Gary Frahm - Publisher

"Great businesses, it is said, have a point of view. We promise this: If it has our name on it, then it will be clean, elegant, and high-end."

Gary Frahm- Founder, President, and Publisher of Smart Shopper Magazine™ and ShoppingHeights.com™ - has more than 25 years of local, regional, and national advertising and publishing experience. He started his advertising career with Baltimore Magazine in 1982 as an Account Executive. In 1983, he joined Baltimore City Paper as Marketing Director. In 1986, he accepted a position with Times Publishing Group as Advertising Director, where he remained until the company sold to Patuxent Publishing Co. in 1988. A year-long stint with Snyder Communications in Rockville, Maryland, followed - where he held several titles, including Vice President of Marketing.

In 1990, Gary launched Smart Shopper Magazine™ (then known as The Smart Shopper) from his home's guest bedroom. "I knew from past experience that coupons offered the measurable results that traditional media such as newspapers and magazines couldn't. I figured the trick to putting out a high-end product was simply targeting the right households, the right advertisers, and the right format," recounts Gary. "The marriage of 'image and response' was a concept that I incorporated into our very first issue, and it remains the foundation of what we do today. The message is just as important as the medium."

A Baltimore native and graduate of Towson University, Gary enjoys playing guitar in local rock band Tall in the Saddle and working on other musical projects in his spare time.

Lauren Esakoff - Associate Publisher

"Understanding the daily challenges my advertisers face helps me deliver value. Relationships matter. The stronger the trust, the better my ability to help drive profitable results with a level of integrity and accountability."

Lauren Esakoff joined Smart Shopper Magazine™ in 2002 as an Account Executive. Since then, she has been promoted to Sales Manager, Advertising Director, and - in June 2006 - moved into the role of Associate Publisher.

A Cum Laude Graduate of Goucher College, Lauren Esakoff had a 20-year career with MCI Telecommunications Corporation prior to joining the Smart Shopper™ / ShoppingHeights.com™ team. While with MCI, she served as National Director of Sales and Service, Marketing, and Information Technology in both consumer and business markets.

Since 2001, Lauren has served as Vice President of the Baltimore Zionist District Executive Board. In 2003, she was appointed Trustee on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Family Education. Lauren was elected to the Board of Directors of her neighborhood association, where she served as Treasurer and Vice President from 2000 to 2005.

In 2005, Lauren moved to an historic home and was concurrently appointed Co-President of the Pikesville Township, where she resides.

Sharon Sigelman - Operations Manager

"The value our readers perceive is a source of great pride for me. We receive consistent, ongoing positive feedback that speaks volumes about the relationships we have formed with a very loyal and grateful base of readers."

A native New Yorker, Sharon has spent the last 26 years in Baltimore. Her work experience is varied - ranging from General Services Coordinator at the brokerage firm of Baker Watts, to medical billing and running her husband's landscape company.

She has two teenage children who keep her quite busy, but in her free time, she enjoys tending to several gardens situated on the grounds of her family's 100-year-old home in Pikesville.

Jane Leibowitz - Graphic Designer

"Ideally, advertising aims at the goal of a programmed harmony among all human impulses and aspirations and endeavors. Using handicraft methods, it stretches out toward the ultimate electronic goal of a collective consciousness." - Marshall McLuhan

As for me, I'm delighted to be part of that.

Jane inherited her love and talent for the arts from both parents, given her father's job as an art director and her mother's avid appreciation for it. Her commitment to commercial design became obvious forfeited a Ford Foundation fine-art scholarship to study with a well-known commercial artist, teaching at the Art Students League in New York City. The route to becoming a professional graphic designer was circuitous: As a native New Yorker, she lived as far out as La Paz, Bolivia, and as far west as Wyoming before settling in Maryland in 1991.

Jane has been an Account Manager for several publications, including Smart Shopper Magazine™ / ShoppingHeights.com™, as well as for radio, where she learned to write and produce spots for advertisers. Add to the list caterer, restaurateur, ad department manager and photographer, and one gets an idea of the unique perspective she brings to the art department: an understanding of what clients want and need, and how to best communicate that to their target audience.

Jane enjoys cooking, weight training with her husband, and designing jewelry. She resides in Woodstock with her husband and son, who will soon be off to Hollywood to pursue his dream of acting.

Stacey Ryan - Senior Account Manager

"I am genuinely inspired to help my clients achieve success. I approach each individual relationship with integrity, creativity, experience, and humor."

As ShoppingHeights.com™ senior account representative, Stacey Ryan believes that helping businesses market themselves is rewarding, fun, and creative. With a strong desire for a career in advertising, Smart Shopper Magazine™ and ShoppingHeights.com™ have allowed Stacey to cultivate her talents. Stacey's enthusiasm for the company is contagious, and her motto these days is "Be first, be daring, be different."

Stacey's hobbies are ballroom and swing dancing, volunteering for the MD SPCA (an active pursuit for more than seven years), and walking her way to physical fitness.

A graduate of University of Maryland at College Park and a native Baltimorean, Stacey has lived in Florida and New York and now resides in Owings Mills.

Ellen Hunt - Account Manager

"I find my job very rewarding. I learn something new every day and enjoy helping my advertisers grow their business."

Ellen Hunt graduated from the University of Maryland. Her career includes positions with Johnson & Johnson, Xerox, CBS Publishing, and now ShoppingHeights.com™. Ellen was the #1 National Salesperson while working with CBS.

Ellen has three teenage boys - Ben, Chris, and Connor - and has spent much of the past few years on the sidelines, following her children in sports. Ben, the oldest, is currently playing Division I lacrosse at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chris joined Ben at UNC in 2007. Connor is also following in his brothers' footsteps.

Ellen and her husband of 22 years, Geoff, live on the Severn River in Arnold, Maryland.

Jennifer Oberfeld-Spath - Account Manager

"I enjoy meeting and working with different people, and I derive pleasure from their success. For me, the sale just begins with the space agreement... the ongoing relationship is rewarding."

A native of Baltimore, Jennifer has lived in the area all of her life. She currently resides with her beautiful family in Owings Mills. She graduated from Towson University with a degree in Mass Communications and has enjoyed a successful career selling advertising ever since. In January of 2010, she joined the team at Smart Shopper Magazine™. She firmly believes that life is good.

Kim Michalov - Art Director

Smart Shopper Magazine's™ Art Director, Kim Michalov has worked in publishing, graphic design, and marketing for more than 14 years. She was Art Director at Urbanite magazine, led the advertising art department at the Baltimore Sun, managed Trade Publishing's four weekly publications, and was the Marketing/Design Specialist at McCormick Taylor, Inc. When she's not designing, Kim can be seen running daily in Roland Park and the surrounding areas. She lives in Hampden with her son Zach and volunteers for those in need in her spare time.

Maria Hogg - Digital Media Specialist

Smart Shopper Magazine's™ Digital Media Specialist, Maria Hogg, has worked in website design, web development, and social media for over a year. A former county government employee, Maria now has the pleasure of following her passions. When not designing, Maria enjoys playing acoustic cover songs in her band, What MD Does. She can sing, play guitar and piano, and is also known to shake a tambourine or two. She lives in Ellicott City in a 100-year-old historic home.