he started his own company www.OHaraVoice.com, which today provides voicework and full audio production for businesses in our area, across the country and around the world. Jim, and his wife Gynny, both Wisconsin natives, reside in Davenport, where they raised two terrific, super-intelligent and talented adult sons. Jim is the area’s premiere producer of audio content.
Megan Cox, Marketing Specialist, is armed with a Bachelor’s in Retail Management Marketing from the University of Iowa with a background in Sales and Service Managerial Roles at Sephora and Enterprise-Rent-A-Car. She found her passion seamlessly blending her artistic flair with marketing strategies. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Digital Marketing at Northern Illinois University, Megan proudly fulfills a longstanding goal in the world of digital advertising.
Megan has volunteered at the Iowa City Animal Shelter, using her marketing skills to promote adoptable pets by telling their unique stories. She also served on the Philanthropy Committee for the American Marketing Association, collaborating on impactful campaigns for animal shelters and events that contributed to community betterment. These experiences allowed her to merge marketing expertise with a passion for positive social impact.
As a Marketing Strategist, she excels in tackling creative challenges, actively contributing to various projects, and applying analytical skills to effectively solve our client’s problems. Megan finds the perfect outlet for her creativity at Media Link Inc., while witnessing the direct impact on business growth.
Megan is a Quad Cities native raised in Moline, Illinois. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys time with friends, discovering new music, and supporting the Hawkeyes.
Lila Siering, Marketing Specialist, is a graduate of Knox College where she majored in creative writing, double minored in studio art and philosophy, and recently received her B.A. in June of
2023. Writing has been Lila’s passion for as long as she’s been able to pick up a pencil, and she is more than thrilled to have found a job where she can utilize and fine-tune these skills. In her last year of college, Lila worked for one of Knox’s literary magazines, Cellar Door, as an Art Editor. After graduating in June, she worked as a copywriter intern for three months before
eventually finding her way to us.
“Finding paid work as a recent college grad, brand new to the “real” world, was a little stressful and intimidating, especially in such a competitive field,” she states. “It has been such a relief to have found a fun, enjoyable job with flexible hours and wonderful coworkers.”
Lila has worked in hospitality, publishing, and a little bit of Law, but advertising is an entirely new avenue she can’t wait to fully explore and eventually master. When she isn’t at work, Lila can be found doodling in her sketchbook, writing fantasy-horror fiction novels, or hanging out with her two fat cats and five (yes, five) tarantulas at her home in rural New Boston.
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