Who we are

Our values

We embrace the risks of collaboration

We know what we know and you know what you know. When we co-learn, we make the most of our potential. Combining is collaboration. Our challenge? Efficient pursuit of shared knowledge and wise resolutions.

We commit to excellence

We hold very high professional standards. No matter how large or small the client or client project, we will define, achieve and measure results. We are known for the quality of our accomplishments, and for the quality of our effort.

We seek inspired reality

In-spired re-al’it-y n. Canoe Definition 1. to face facts head-on while seeking transformation; 2. Shared group analysis of the current state focuses clear intentions for the future; 3. The vision and will that leaves a legacy.

We strive to balance curiosity, innovation and structure

Our adaptive organization will use our strategic framework of agreements to focus our years of accumulated knowledge through our abundant curiosity. We find innovative and practical solutions.

We nurture heartfelt relationships

Trusted friends are key to sustainable success. We seek to respect, know, connect, listen, explore and honor the unique qualities and perspectives of all we meet, and share this value with others.

We pursue joy

We create room for play and bring laughter into the room. We want to do what we like and want to do. We believe prosperity is an attitude, not the end result, that arrives when we lead & serve.

Michael Kosmala

Michael’s wise. He listens and ponders, synthesizes and crystallizes the complex…
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Marta Mellinger

Since 1976, Marta’s combined “strategic” with communications, learning more all along …
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David Frackelton

Dave’s our uber-geek. We work hard to translate his abstract concepts, but it’s worth it…
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Michael Kosmala

Michael Kosmala

I help our clients get clear on who they are and develop more meaningful relationships with those who matter most through integrated online strategies.

Prior to starting The Canoe Group, I was a Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement at the Oregon Symphony and have held education and community engagement related positions at arts organizations, universities and schools. I led a team that increased earned revenue at the Symphony reversing a 10-year trend of flat or declining sales and developed a nationally award-winning rural community engagement program that built community through the arts.

But these work experiences do not define who I am. If you want to know who I am, you need to understand my journey as a musician.

That I decided to play the trombone in 4th grade, knew I wanted to make a career of it by 7th grade, and went on to get my first symphony orchestra job just prior to graduating from the Eastman School of Music.

That I was privileged to perform with some of the world’s great conductors and soloists (and once played in a horn section for one of my mother’s favorite singers, Frankie Valli). That at 27, my professional playing career came to an abrupt end due to a neurological disorder.

And today, that I owe my success since then to the skills I honed as a musician from a young child.

Successful orchestral musicians must have excellent technical and ensemble skills - the ability to master your part and know how it fits within a greater whole.

In an ensemble, one must listen and adapt instantaneously based on a variety of ever-changing circumstances. Sometimes you’re called to lead by yourself, co-lead with others or play a supporting role as part of the ensemble.

It is these skills and others that shape who I am today and how I approach my work in our business and in service to our clients.

Learn more about our work today.

Marta Mellinger

Marta Mellinger

I bring disparate groups of people together: to discuss, to grow new allegiances, to listen, to learn, to plan and to innovate.

My work is about building values-based alliances: between company employees and customers, between nonprofits and donors, between association and members, between state and citizen. Wherever and whenever a group of people learn and believe they share common interest and goals, anything becomes possible.

I brought to The Canoe Group my background in organization change, strategic planning, marketing communications, the arts, group process, nonprofit management and political advocacy. I had just finished five years as Executive Director of a mid-sized nonprofit, managing a founder retirement transition where we re-invented the business model, grew revenues by 40% and built new partnerships, a new value proposition and a new brand.

When I began my career, I believed that solid strategy, clear timelines and strong leadership could "direct action and produce results". Now I know lasting results happen when a large group of people engage, agree and commit.

I've seen the results, led and learned through my wide-ranging 35-year career, including: statewide political campaign management, corporate cultural transformation at PacifiCorp, arts advocacy for Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission, board alignment at The Ford Family Foundation, organization change management for University of California Santa Cruz' Education Partnership Center, inclusive strategic planning for nearly 40 nonprofits, educational institutions and state agencies.

With Michael, David and all The Canoe Group clients, we explore the results that can be achieved through integrated engagement strategy. It's extraordinary what can be accomplished when solid strategy weaves face-to-face and web opportunities. It's amazing what people can do.

Learn more about our work today.

David D Frackelton

David Frackelton

Right after graduating from Yale I started a business with clients in the brokerage, banking and insurance industries. Growing a company from two people (and a dog) to twelve people (and a dog) was challenging. I learned about management, sales, accounting and the diverse economies of the East Coast. And I learned about being an entrepreneur.

I sold my company and moved to Oregon in 1987 with Marta. We both worked while we raised two vibrant and accomplished daughters. I earned my Masters of Science in Applied Information Management.

Just before starting The Canoe Group, I worked for Cayuse Software as Director of Marketing and then as Director of Market Intelligence. We developed, packaged and sold a new web application to the country’s research community. I worked with technical initiatives at National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and USDA while building strong client relationships at University of California/SF, Wisconsin-Madison, and UMASS Medical School. I will always appreciate how scientific research contributes to creating a civil society.

I’m interested in how technology is adopted and disseminated through a population. While I’m passionate about learning-all-the-time learning, I try to keep my life balanced with scriptwriting, swimming, biking and singing.

Learn more about our work today.

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