Eric Cook, Certified Internet Business Consultant - WSI Internet Consulting
Eric
has held a variety of positions in the banking industry, starting his
career behind the counter as a teller and eventually moving into
marketing, human resources, a “little bit” of lending, technology,
operations and eventually becoming Chief Operating Officer and Regional
President for a publicly-traded, Michigan-based community bank. Over
his 15-year career, he discovered a love for the Internet, building the
bank’s first website in 1995 and starting a side business in 1999 to
take care of small business web development needs.
Following his
passion for the Internet, in August of 2007 Eric stepped away form his
banking responsibilities and started his own consulting practice,
focused on helping organizations better understand and leverage the
power of the Internet. As part of the global franchise, WSI (which
stands for We Simplify the Internet), Eric combines his years of
banking and business experience with industry-leading Internet
knowledge to help not only his banking clients, but also assists a
variety of other businesses and non-profits to help them compete more
effectively in the Internet age.
While a community banker, Eric
served his industry through a variety of committee positions with the
Michigan Bankers Association, most notably as chair of the Operations
& Technology Committee for the three years prior to starting his
own business. Eric holds a double-major BA in Business Administration
and Psychology from Alma College, earned his MBA from Western Michigan
University and is a 2003 graduate of the prestigious Graduate School of
Banking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Eric is one of
only a handful of “award winning” consultants with WSI, earning a Web
Marketing Association WebAward – Financial Services Standard of
Excellence in 2008 for his project with Wolverine Bank. His project for
Isabella Bank was also a finalist in the 2008 WSI WebAwards. He
continues to use his banking expertise and in-depth understanding of
the Internet to help community banks benefit from their website beyond
simply being a place to “log in” to online banking.
Eric and his
wife Alicia reside in Southern Michigan with their two golden
retrievers. In addition to his love of technology, he is an avid
cyclist and competes in endurance-distance mountain bike events and
triathlons. In 2006 he founded Pedaling with a Purpose, a charitable
effort designed to help fellow cyclists raise money for worthy causes
while competing, and has raised over $25,000 fighting childhood cancer.
